Using the ODBC Client

This chapter provides information about using ODBC applications with the OpenAccess Client for ODBC (ODBC Client) and with the Local Client for ODBC and IP SDK (Local ODBC Client). For clarity, this chapter uses ODBC client to apply to information common to both the ODBC Client and Local ODBC Client.

Open Database Connectivity (ODBC) is an Application Program Interface (API) specification that allows applications to access multiple database systems using Structured Query Language (SQL). ODBC provides maximum interoperability—a single application can access many different database systems. This allows an ODBC developer to develop, compile, and ship an application, without targeting a specific type of data source. Users can add the database drivers, which link the application to the database systems of their choice.