SQL Server 2008 R2 Native Client (ODBC)

ODBC is a standard definition of an application programming interface (API) used to access data in relational or indexed sequential access method (ISAM) databases. SQL Server supports ODBC, via the SQL Server Native Client ODBC driver, as one of the native APIs for writing C, C++, and Microsoft Visual Basic applications that communicate with SQL Server.

SQL Server programs that are written using the SQL Server Native Client ODBC driver communicate with SQL Server through C function calls. The SQL Server-specific versions of the ODBC functions are implemented in the SQL Server Native Client ODBC driver. The driver passes SQL statements to SQL Server and returns the results of the statements to the application. The SQL Server Native Client driver supports connecting to SQL Server 2000 and later.

The SQL Server Native Client ODBC driver complies with the Microsoft Win32 ODBC 3.51 specification. The driver supports applications written using earlier versions of ODBC in the manner defined in the ODBC 3.51 specification.

In This Section

• Data Source Names and 64-Bit Operating Systems

• Creating a SQL Server Native Client ODBC Driver Application

• Communicating with SQL Server (ODBC)

• Executing Queries (ODBC)

• Processing Results (ODBC)

• Using Cursors (ODBC)

• Performing Transactions (ODBC)

• Handling Errors and Messages

• Running Stored Procedures

• Using Catalog Functions

• Performing Bulk Copy Operations (ODBC)

• Managing Text and Image Columns

• Profiling ODBC Driver Performance

• Table-Valued Parameters (ODBC)

• Date/Time Improvements (ODBC)

• Large CLR User-Defined Types (ODBC)

• FILESTREAM Support (ODBC)

• Service Principal Names (SPNs) in Client Connections (ODBC)

• Sparse Columns Support (ODBC)

• SQL Server Native Client (ODBC) Reference

• ODBC How-to Topics

See Also

Concepts

Installing SQL Server Native Client

Other Resources

SQL Server 2008 R2 Native Client Programming