ACC1x: Overview of the ORACLE ODBC Driver (1.x)

Last reviewed: May 20, 1997
Article ID: Q95921

The information in this article applies to:

Microsoft Access version 1.1

SUMMARY

This article presents a brief overview of the ORACLE relational database management system (RDBMS) and the ORACLE Open Database Connectivity (ODBC) driver.

MORE INFORMATION

ORACLE RDBMS is a multiuser relational database management system that runs with various workstation and minicomputer operating systems. The IBM-PC and compatible computers running Microsoft Windows can communicate with ORACLE database servers over a network. Supported networks include Microsoft LAN Manager, NetWare, VINES, DECnet, and any network that supports TCP/IP.

The ORACLE driver enables an application to access data in an ORACLE database through the ODBC interface. The driver communicates with the network through SQL*Net. The following diagram details the application and driver architecture:

                          Application
                               :
                               :
                      ODBC Driver Manager
                           (ODBC.DLL)
                               :
                               :
                         ORACLE Driver
                          (SQORA.DLL)
                               :
                               :
                         SQL*Net Driver
                               :
                               :
                        Network Software
               (LAN Manager, NetWare, and so forth)
                               :
                               :
                        SQL*Net Listener
                               :
                               :
                          ORACLE RDBMS

The ORACLE driver complies with API Conformance Level 1 and SQL Conformance Level Core. The ORACLE driver also supports some functions in API Conformance Level 2 and most of the grammar in the Core and Extended SQL conformance levels.

To access ORACLE data, the following components are required:

The ORACLE driver
An ORACLE RDBMS database
A network that connects the computers that run the driver and the database. The network must support SQL*Net connections.

The following section describes the hardware and software that each component requires.

ORACLE Driver

The ORACLE driver requires an Industry Standard Architecture (ISA) computer, such as the IBM PC/AT or compatible, a Micro Channel Architecture (MCA) computer, such as an IBM PS/2 or compatible, or an Extended Standard Architecture (EISA) computer.

The computer must have an 80286, 80386, or 80486 microprocessor, at least eight megabytes of random-access memory (RAM), and a hard disk with approximately 10 megabytes (MB) of free space.

The ORACLE driver requires MS-DOS version 3.3 or later, Microsoft Windows version 3.0a or 3.1, and ODBC Driver Manager version 1.0.

ORACLE RDBMS

To access data in an ORACLE database with the ORACLE driver, ORACLE RDBMS version 6.0 or later is required. For more information on the hardware and software required to run ORACLE RDBMS, please refer to the ORACLE RDBMS user documentation.

Network Software

A network is required to connect the computers on which the ORACLE RDBMS and the ORACLE driver run. For more information about the hardware and software that each network requires, please refer to the user documentation for your particular networking product.

The ORACLE driver and the ORACLE RDBMS use SQL*Net as a common network interface; it should be possible to use the ORACLE driver on any SQL*Net connection from Windows to an ORACLE database server. For more information about SQL*Net, please refer to the SQL*Net user documentation.

NOTE: SQL*Net components are available only from Oracle Corporation.

Database Error

When a database error occurs, the ORACLE driver returns the native error number, the SQLSTATE (an ODBC error code), and an error message. The driver determines these values from the errors it detects and from the errors that the ORACLE RDBMS returns.

Native Error

When an error occurs in the data source, the ORACLE driver returns the native error that the ORACLE RDBMS returns to it. When the driver or the Driver Manager detects the error, the ORACLE driver returns 0 (zero) for the native error number.

SQLSTATE

When an error occurs in the data source, the ORACLE driver maps the native error code it receives from the ORACLE RDBMS to the appropriate SQLSTATE. When the driver or the Driver Manager detects the error, the ORACLE driver or the Driver Manager generates the appropriate SQLSTATE.

Error Message

When an error occurs in the data source, the ORACLE driver returns an error message based on the message returned from the ORACLE RDBMS. When an error occurs in the ORACLE driver or in the Driver Manager, the ORACLE driver returns the error message associated with the SQLSTATE. The error message is displayed in the following format:

   <vendor><ODBC-component><data-source>error-message

The prefix items in angle brackets (<>) identify the location of the error. The table below shows the value returned by the ORACLE driver for each of these prefix items. Note that when an error occurs in the data source, the <vendor> and <ODBC-component> variables identify the vendor and name of the ODBC component that received the error.

Error Location           Prefix                  Value

Driver Manager           vendor                  [Microsoft]
                         ODBC-component          [ODBC DLL]
                         data-source             N/A

ORACLE Driver            vendor                  [Microsoft]
                         ODBC-component          [ODBC Oracle Driver]
                         data-source             N/A

ORACLE RDBMS             vendor                  [Microsoft]
                         ODBC-component          [ODBC Oracle Driver]
                         data-source             [Oracle OCI]

The following products are manufactured by vendors independent of Microsoft: VINES by Banyan Systems, Inc.; DECnet by Digital Equipment Corporation; IBM PC/AT and PS/2 by International Business Machines Corporation; NetWare by Novell, Inc.; ORACLE RDBMS and SQL*Net by Oracle Corporation. We make no warranty, implied or otherwise, regarding these products' performance or reliability.

Keywords : kb3rdparty kbusage OdbcOthr
Version : 1.0 1.1
Platform : WINDOWS
Hardware : X86
Issue type : kbinfo

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Last reviewed: May 20, 1997
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