What is IBM Informix ODBC Driver?

Open Database Connectivity (ODBC) is a specification for a database Application Programming Interface (API). Microsoft ODBC, Version 3.0, is based on the Call Level Interface specifications from X/Open and the International Standards Organization/International Electromechanical Commission (ISO/IEC). ODBC supports SQL statements with a library of C functions. An application calls these functions to implement ODBC functionality.

ODBC applications enable you to perform the following operations:

• Connect to and disconnect from data sources
• Retrieve information about data sources
• Retrieve information about IBM Informix ODBC Driver
• Set and retrieve IBM Informix ODBC Driver options
• Prepare and send SQL statements
• Retrieve SQL results and process the results dynamically
• Retrieve information about SQL results and process the information dynamically

ODBC lets you allocate storage for results before or after the results are available. This feature lets you determine the results and the action to take without the limitations that predefined data structures impose.

ODBC does not require a preprocessor to compile an application program.