ODBC Data Sources

You can store a set of SAP Sybase IQ connection parameters as a data source in either the system registry or as a file. Data sources are required to use applications that connect using the Open Database Connectivity (ODBC) interface.

Microsoft Corporation defines the ODBC interface, which is a standard interface for connecting client applications to database management systems in the Windows environments. Many client applications, including application development systems, use the ODBC interface to access a wide range of database systems.

On Windows, the ODBC Administrator provides a central place for creating and managing ODBC data sources.

The following procedure uses the ODBC Administrator to add a new data source to your existing odbc.ini, or creates a new file if necessary.

SAP Sybase IQ also includes a cross-platform command-line utility named iqdsn to create data sources.

• Where Data Sources Are Held
  Data sources can be used on Windows or UNIX/Linux-based systems to help clients make it easier to make connections.
• Creating a Data Source from the ODBC Administrator
  The ODBC Administrator provides an easy way to create an ODBC Data Source.
• Creating an ODBC Data Source from the Command Line
  You can create User and System Data Sources using the iqdsn command-line utility. You cannot create File Data Sources with iqdsn. You can also use the ODBC Administrator to create User, System, and File Data Sources.
• Testing an ODBC Data Source
  You can test ODBC Data Sources using the ODBC Administrator.
• Configuring ODBC Data Sources in ODBC Administrator
  Options on the ODBC configuration dialog are organized by tab.
• ODBC Data Sources on UNIX
  On UNIX-like operating systems, the odbc.ini file contains a list of data sources.