Error: module 'pyodbc' has no attribute 'connect'

The error message you're seeing usually indicates that the pyodbc module hasn't been properly installed or the version of pyodbc installed doesn't have the connect method. However, it's also worth noting that working with ODBC connections in AWS Lambda requires additional configurations due to the serverless environment.

Here are a few key points to consider:

Binary Compatibility: AWS Lambda runs on Amazon Linux. If you're installing pyodbc on a different OS and then uploading it to Lambda, it may not work because of binary incompatibility. Make sure to build your pyodbc package in a similar environment as AWS Lambda.

ODBC Drivers: pyodbc requires an ODBC driver to connect to the database. Installing an ODBC driver on AWS Lambda is not straightforward because AWS Lambda is a read-only file system, except for the /tmp directory. You'll also need to set the ODBCINI environment variable to your odbc.ini file path.

Lambda Layers: You can use Lambda Layers to manage your dependencies separately from your function code. However, the issue with binary compatibility and ODBC drivers still applies.

Alternatives to pyodbc: If you're trying to connect to a SQL Server database, consider using the pymssql module, which is a pure Python SQL Server client that doesn't require ODBC drivers. For other databases, there may be similar pure Python clients.

Use a VPC with a NAT Gateway or VPC Endpoints: If you're trying to connect to a database that isn't publicly accessible, you'll need to configure your Lambda function to run in a VPC and set up a NAT Gateway or VPC Endpoints to allow the function to access the internet and reach the database.