Adding ODBC Data Sources

The Microsoft ODBC driver manager and foreign database driver give you the capability to add ODBC data sources. Most foreign database vendors bundle the Microsoft ODBC driver manager along with their own ODBC programs. It follows that if you have installed a foreign database with support for ODBC, it is likely that the Microsoft ODBC driver manager is already available on your system. In attempting to locate this program, open the Control Panel and check whether this icon is there (or a similar one - a slightly different icon is used on Windows 98,Me and 2000):

On Windows Me you may have to select the option to "Show all Control Panel Options". On Windows 2000 and Windows XP this part of Control Panel has been hidden inside the "Administrative Tools Option - it will definitely be present). If you cannot find this option, you may find an icon to run it in one of the program groups created by the foreign database vendor. For example, the "Oracle7 ODBC" group contains an icon entitled ODBC Administrator that runs the Microsoft ODBC driver manager.

As mentioned earlier, the other essential component is the ODBC driver for the foreign database. Although this is always supplied by the foreign database vendor, third-party vendors often provide alternate ODBC drivers with fuller support for the ODBC interface.

Assuming that the ODBC drivers are installed, you can use the Microsoft ODBC driver manager to define one or more data sources for each driver, as follows:

  1. Run the Microsoft driver manager by double-clicking the ODBC icon in the Control Panel or by double-clicking the appropriate icon. The Data Sources dialog box appears:

    This dialog enables you to add, delete or configure data sources. (It may also enable you to install new ODBC drivers on your system.) The data sources defined for all the currently installed drivers are listed in the Data Sources (Driver) list

    There are seven buttons:

    Option (W32)

    Option (W16)

    Description

    Add

    Add

    Allows you to add a new data source to the list

    Remove

    Delete

    Deletes the data source highlighted in the list

    Configure

    Setup

    Allows you to change the configuration of the data source highlighted in the list

    OK

    Close

    Closes the dialog box, confirming any changes you have made

    Cancel

    -

    Closes the dialog box, cancelling any changes you have made

    Apply

    -

    Closes the dialog box, forcing any changes you have made to take effect immediately

    Help

    Help

    Takes you into help screens

    -

    Drivers

    Allows you to install new ODBC drivers or delete existing ones. (In 32-bit Windows this is installed by application software.)

    -

    Options

    Allows you to specify how the ODBC driver manager traces calls to ODBC functions. (In 32-bit Windows select the Tracing tab.)

  2. You can use any kind of data source for AUXWODBC. However, it is probably best to use a System DSN where possible. After selecting the type of DSN to use, click Add to add a new data source. The Add Data Source dialog box appears:

    This dialog lists the currently installed ODBC drivers

  3. From the list, select the driver that the data source will use - for example, SQL Server. Click Finish or OK. The appropriate driver dialog box appears, for example:

    Fill in the data source details. In the above example, the SQL Server driver requests you to name the data source, to describe the data in the data source and to name the SQL server from which the driver will retrieve data.
  4. Having defined the data source, click OK to return to the Data Sources dialog box. The new data source should now be listed in the Data Sources (Driver) list.
  5. Repeat the above procedure to add all the desired data sources