Access Denied: Putting MBSA Scan Information into a Database

Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer (MBSA) provides a separate report for each system it scans. We need to merge the information from each of our many computers into one report. How can we export MBSA's scan information to a database, such as Microsoft Access, so that we can run queries and create reports?

MBSA stores scan sessions in an XML file that can't easily be loaded into Access. However, Shavlik Technologies' free HFNetChkLT utility stores its scan in a Microsoft Data Engine (MSDE) database, which you can query directly from Access. Although HFNetChkLT uses the same scanning technology as MBSA, HFNetChkLT provides more update-scanning power. HFNetChkLT not only identifies missing updates but also lets you automatically push the fixes to as many as 10 computers—if you have more than 10 systems, you'll need to purchase HFNetChkPro or another third-party product, such as St. Bernard Software's UpdateEXPERT. HFNetChkLT's reports provide Microsoft's severity rating for each patch, link to third-party information that provides patch-related caveats, and can help you determine whether your environment needs a certain patch.