Easysoft dbExpress-ODBC Gateway User Guide - Introduction

Introducing the Easysoft dbExpress-ODBC Gateway

Easysoft Data Access is a series of programs that allow you to have heterogeneous access to any database on any platform.

With Easysoft software you can connect applications on more platforms to more database systems than ever before.

This section explains what the Easysoft dbExpress-ODBC Gateway is and how it works, and how to obtain and test the unixODBC driver manager.

Chapter Guide

Deployment

The Easysoft dbExpress-ODBC Gateway consists of a library loaded by the dbExpress part of an application, which links to either the target ODBC 3 driver, or (preferably) an ODBC 3 driver manager which in turn links to an ODBC 2 or an ODBC3 driver:

Figure 1: Easysoft dbExpress-ODBC Gateway deployment

Functionality

The Easysoft dbExpress-ODBC Gateway allows applications developed using Borland's Kylix (on Unix platforms), Delphi or C++ Builder (under Windows platforms) applications to access data in any local or remote ODBC compliant database.

It enables users to develop for ODBC and deploy against any database, anywhere on the network.

Compatibility

The Easysoft dbExpress-ODBC Gateway is compatible with both the Microsoft ODBC Driver Manager and unixODBC, the open source ODBC driver manager available on Linux and Unix platforms.

Database systems which can be accessed include Postgres, MySQL, InterBase, DB2, Oracle®, Microsoft SQL Server, Microsoft Access and every other database which has a Windows or Unix compatible ODBC driver.

Obtaining the unixODBC driver manager

The Easysoft dbExpress-ODBC Gateway has been developed using the driver manager supplied as part of the unixODBC source.

This should be downloaded from http://www.unixodbc.org and built on your target machine before using the Easysoft dbExpress-ODBC Gateway.

Testing the unixODBC driver manager

Easysoft recommend that you should prove that the connection between the driver manager, the ODBC driver and the target database is working before you start to configure the Easysoft dbExpress-ODBC Gateway, as this will help you to pinpoint the source of any problems you encounter.

The unixODBC web site (http://www.unixodbc.org) shows how you can use either isql or the unixODBC DataManager utility to verify your DSN setup.


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