INF: Using SQL Server ODBC Driver with Sybase Servers
  
PSS ID Number: Q101071
Article last modified on 02-16-1996
 
1.00 1.10 2.00 7.00
 
WINDOWS
 

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The information in this article applies to:
 
 - Microsoft Access versions 1.0, 1.1, 2.0, 7.0
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SUMMARY
=======
 
Advanced: Requires expert coding, interoperability, and multiuser skills.
 
The SQL Server ODBC driver was designed to work with both Microsoft SQL
Server and Sybase SQL Server computers. The ODBC organization at Microsoft
has completed some limited interoperability testing with Sybase version 4.2
on the SPARC platform, using the Microsoft TCP/IP network protocol and the
Sybase Net-Library for this stack, and has not uncovered any significant
problems. Below are two issues to consider if you use the SQL Server ODBC
driver with Sybase servers.
 
MORE INFORMATION
================
 
Issue 1
-------
 
The ODBC driver requires the catalog procedures that ship with Sybase SQL
Server 4.2a. Until the Sybase 4.9.1 release, these catalog procedures did
not ship with Sybase servers. For the ODBC driver to work with Sybase
servers, the INSTCAT.SQL script must be run against the Sybase server to
install the catalog procedures.
 
Sybase changed the system catalogs in its version 4.8 release, requiring a
modified script. This script is called INSTCAT.48 and is available through
Microsoft Product Support Services and on CompuServe. This script is
required with Microsoft Access version 1.0 and Microsoft Visual Basic
version 2.0 applications.
 
With Microsoft Access 1.1 and Visual Basic 3.0, the INSTCAT.SQL file
applies to all versions of Microsoft SQL Server, as well as to all versions
of Sybase SQL Server.
 
Issue 2
-------
 
The SQL Server ODBC driver that ships with Microsoft Access 1.0 and Visual
Basic 2.0 comes with the Sybase Net-Library. To connect to Sybase, you
needed to use Microsoft SQL Bridge or install Net-Library on each client
computer.
 
Both Microsoft Access and Visual Basic 2.0 use the network in a way that is
not typical of Windows-based applications (for instance, these applications
use multiple, simultaneous connections and asynchronous calls). It is
probable that there are network configurations in which Net-Library will
fail with these products.
 
Microsoft and Sybase are now discussing how best to perform
interoperability testing with the various network configurations supported
by Sybase (FTP Software, Wollongong, Novell, TCP/IP, DECnet, and so forth).
 
The following products are manufactured by vendors independent of
Microsoft: DECnet is manufactured by Digital Equipment Corporation; FTP
Software is manufactured by FTP Software, Inc.; Novell networking products
are manufactured by Novell, Inc.; SPARC is manufactured by Sun
Microsystems, Incorporated; Net-Library and Sybase SQL Server are
manufactured by Sybase, Inc. We make no warranty, implied or otherwise,
regarding these products' performance or reliability.
 
REFERENCES
==========
 
For more information about running Microsoft Access with Sybase SQL
Server, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
 
   ARTICLE-ID: Q96468
   TITLE:      INF: Requirements to Connect to SYBASE SQL Server
 
Additional reference words: 1.00 1.10 2.00 sql server oracle net-library
KBCategory: kbusage
KBSubcategory: ObcOthr
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Copyright Microsoft Corporation 1996.
