Excerpts from ODBC paper: Q&A

Some of you asked me for copies of a internal paper on ODBC (Open Data Base Connect). This is part of what I have found so far... If there are typos, forgive me, I OCRed it and check it on the speedy side. --Bill SOME COMMONLY ASKED QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS: I've heard about ODBC but I still don't understand what it is, or what it does? =============================================================================== How many times have your customers "can I connect an Informix application to someone else's database server?" Or perhaps they asked it the other way around-- "can I connect someone else's application to an Informix database server?" It's a common request posed to every database company that has resulted in dozens of proprietary "gateway" products. ODBC, a standards specification developed by Microsoft and the SQL Access Group, was designed to eliminate the need for proprietary gateways for heterogeneous client/server database connectivity. Put simply, it provides a graceful way for any Windows application to talk to any SQL-based database server. But there are two parts to any ODBC solution (see Figure 1 below)--the application tool, and the interface to the server. That is, the application tool, such as Microsoft Access 1.1 must be ODBC-enabled. Additionally, the interface to the server must be able to accept ODBC calls. INFORMIX-SE for DOS and INFORMIX-NET PC can't directly accept ODBC calls. Therefore, we must place the Q+E ODBC Pack between the ODBC-enabled application and the Informix server interface to accomplish a connection. Microsoft Q+E Informix-NET PC Access 1.1 <----------> ODBC Pack ========> or Informix-SE for DOS ___________ _________ Application Interface Figure 1 Think of the scenario involving two foreign exchange students going to school in the US. Roberto, one of the students, learned to speak English; Hans, the other student, speaks only German. So that he can get around in the US, Hans has a translator that speaks German and English. (See Figure 2 below.) Now, standing together in class, Roberto wants to ask Hans where he bought his new suit. To accomplish communication, Roberto, who now speaks English, must pose his question to Hans' translator, since Hans only understands German. Roberto --English---> German --German---> Hans [ODBC-enabled App.] <------------ Translator <----------- [DB [ODBC spec] [ODBC-enabling server] software] Figure 2 Roberto and Hans have agreed on English as a standard way to communicate--the English language in this scenario is analogous to the ODBC specification. Since Roberto learned to speak English he became "ODBC-enabled." Hans' translator is analogous to the Q+E ODBC Pack, since she [the German-English translator] can receive the question in English, translate it into German and send it to Hans for a response. How will we sell this product? ============================== Informix will reference sell the Q+E ODBC Pack. Q+E Software's products are also distributed through Merisel, Ingram Micro, Corporate Software, Egghead and other major distribution channels in the U.S. and Canada. In Europe, products are distributed through major republishers and distributors. A listing of these offices is attached as Appendix A. Q+E Software Europe, located in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, coordinates and supports European sales activities. Will this Q+E ODBC Pack include drivers for any other databases? ================================================================ Yes. The pack will include server-level ODBC drivers for 20 database servers, including Oracle, Sybase, Gupta, Ingres and Novell (NetWare SQL). We are working with Q+E Software to provide an Informix-only version of the Q+E ODBC Pack. This special version would not include the drivers to other database server products. How much will the Q+E ODBC Pack cost? ===================================== Q+E Software is flexible on pricing for the Q+E ODBC Pack. They will offer volume discounts for high-volume customers. Per user licenses are roughly $200 (USDLRS). Technical support is also included in the purchase price of the software. As mentioned above, we are working with Q+E Software to provide a lower priced Informix-only version of the Q+E ODBC Pack. Will customers still have to buy INFORMIX-NET PC, version 4.1? ============================================================== Customers that want to connect to a remote Informix server will still have to buy INFORMIX-NET PC from Informix. Customers do not need INFORMIX-NET PC if they are going to connect to the local DOS database server, INFORMIX-SE for DOS, version 4.1. (See Figure 3, below.) ======================== ODBC-enabled Application ======================== Q+E ODBC Pack ======================== / | \\ | | | Client/Server Stand-alone File sharing I I I =============== =========== =========== Informix-NET PC Informix-SE Informix-SE =============== for DOS for NetWare | =========== =========== __________________|_____________ / | \\ / | \\ / | \\ UNIX NetWare NT | | | =============== =============== =========== Informix-Online Informix-Online Informix-SE or Informix-SE for NetWare for NT =============== =============== =========== Figure 3 Who will support it? ==================== Q+E Software will provide technical support for the Q+E ODBC Pack. The application vendor will support the specific application. For example, Microsoft will support Access 1.1 and Borland will support Visual Basic 3. Will this Q+E ODBC Pack let Informix tools, such as 4GL for Windows, work with other databases? =============================================================================== Not yet. The individual Informix applications mu"ODBC-enabled" before they will work with the Q+E ODBC Pack. The initial releases of INFORMIX-4GL for Windows, Hyperscript Tools, ViewPoint, and Wingz will not be ODBC-enabled. We realize this capability is very important. Our plan is to make these products ODBC-enabled in a future release. For additional in