An ODBC Driver Manager (such as the one provided by Microsoft for Win95/NT); do not confuse this with the JDBC DriverManager class Any ODBC drivers to be used from the Bridge (from vendors such as Intersolv, Microsoft, and Visigenic) Before actually attempting to use the Bridge, save yourself lots of headaches be sure to test the ODBC drivers that you will be using! I have pursued countless reported problems that ended up being nothing more than an ODBC configuration issue. Make sure you setup your data sources properly, and then test them to make sure you can connect and perform work. You can accomplish this by either using an existing tool or writing your own sample ODBC application. Most vendors include sample source code to create an ODBC application, and Microsoft provides a tool named Gator (a.k.a ODBCTE32.EXE) which can fully exercise ODBC data sources on Win95/NT. The Bridge Is Great, But… All looks good for the Bridge; it gives you access to any ODBC data source, and it s free! But wait, there are a few limitations that I need to make you aware of before you start. First, as I mentioned before, a lot of software must be installed and configured on each system that will be using the Bridge. In today s environment, this feat cannot be accomplished automatically. Unfortunately, this task can be a major limitation, not only from the standpoint of getting the software installed and configured properly, but ODBC drivers may not be readily available (or may be quite costly) for the operating system that you are using. Second, understand the limitations of the ODBC driver that you will be using. If the ODBC driver can t do it, neither can the Bridge. The Bridge is not going to add any value to the ODBC driver that you are using other than allowing you to use it via JDBC. One of the most frequently asked questions I get is: If I use the Bridge, can I access my data over the Internet? If the ODBC driver that you are using can, then the Bridge can; if it can t, then neither can the Bridge. Third, keep in mind the quality of the ODBC driver. In order for the Bridge to properly use an ODBC driver, it must be ODBC version 2.0 or higher. Also, if there are bugs in the ODBC driver, they will surely be present when you use it from JDBC. Finally, there are Java security considerations. From the JDBC API specification, all JDBC drivers must follow the standard security model, most importantly: JDBC should not allow untrusted applets access to local database data An untrusted applet will normally only be allowed to open a database connection back to the server from which it was downloaded For trusted applets and any type of application, the Bridge can be used in any fashion to connect to any data source. For untrusted applets, the prognosis is bleak. Untrusted
We will hook you up with a JSP web hosting at the great rate, check our jsp web hosting, and join us today!!!