ACC: Connecting to SYBASE SQL Server from an ODBC Application (101073)

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The key to both Microsoft SQL Server and SYBASE SQL Server connectivity is a module called the Net-Library. This module consists of two interfaces: one with the network and one with the application. The network interface is customized to support a particular network; however, the application interface remains the same.

Because ODBC, DB-Library, APT-SQL, APT-Library, and so forth communicate with the Net-Library, these utilities can be written independent of the network. The ODBC SQL Server driver, in particular, can be used to connect either to a Microsoft SQL Server computer or to a SYBASE SQL Server computer (on a UNIX or VMS system), as long as there is a Net-Library for whatever network you are using.

The following paragraphs discuss how to connect to a SYBASE SQL Server from an ODBC application. The remainder of the article assumes that you are connected to a SQL Server called "Mysqlsvr." This server should be set up as an ODBC data source, using the ODBC Control Panel utility, as follows:

1. Open ODBC Control Panel and click Add.
2. Select SQL Server from the list of installed drivers and click OK.
3. In the ODBC SQL Server Setup dialog box, type a data source name and a description (optional).
   
   Note that a single server can function as multiple ODBC data sources, since each database in the server can be a data source. The data source name need not be the same as the server name.
4. Enter the true name of the server, then enter the network address.
   
   Because a SYBASE SQL Server on UNIX uses sockets and not named pipes, the network address must contains the IP address and the port identification number. This string is in the form "ip_address,port" (for example, "11.1.14.40,3180").
   
   For a SYBASE SQL Server on a VAX system, this string should be in the form "<node address>,<process_id>", where <node address> is the DECnet node address of the server and <process_id> is the process identification number to use for the connection (for example, "1.997,141").
   
   The Network Library field should contain the name of the Net-Library you need to use. This is dependent on what network you are using. For example, if you are using the FTP Software product PCTCP, the Net-Library name is "wdbftptc".
5. Click Options to specify a database name or a language name.
6. Click OK to go back to the first screen.
7. Run the INSTCAT.SQL script file.
   
   NOTE: This is a file containing SQL statements that will create certain stored procedures needed to process ODBC calls. Without these procedures, Microsoft Access cannot attach a SQL Server table and Visual Basic is not able to function correctly.
   
   At the UNIX command line or the MS-DOS prompt, type the following:
   
   isql -S<servername> -Usa -P<sa-password> -i<path>\instcat.sql

Finally, note that if the above procedure is followed correctly, the following changes appear in the ODBC.INI and WIN.INI files. The [Data Sources] section of ODBC.INI will contain the following entry:

   <data-source-name>=SQL Server
				

where <data-source-name> is the name of the data source that you added. There will be a new section called [data-source-name] containing the location of the SQL Server driver and a description of the data source. The [SQLSERVER] section of the WIN.INI will contain the following entry:

   data-source-name=<net-library-name>,<network address>
				

The following products are manufactured by vendors independent of Microsoft: DECnet, VMS, and MicroVAX by Digital Equipment Corporation; FTP Software by FTP Software, Inc.; DB-Library, Net-Library, and SYBASE SQL Server by Sybase, Inc.; and UNIX by UNIX System Laboratories. We make no warranty, implied or otherwise, regarding these products' performance or reliability.