DataDirect's ODBC Wire Protocol Drivers
DataDirect Technologies offers innovative ODBC drivers built on wire protocol technology that in most cases outperform programs written in the native language of the database. We currently offer wire protocol drivers for access to Oracle, DB2, MS SQL Server, Sybase, Informix, and MySQL.
DataDirect Technologies is the first vendor to offer a full suite of 32-bit and 64-bit wire-level protocol ODBC drivers.
Topics covered in this document include:
- What is a wire protocol ODBC driver?
- Why choose a wire protocol driver for your ODBC connection?
- Frequently Asked Questions
When you're ready to try DataDirect's wire protocol ODBC drivers in your application, download an evaluation version or contact us if you need assistance in evaluating the product.
What is a wire protocol ODBC driver?
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A relational database management system (RDBMS) is written using an application programming interface (API), which is specific to that database. For example, an Oracle 9i database has its own version of the API specification (called Net9), which must run on each client application.
Developers write applications compliant to the ODBC specification and use ODBC drivers to access the database. The ODBC driver communicates with the vendor's native API. Then, the native API passes instructions to another vendor-specific low-level API. Finally the wire protocol API communicates with the database.
The wire protocol architecture eliminates the need for the database's native API (for example, Net9), so the driver communicates directly to the database through the database's own wire level protocol. This effectively removes an entire communication layer.
Why choose a wire protocol driver for your ODBC connection?
Improved performance
Independent research proves that programs written in the ODBC API using wire protocol drivers from DataDirect Technologies yield better performance than programs written in the native language of database vendors. ODBC has always been known for its flexibility to let developers write one set of code to work across multiple databases, but the myth of a performance problem made many developers stay with native programming. The performance myth has been dispelled and now you can get all the flexibility of ODBC and get better performance too when you use DataDirect Technologies' wire protocol ODBC drivers. Why keep up the complexity and cost of supporting your native interfaces any longer?
Ease of deployment and administration
With DataDirect Technologies' wire protocol ODBC drivers, the database client software previously required on each client application (such as Net9 for Oracle 9) is no longer required. DataDirect wire protocol ODBC drivers contain all the software needed to access the database.
If an application needs to access three databases that each have their own native API, the benefit is even more obvious because you can eliminate the need for three different client software products on each system. This considerably reduces the footprint on each machine.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it difficult to convert from an ODBC driver using "classic" architecture to a DataDirect wire protocol ODBC driver?
Not at all! Companies simply install the DataDirect wire protocol ODBC driver. The wire protocol ODBC driver supports the same ODBC API functions, so users immediately enjoy the benefits of improved performance.
Does DataDirect offer 64-bit versions of their wire protocol ODBC drivers?
Yes! DataDirect Technologies offers two product lines - Connect for ODBC for 32-bit applications and Connect64 for ODBC drivers for 64-bit applications. The Connect64 for ODBC drivers are based on the same market-leading technology and architecture available in the 32-bit Connect for ODBC drivers.
Which platforms and ODBC data sources are supported by the Connect for ODBC wire protocol drivers?
DataDirect wire protocol ODBC drivers are available for Oracle, DB2, MS SQL Server, Sybase, Informix, and MySQL. These drivers are available on a variety of platforms and processor architectures. Information for a specific driver/platform/processor architecture can be found at the database support matrices listed below:
For 32-bit applications: Connect for ODBC
For 64-bit applications: Connect64 for ODBC
For more, read the white paper, Raising the Standard: Why Choose a Wire Protocol ODBC Driver?
