Microsoft KB Archive/101071

INF: Using SQL Server ODBC Driver with Sybase Servers

PSS ID Number: Q101071 Article last modified on 02-16-1996

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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 ============================================================================= Copyright Microsoft Corporation 1996.