Microsoft Windows 98 Second Edition Msorcolr.txt File (234875)

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Microsoft(R) OLE DB Provider for Oracle, version 2.1 Readme File
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(c) 1998 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

This document provides late-breaking or other information that supplements 
the Microsoft OLE DB Provider for Oracle documentation.

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CONTENTS
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1. PRODUCT DESCRIPTION

2. SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS

3. TECHNICAL NOTES

4. KNOWN LIMITATIONS

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1. PRODUCT DESCRIPTION
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This provider enables OLE DB consumers to access Oracle data sources.
It was implemented with the Microsoft Data Access Components version 2.0. 
(The provider's version number matches the Data Access version number.)

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2. SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
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The Microsoft OLE DB Provider for Oracle provides access to Oracle 
databases (version 7.3 or version 8) using the Oracle Client Software, 
version 7.3.3.4.0 or greater, or version 8.0.4.1.1c. The client software 
must be installed on the client machine. This provider has been tested 
primarily with Oracle Client Software version 7.3.3.4.0 and SQL*Net version 
2.3.3.0.4. When upgrading an Oracle client, it is important both to install 
the client upgrade and to apply the "Required Supporting Files" that ship 
with the Server patch. 

For more information about Oracle products, refer to your Oracle 
documentation set.

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3. TECHNICAL NOTES
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None

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4. KNOWN LIMITATIONS
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a) This provider does not support the {resultset} escape implemented by the 
Microsoft ODBC Driver for Oracle.

b) OLE DB 2.0 includes a new flag in IConvertType::CanConvert, which is 
DBCONVERTFLAGS_FROMVARIANT. This flag is supported by the provider; 
however, it has no effect on the return value from CanConvert at this time.  

c) In Oracle version 8, the maximum size of a VARCHAR column has increased 
from 2000 to 4000 bytes. The Oracle 7.3.x client software has no way to 
bind a parameter value larger than 2000 bytes. Therefore, if you create a 
table with a VARCHAR column of larger than 2000 bytes, you will be unable 
to perform parameterized inserts, updates, deletes, and queries against it 
with data that exceeds the 2000-byte limit of the client software. Because 
both the ODBC Driver for Oracle and the OLE DB Provider for Oracle use 
parameterized inserts, updates, deletes, and queries, they will report 
ORA-01026 errors in this case. Data that is within the limits enforced by 
the Oracle client software will work properly. The workaround is to update 
your client software to Oracle 8 (8.0.4.1.1c or higher).

d) This version of the Oracle Provider for OLE DB supports automatic 
transactioning via MTS when used with Oracle client software versions 7.3.3 
and later. This functionality is limited to working on the Windows NT 
operating system; it does not work on Windows 95.