Overview of Open Database Connectivity (ODBC)
ODBC is an industry standard application program interface (API) that provides a solution to a common problem—how to write programs that access a Database Management System (DBMS) without making them dependent on specific DBMS designs. ODBC provides API access to SQL-accessible databases, allowing application programs to use SQL to access data from many kinds of sources. The independence of the access method from the original design of the database means that developers can design and produce a single version of an application that can work with, for example, Oracle or Sybase data, without requiring a separate version for each DBMS. Users simply add database drivers to link the application to their choice of DBMS.
ODBC is a component of the Windows Open Services Architecture (WOSA). Personal Communications supports ODBC 2.0, for development of 32-bit applications for Windows 8, Windows 8.1, Windows 10, and Windows Server 2008.
An ODBC driver provides an application program with standard and uniform SQL access to a DBMS database. An ODBC driver allows the designers and users of the application program to ignore the SQL differences between various DBMS systems.
