Re: QUES: Recommendation for ODBC driver for Informix and VB ap
In article <3od8aj$jjc@newstand.syr.edu>, rjkrause@mothra.syr.edu (Krause) wrote: >Hello, > >I was hopping someone could provide me names of ODBC drivers that they have had >working in a client/server environment. The database is Informix Online >residing on a unix server, and the applications are to be written under Visual >Basic. > >Any information would be greatly appreciated (especically any good or bad >experiences with specific products). > >Thanks, > >Bob Krause >Software Engineer >ATT:GIS Dryden BU >e-mail: robert.krause@drydenny.attgis.com >********************************************************************************* > All thoughts, opinions, comments are my own and no way reflect that of my ** >employer. * >* Venimus, Vidimus, Dolavimus!!!! * >******************************************************************************** Do you wish to use Informix middleware (I*Star) or not ? If yes forget the rest of this mail. You have to know that you can use another middleware very easy to install an dto use. This product is called CI-Link. You just need 5 minutes to install is on your Unix machine (on which your Informix kernel is already installed). The client part of CI-Link (DLL) is available for PC/Windows and Macintosh applications. For the Client part you also need 5 minutes to install it. Here's more informations on CI-Link: CI-Link is a client-server development environment for Unix SQL-databases. With CI-Link you can access to a remote SQL-database from a Macintosh or PC personnal computer. CI-Link can be used in two differents ways: 1/ CI-Link can be used to simply send SQL orders to the remote database from a spreadsheet application for instance, and to get answer into cells. 2/ But CI-Link has been conceived as a middleware client-server development environment to create complete application (accounting, '). CI-Link includes a language, a report writer, BLOB management, ' CI-Link is made of two parts, one is the server part, and one is the client part. The server part is a Unix software, which must be installed on the Unix computer. The SQL database must be present on the same Unix computer. The client part of CI-Link is a set of externals functions which are added to your Macintosh (or PC) application. We call that set of functions : CI-Link API.The API depends on the application, for instance, the client part for Excel is not the same than the client part for RagTime, etc' Several connections mode are available between the client and the server. You can use the CommunicationToolBox mode (asynchrone, ADSP, X25, ') or the daemon mode. It's important to notice that if you purchase CI-Link for instance for Oracle, you don't need to get SQLNet, you just need to have the RDBMS part and nothing else. All the others things you need are included in the CI-Link package. CI-Link server recognizes two type of orders : 1/ SQL-database orders, 2/ CI-Link orders. 1/ When CI-Link server receives from the API a SQL order, it sends it to the database without any operation on that order. In return, if the database must send an answer or an error message, that message is sent from the database to CI-Link server, and of course CI-Link server sends it to the API. Have a look to the database documentation to know the orders that it recognizes 2/ When CI-Link server receives from the API a CI-Link order, it understands the order by itself. CI-Link includes a complete programming language with a lots of things : variables (local, global, share, hard), control-flow constructs (if then else, while, ') functions (saved on the Unix server) batch (functions that run in background on the Unix server) debugger report ' You can mix any SQL order in the CI-Link language, and more again !!!' Therefore, you can use CI-Link to create a complete client-server application, and that's what we have done. Now we can present a lot of compagnies which use accounting softwares completely build with CI-Link and 4d, HyperCard, Excel, '. These applications run with a lot of simultaneous users. Of course, these users work with a graphic interface, not with SQL orders ! But of course the developper or even the end-user is not obliged to use the CI-Link language, it's possible to limited the use of CI-Link to SQL orders. In that case, you use CI-Link as a gateway between your application and the SQL server. CI-Link offers more other functionnalities, but you will be more impressed if you discover them by yourself. CI-Link is fast, cheap, easy to set up, easy to use, and very open. CI-Link server runs with Oracle, Informix, Ingres, and Progress. For instance for Oracle you don't need SQL*Net. Here's a list of applications for which a CI-Link API are available : Macintosh CI-Link API --------------------- 4e Dimension,C,Claris Resolve,Excel,Omnis 7,HyperCard,RagTime,Wingz,5PM,' PC Windows CI-Link API ---------------------- Excel,Omnis 7,C,Object Vision,FoxPro,Visual Basic,Access,CA Realiser, ' The CI-Link DDEV for DAM Interface is available ! To get more infos, you can contact : -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Alistair Woodman | AppleLink : ASCUS About Software Corporation | eWorld : ASC.US 10601, South De Anza Blvd. | America Online : ASCUS Suite 105 | Compuserve : 73243,36 Cupertino, CA 95014 | Internet : pascal@ascus.com general phone : (408) 725 4242 | Anonymous FTP : ftp.ascus.com sales : (800) 55 SOFTWARE | ARA Server : (408) 725 4250 tech support : (408) 725 4240 | FirstClass BBS : (408) 725 4252 fax : (408) 725 4243 | bbs.ascus.com --------------------------------------------------------------------------