DataDirect vs. IBM DB2 Driver

DataDirect vs. IBM DB2 Driver
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DataDirect ODBC Driver for DB2

The most reliable, best performing ODBC driver for all DB2 versions and platforms, ideal for demanding corporate environments and for embedding in commercial software products:

  • Delivers the best application performance and scalability for DB2
  • Eliminates the need for DB2 Connect client libraries
  • One driver simultaneously supports DB2 on Windows, Unix, Linux, iSeries and z/OS
  • One driver simultaneously supports multiple DB2 versions
  • Supports all major UNIX / Linux platforms and chipsets

Key Benefits

Improves the performance and scalability of your applications

DataDirect ODBC drivers outperform competitive drivers, demonstrating marked improvement in the response time, throughput, and scalability of database applications.

DataDirect drivers include a high-performance bulk load capability for loading large amounts of data very quickly, which does not require application code changes or additional bulk load tools.

Reduces the cost and time of deploying and maintaining applications

DataDirect wire protocol ODBC drivers don’t require DB2 Connect client libraries to connect to the database. This greatly simplifies deployment and eliminates the headache of installing, configuring, and maintaining database software on each client machine. 

Provides comprehensive database/platform coverage from one vendor

DataDirect offers an ODBC driver for DB2 on every major platform – Windows, Linux and UNIX, iSeries, and z/OS.

We also offer a 64-bit wire protocol ODBC driver for DB2 so your 64-bit applications can take full advantage of faster processing speeds.

Makes it easy and cost effective to support multiple databases and database versions

One DataDirect driver supports simultaneous connections to all DB2 database versions and platforms, including Windows, UNIX, Linux, iSeries (AS/400), and z/OS (OS/390).
 
A common architecture across drivers and interoperability features such as SQL up-leveling simplify the task of supporting other databases in addition to DB2, such as Oracle, SQL Server, Sybase, MySQL and more.

Ensures high availability

DataDirect drivers completely manage failover and balancing of work load without requiring changes to application code. A 100% driver implementation of failover eliminates the need for costly server configurations.

Enables Single Sign-On and ensures data integrity

DataDirect drivers include advanced, industry-standard security mechanisms:

  • SSL data encryption to secure the integrity of your data and provide client/server authentication
  • Operating system authentication via Kerberos, allowing you to include database access in a Single Sign-On environment

Guarantees reliability for demanding production environments

DataDirect ODBC drivers are quality tested and certified with a wide variety of applications and environments using the DataDirect ODBC Verification Suite (OVS), the largest, most mature ODBC testing infrastructure.

As a provider focused on data connectivity, DataDirect offers the most proven and technically robust line of database drivers. Over 300 independent software vendors and thousands of corporations rely on DataDirect products.

Offers 100% specification compliance and robust functionality

Applications coded to the ODBC specification can leverage DB2 functionality without proprietary extensions or code. DataDirect’s advanced feature set includes extensive Unicode support, and support for BLOBs/CLOBs, stored procedures, scalar and catalog functions, parameter arrays, data type conversions, and more.

Reduces total cost of ownership through superior technical support  

Focused on database connectivity, our award-winning support includes 24x7 phone, web, email, forum, fax, and an extensive knowledgebase.

Superior technical support is essential to resolve data connectivity issues quickly, thereby reducing the total cost of ownership of software.

Additional DataDirect Driver Features for DB2

  • XQuery Update expressions Support for DB2 data types: Bigint, Blob, Clob, Char(), Varchar(), and Long Varchar() for Bit Data, and Timestamp
  • Support for DB2 Unicode data types:  Dbclob, Graphic, Vargraphic, and Long Vargraphic
  • Supports DB2 Remote Procedure Calls (RPCs)
  • Supports the ability to execute a single SQL statement using multiple rows of values
  • Provides tuning options to control the amount of data that is returned across the network on single roundtrips from the DB2 server
  • DB2 on iSeries V5R4:
    • 2 MB SQL statements – the driver will allow applications to use SQL statements up to 2 MB in length
    • 128 bit column names – the driver will handle column names up to 128 bits in length
    • Raise Error – the driver will correctly handle SQL statements or stored procedure calls that use the RAISE_ERROR syntax
    • New timestamp format – the driver will correctly handle the old timestamp format as well as the new timestamp format introduced with V5R4
  • DB2 v9.1 on Linux, UNIX, and Windows:
    • XML data type – the driver will map the DB2 XML data type to SQL_WLONGVARCHAR and support standard conversions
    • Native XQuery statements – the driver will support the direct execution of XQuery expressions
DB2 Success Stories

Toyota
Simplicity and reliability

SPARDAT
Eliminates DB2 Connect

Perceptive Software
Fast time-to-market