The following table compares Sybase’s client interfaces:
Client-Library |
DB-Library |
Embedded SQL |
ODBC |
|
---|---|---|---|---|
Available Client/Server features |
All |
All except native cursors, data stream messaging, network-based security services, and dynamic SQL database commands |
All except data stream messaging and registered procedure notifications |
Similar to DB-Library; different implementations may provide different feature sets, or may implement the same feature differently |
Query-language independent? |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
Supports non-database development? |
Yes |
No |
Yes |
No |
Interface style |
Synchronous or asynchronous |
Synchronous, asynchronous on VMS only. |
Synchronous |
Synchronous |
Chief advantages |
Powerful, generic, portable |
Simple, portable |
Simple, portable, and an international standard |
Simple, widely available |
Chief disadvantages |
Learning curve associated with a new interface |
Sybase-specific, does not support all generic client/server services |
Less flexible than call-level interfaces |
Lack of a single conformance test suite for all implementations results in a mixed level of function support |