Open database connectivity

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Open Database Connectivity ( ODBC , English for open database connectivity ) is a standardized database interface that uses SQL as the database language. It therefore offers a programming interface (API) that allows a programmer to develop his application relatively independently of the database management system (DBMS) used, if an ODBC driver exists for it.

Details

ODBC is a possibility, the details for accessing the database ( credentials ), such as the name of the database server, port for network access to the database, database name, user name of the database user and its password and other details under a specific name on the client set up . Using this name, a client application can then connect to the database without knowing the details.

ODBC was originally developed by Microsoft on the basis of the Call Level Interface from X / Open and ISO / IEC , but has now also been adopted by other software manufacturers. ODBC is now established as the standard in many areas.

ODBC drivers have a different range of functions:

  • Core (only basic functionality)
  • Level 1
  • Level 2

Modern programming environments allow uncomplicated access to a large number of different database management systems (via ready-made data-sensitive control elements ). Data is never accessed directly on a table or database, but always via the corresponding (ODBC) component. Any local or remote data source can be accessed with ODBC.

For object-oriented programming languages (e.g. C ++ , Java ) there are classes available that define methods for handling the data of the different database systems. The programmer no longer has to worry about database-specific details.

Within the Microsoft Foundation Classes , support for ODBC is implemented through the CDatabase, CRecordset, CRecordView, CFieldExchange and CDBException classes.

The DAO ( Data Access Objects ) optimized for the Microsoft Jet database module also enables indirect access to ODBC.

Since Windows 2000, ODBC has been an integral part of the operating system as part of MDAC . For earlier Windows versions it can be installed free of charge. In 2011, Microsoft announced that the 2012 version of Microsoft SQL Server would be the last version with an OLE-DB provider; the ODBC provider was recommended for the time after that.

ODBC was originally developed only for Windows , but the interface is now also available for database management systems under Unix operating systems.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Microsoft is Aligning with ODBC for Native Relational Data Access. Retrieved November 4, 2011 .