MS Query and Panther (MacOS 10.3)

[Indego]

Hi All,

I have just upgraded to Panther and am trying to get my ODBC stuff
working again. I had it running without problems under 10.2.

OK, I re-downloaded and compiled the MyODBC driver and installed it. I
used the (now functional) ODBC Administrator to do all the DSN and
driver linking. I checked out the whole thing with odbctest
"DSN=databasename;UID=user;PASS=Password" and it connects and I
can do a data search. Cool.

Now, install Office, Patch to 10.1.5 (figure out that the 'Entourage' patch
that I though I didn't need is needed (I don't have Entourage installed!!))
Install Query.

Run Query "Get external Data"->"New Database Query" -> Error :
"ODBC is not installed on this system"

Hummm, ODBC IS installed and working.

I have not downloaded the iODBC SDK this time as it *SHOULD* be
unnecessary.

Is Query only built to work with the iODBC frameworks??? ODBC Admin
is built on the iODBC drivers and config utility.

To Microsoft :-
If, at the time of development of Query, there was no proper support
for ODBC in MacOS X and the only option was for the openlinksw
drivers, thanks for getting this out eairly.
HOWEVER, now that there is working ODBC support built into the OS at
install time please could you support this. PLEASE could you update
Query so that it will work with the ODBC Administrator that Apple
supplies.

 

[Jim Gordon MVP]

Hi

I think your observation that ODBC in MSQuery only supports OpenLink
drivers. At least I haven't seen anyone post directions on how to use other
drivers.

Your plea to Microsoft will fall on deaf ears here. In the newsgroups it's
just us customers. To make feature requests to Microsoft you need to send
them to this URL:
http://www.microsoft.com/mac/feedback/suggestion.asp

-Jim Gordon
Mac MVP

All responses should be made to this newsgroup within the same thread.
Thanks.

About Microsoft MVPs:
http://www.mvps.org/

Before posting a "new" topic please be sure to search Google Groups to see
if your question has already been answered.

 

[Kingsley Idehen]

Hi All,

I have just upgraded to Panther and am trying to get my ODBC stuff
working again. I had it running without problems under 10.2.

OK, I re-downloaded and compiled the MyODBC driver and installed it. I
used the (now functional) ODBC Administrator to do all the DSN and
driver linking. I checked out the whole thing with odbctest
"DSN=databasename;UID=user;PASS=Password" and it connects and I
can do a data search. Cool.

Now, install Office, Patch to 10.1.5 (figure out that the 'Entourage'
patch
that I though I didn't need is needed (I don't have Entourage
installed!!))
Install Query.

Run Query "Get external Data"->"New Database Query" -> Error :
"ODBC is not installed on this system"

Hummm, ODBC IS installed and working.

I have not downloaded the iODBC SDK this time as it *SHOULD* be
unnecessary.

Is Query only built to work with the iODBC frameworks??? ODBC Admin
is built on the iODBC drivers and config utility.

To Microsoft :-
If, at the time of development of Query, there was no proper support
for ODBC in MacOS X and the only option was for the openlinksw
drivers, thanks for getting this out eairly.
HOWEVER, now that there is working ODBC support built into the OS at
install time please could you support this. PLEASE could you update
Query so that it will work with the ODBC Administrator that Apple
supplies.

I think you need to put your current frustraton in some context, and I
will try to assist here with some history on the subject of ODBC on
Mac OS X.

In the beginning:
1. Mac OS X had no Native (as opposed to Carbon) ODBC infrastructure
(Development - SDK or Runtime - Driver Manager)
2. OpenLink Software ported its Open Source iODBC (Development or
Runtime)

3. OpenLink eventually gets Apple to bundle iODBC runtime components;
ODBC Driver Manager (what you are using today when you install Mac
OS X)

4. Unfortunately, Apple writes its own Aqua based Administrator atop
iODBC, and this doesn't quite work out-of-the-box (without proper ODBC
infrastructure knowledge)

5. Microsoft needs to get Office on a par with its Windows offering
re. ODBC, and having built Office as a Native Mac OS X application
required a Native ODBC Infrastructure (SDK for porting it ODBC
bindings, and Runtime to actual utilization by users).


Reality:
The iODBC SDK (http://www.iodbc.org) currently enables anyone to write
an ODBC Driver on the Mac OS X platform, and these Drivers will work
with the iODBC Driver Manager that Apple ships.

Neither Appler nor Microsoft have explicity bound their products to
any ODBC Driver vendors drivers.

OpenLink's priority is still the creation of a cross platform ecoystem
for ODBC above everything else that is on a par with what currently
exists on Windows. We sell our Drivers across all platforms, with
support for all the major backend databases (and have been doing so
since 1993). Read the following article to understand our architecture
and contributions to this quest:
http://www.iodbc.org/index.php?page=docs/macosodbcstory/index


Next Steps:
An iODBC release is iminent that will improve the out-of-box
experience (once Apple updates its iODBC components) for all Mac OS X
users (our you can update your system yourself), we are going to make
the Frameworks, and iODBC Administrator components Open Source. Thus,
providing a common codebase across the Apple and OpenLink branded
versions of iODBC.

Kingsley Idehen
OpenLink Software
http://www.openlinksw.com

 

[Ted Thibodeau Jr]

Hi All,

I have just upgraded to Panther and am trying to get my ODBC stuff
working again. I had it running without problems under 10.2.

How did you upgrade? Are you working with a clean Panther, or with
an upgraded Jaguar-to-Panther environment?

If a clean install, read on to more of my response, below.

If you upgraded in place, please open an online support case through
the OpenLink site. Apple made a number of Group and User changes in
the update, including changing Admin to Staff in some areas, and you
will probably need to execute a few chown and chmod commands to get
things running properly again.

http://www.openlinksw.com/support/suppindx.htm

OK, I re-downloaded and compiled the MyODBC driver and installed it.
I used the (now functional) ODBC Administrator to do all the DSN
and driver linking. I checked out the whole thing with odbctest
"DSN=databasename;UID=user;PASS=Password" and it connects and I
can do a data search. Cool.

Now, install Office, Patch to 10.1.5 (figure out that the 'Entourage'
patch that I though I didn't need is needed (I don't have Entourage
installed!!))
Install Query.

Run Query "Get external Data"->"New Database Query" -> Error :
"ODBC is not installed on this system"

Hummm, ODBC IS installed and working.

I have not downloaded the iODBC SDK this time as it *SHOULD* be
unnecessary.

Is Query only built to work with the iODBC frameworks??? ODBC Admin
is built on the iODBC drivers and config utility.

Yes, Query is linked to the Frameworks, which are the preferred dynamic
library format of Mac OS X, as discussed in Apple's developer
documentation. You can confirm this linkage by noting that Query was
built in REALbasic, and that REALbasic's ODBC support is tied to the
iODBC Frameworks.

Further, as of this writing, Microsoft has only certified and fully
tested their MS Query v.X with OpenLink's driver for Microsoft SQL
Server, but as you have noted, Query will generally work fine with
other drivers and databases.

OpenLink is committed to doing everything we can to ensure that
ODBC-compliant applications work equally well with all our drivers.
Sometimes we can adjust our drivers' responses, when ambiguous areas
of the ODBC and SQL specifications have led to variance, and our
implementation differs from what the developer expected based on
other drivers or platforms. Sometimes, the client application must
be adjusted to use DBMS-agnostic SQL and ODBC commands and responses,
rather than implementation-specific versions (as may be found in
most DBMS and Drivers).

If end users and developers will work with us, we will work with them,
to ensure that all have a good experience, regardless of DBMS, client
or server Operating System, programming language, etc.

Finally, you may benefit by reading over the docs at iODBC.org, and
in OpenLink's "ODBC on the Mac" FAQ, which discuss the evolution of
this environment on Mac OS X and elsewhere, including the differences
between the Apple and OpenLink ODBC Administrators.

Hope this helps,

Ted

--
A: Yes. http://learn.to/attribute
| Q: Are you sure?
| | A: Because it reverses the logical flow of conversation.
| | | Q: Why is top posting frowned upon?

Ted Thibodeau, Jr. // voice +1-781-273-0900 x32
Evangelism & Support // mailto:[email protected]
OpenLink Software, Inc. // http://www.openlinksw.com/
http://www.openlinksw.com/weblogs/uda/
OpenLink Blogs http://www.openlinksw.com/weblogs/virtuoso/
http://www.openlinksw.com/blog/~kidehen/
Universal Data Access and Virtual Database Technology Providers

 

[Indego]

Thanks for the feedback.

Sorry for the aggro. I thought that the ODBC implementation in Panther
was now complete, I was wrong.

I got my problem solved by copying the Framework files and the CFM
from my old Jaguar partition into the Panther system.

For people who need the info:-

/Library/Frameworks/iODBC.framework
/Library/Frameworks/iODBCadm.framework
/Library/Frameworks/iODBCinst.framework
and
/Library/CFMSupport/iODBC CFM Bridge

That is all you need and so you don't HAVE TO install the whole SDK.


OpenLink Folk
Maybe it would be nice to supply these files in a double clikable
installer for 'end users' of Panther.

Personally Iike to know what is installed on my system and to know
what is working with what. This way when it comes to doing a
distibuted install I know exactly what is needed.

Thanks again for the feedback.

Indego

-----Original Message-----
How did you upgrade? Are you working with a clean Panther, or with
an upgraded Jaguar-to-Panther environment?

Yes it was a clean install