MyODBC Reference Manual
1 Introduction
1.1 What is MySQL
MySQL, the most popular Open Source SQL database, is developed and provided by MySQL AB. MySQL AB is a commercial company that builds its business providing services around the MySQL database. The MySQL web site (http://mysql.communitech.net/index.html) provides the latest information about MySQL software and MySQL AB.

1.2 What is MySQL AB
MySQL AB is the Swedish company owned and run by the MySQL founders and main developers. We are dedicated to developing MySQL and spreading our database to new users. MySQL AB owns the copyright to the MySQL server source code and the MySQL trademark. A significant amount of revenues from our services goes to developing MySQL.

1.3 What is MyODBC
MyODBC 2.50 is a 32-bit ODBC Driver from MySQL AB, which is based on ODBC 2.50 specification Level 0 (with level 1 and 2 features). This is one of the most popular ODBC Driver in the open source market, used by many users to access the MySQL functionality.

1.4 What is MyODBC 3.51
. MyODBC 3.51 is a 32-bit ODBC Driver, also known as MySQL ODBC 3.51 Driver. This is a enhanced version to the existing MyODBC 2.50, with ODBC 3.5x specification level 1(complete core API + level 2 features) in order to continue to provide all functionality of ODBC to access MySQL.

1.5 About This Manual
This manual contains information about the usage of MySQL ODBC Drivers, MyODBC and MyODBC 3.51, in order to explore MySQL capabilities by means of ODBC API.

Note, as this manual is a reference to the ODBC programming for the MySQL ODBC Drivers, not all ODBC concepts and practices may be covered fully. The manual is currently available in Texinfo, Info, plain text and HTML formats, and is being maintained by Monty Widenius, Venu Anuganti and Arjen Lentz. For any changes or contributions to the manual, please send a mail to docs@mysql.com or to myodbc@lists.mysql.com.

1.6 Intended Audience
This manual assumes a good working knowledge of C, general DBMS knowledge, and finally, but not least, familiarity with MySQL. For more information about MySQL functionality and its syntax, refer to http://mysql.communitech.net/documentation/index.html.

2 General Information About ODBC and MyODBC 3.51
This chapter contains the general information about ODBC and MyODBC.

2.1 Introduction to ODBC
Open Database Connectivity (ODBC) is a widely accepted application-programming interface (API) for database access. It is based on the Call-Level Interface (CLI) specifications from X/Open and ISO/IEC for database APIs and uses Structured Query Language (SQL) as its database access language.

ODBC is designed for maximum interoperability, that is, the ability of a single application to access different database management systems with the same source code. Database applications call functions in the ODBC interface, which are implemented in database-specific modules called drivers. The use of drivers isolates applications from database-specific calls. For more information about ODBC, see http://www.microsoft.com/data/.

2.2 What is ODBC
Many misconceptions about ODBC exist in the computing world. To the end user, it is an icon in the Microsoft Windows Control Panel. To the application programmer, it is a library containing data access routines. To many others, it is the answer to all database access problems ever imagined.

First and foremost, ODBC is a specification for a database API. This API is independent of any one DBMS or operating system; The ODBC API is language-independent.

The ODBC API is based on the CLI specifications from X/Open and ISO/IEC. ODBC 3.x fully implements both of these specifications earlier versions of ODBC were based on preliminary versions of these specifications but did not fully implement them and adds features commonly needed by developers of screen-based database applications, such as scrollable cursors.

The developers of DBMS-specific drivers implement the functions in the ODBC API.Applications call the functions in these drivers to access data in a DBMS-independent manner. A Driver Manager manages communication between applications and drivers.

2.3 How Does ODBC Standardize Database Access
There are two architectural requirements:

Applications must be able to access multiple DBMSs using the same source code without recompiling or re-linking.
Applications must be able to access multiple DBMSs simultaneously.
ODBC solves these problems in the following manner:

ODBC is a call-level interface:
To solve the problem of how applications access multiple DBMSs using the same source code, ODBC defines a standard CLI. This contains all of the functions in the CLI specifications from X/Open and ISO/IEC and provides additional functions commonly required by applications.

ODBC defines a standard SQL grammar:
In addition to a standard call-level interface, ODBC defines a standard SQL grammar. This grammar is based on the X/Open SQL CAE specification. If a statement uses ODBC grammar that is different from DBMS-specific grammar, the driver converts it before sending it to the data source. However, such conversions are rare because most DBMSs already use standard SQL grammar.

ODBC provides a Driver Manager to manage simultaneous access to multiple DBMSs:
Although the use of drivers solves the problem of accessing multiple DBMSs simultaneously, the code to do this can be complex. Applications that are designed to work with all drivers cannot be statically linked to any drivers. Instead, they must load drivers at run time and call the functions in them through a table of function pointers. The situation becomes more complex if the application uses multiple drivers simultaneously. Rather than forcing each application to do this, ODBC provides a Driver Manager. The Driver Manager implements all of the ODBC functions mostly as pass-through calls to ODBC functions in drivers and is statically linked to the application or loaded by the application at run time. Thus, the application calls ODBC functions by name in the Driver Manager, rather than by pointer in each driver. ODBC exposes a significant number of DBMS features, but does not require drivers to support all of them.


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