Open Database Connectivity

Open Database Connectivity (ODBC) is a standard Software application programming interface specification for using database management systems (DBMS). ODBC is designed to be independent of programming language, database system and operating system.

=Description=

ODBC is an API specification. An implementation of ODBC will contain one or more applications, a core ODBC library, and one or more database drivers . The core library is independent of the applications and DBMSes, and acts as an interpreter (communication) between the applications and the database drivers. The DBMS-specific details are contained in the database drivers. Thus, the applications do not need to be concerned with the specifics of each DBMS that might be used. Likewise, database driver implementors need only know how to attach to the core library. This makes ODBC modular.

ODBC has certain drawbacks. The additional layers of abstraction will entail a performance cost. Added complexity can increase system administration overhead. ODBC driver implementations sometimes contain computer bugs. Due to the generic nature of the ODBC specification, advanced features and implementation-dependent details of a DBMS are often not available via ODBC. To work around such issues, application developers may not use ODBC, and instead use DBMS-specific methods to access a DBMS.

==History==

ODBC is based on the Call Level Interface (CLI) specifications from SQL, X/Open (now part of The Open Group), and the ISO/International Electrotechnical Commission. ODBC was created by the SQL Access Group and first released in September, 1992.

=Implementations=

ODBC implmentations exist for many operating systems, including Microsoft Windows, Unix, Linux, OS/2, and Apple Macintosh. ODBC drivers exist for many DBMSes as well, including Oracle, Microsoft SQL Server, Sybase, Pervasive SQL, MySQL, and PostgreSQL.

==Microsoft ODBC==

Microsoft was the first to provide an ODBC product, as a set of DLLs for Microsoft Windows.

==ODBC-JDBC Bridges==

A JDBC-ODBC Bridge is a JDBC driver which employs the ODBC driver to connect to the database. This driver translates JDBC method calls into ODBC function calls. Such a bridge is usually used when there is no JDBC driver available for a particular database. Sun included one such bridge in the JVM, but this was intended as a stop-gap measure while JDBC Drivers were in short supply, was never meant for production use, and Sun generally recommends against its use. Independent data access vendors now deliver JDBC-ODBC Bridges which support current standards for both mechanisms, and far outperform the JVM built-in.

==iODBC==

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==UnixODBC==

UnixODBC is a Driver Manager implementation for non-MS-Windows platforms. This is to include XFree86 GUI support for both GNOME and KDE. UnixODBC is used by OpenOffice.org.

=External links=

*[http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.aspurl=/library/en-us/odbc/htm/dasdkodbcoverview.asp Microsoft ODBC Documentation] *[http://www.roth.net/perl/odbc/conf/sld002.htm Presentation slides from www.roth.net] *[http://www.iodbc.org/ The iODBC.org home page] *[http://www.iodbc.org/index.phppage=docs/macosodbcstory/index iODBC.org paper about ODBC on the Mac] *[http://www.iodbc.org/index.phppage=docs/macosx-driver-writing How to write ODBC drivers for MacOS X] *[http://uda.openlinksw.com/ OpenLink Software data access home page] *[http://www.odbc.org/ The unixODBC Project home page] *[http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/Ken_North/Odbcfact.HTM The ODBC Hall of Fame] *[http://www.openlinksw.com/info/docs/odbcwhp/tableof.htm Early ODBC White Paper] *[http://www.openlinksw.com/info/docs/odbcstory.htm Unix ODBC Story] *[http://www.iodbc.org/index.phppage=languages/php/odbc-phpHOWTO ODBC & PHP Installation & Config Guide] *[http://www.macsos.com.au/MacODBC/ Mac OS Platforms ODBC Guide] *[http://www.macintouch.com/odbc.html Macintouch s ODBC for Mac OS Platform Chronicles] *[http://www.lilback.com/macsql/ State of ODBC and SQL on Mac OS circa. 1999]

== Sources of ODBC Driver Managers ==

*[http://www.iodbc.org/ The iODBC.org home page] *[http://www.odbc.org/ The unixODBC Project home page]

== Sources of ODBC Drivers ==

*[http://uda.openlinksw.com/odbc/ OpenLink Software] ships ODBC Drivers for a number of target databases, including Bridges to other data access mechanisms (e.g., ODBC, JDBC) which often provide more ODBC functionality than the targeted data source (e.g., full cursor support).

*[http://www.actualtechnologies.com Actual Technologies] makes ODBC drivers for Macintosh OS X. Most popular databases are supported, including Microsoft SQL Server, Oracle and MySQL.

== ODBC Tools and Utilities ==

*[http://oplweb.openlinksw.com:8080/download/util.vsp ODBC Driver Benchmarking Tools & Troubleshooting Utilities]