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ODBC Driver Architecture

Driver writers must be aware that the driver architecture can affect whether an application can use DBMS-specific SQL.

Shows the ODBC driver architecture

File-based Drivers

When the driver accesses the physical data directly, the driver acts as both driver and data source. The driver must process both ODBC calls and SQL statements. Developers of file-based drivers must write their own database engines.

DBMS-Based Drivers

When a separate database engine is used to access physical data, the driver processes only ODBC calls. It passes SQL statements to the database engine for processing.

Network Architecture

File and DBMS ODBC configurations can exist on a single network.

Other Driver Architectures

When a driver is required to work with a variety of data sources, it can be used as middleware. Heterogeneous join engine architecture can make the driver appear as a driver manager. Drivers can also be installed on servers, where they can be shared by a series of clients.

For more information about driver architecture, see Driver Manager and Driver Architecture in the section on ODBC Architecture.

More information about driver issues can be found in the locations described in the following table.

Issue Topic Location
Compatibility issues with applications and drivers Application/Driver Compatibility Programming Considerations, in the ODBC Programmer's Reference
Writing ODBC drivers Writing ODBC 3.x Drivers Programming Considerations, in the ODBC Programmer's Reference
Driver guidelines for backward compatibility Driver Guidelines for Backward Compatibility Appendix G: Driver Guidelines for Backward Compatibility, in the ODBC Programmer's Reference
Connecting to a driver Choosing a Data Source or Driver Connecting to a Data Source or Driver, in the ODBC Programmer's Reference
Identifying drivers Viewing Drivers Viewing Drivers, in the Microsoft ODBC Data Source Administrator online Help
Enabling connection pooling ODBC Connection Pooling Connecting to a Data Source or Driver, in the ODBC Programmer's Reference
Unicode/ANSI driver and connection issues Unicode Drivers Programming Considerations, in the ODBC Programmer's Reference

See Also

Developing an ODBC Driver