Open DataBase Connectivity

standard, database (ODBC) A standard for accessing

different database systems. There are interfaces for

Visual Basic, Visual C++, SQL and the ODBC driver pack

contains drivers for the Access, Paradox, dBase, Text,

Excel and Btrieve databases.

An application can submit statements to ODBC using the ODBC

flavor of SQL. ODBC then translates these to whatever flavor

the database understands.

ODBC 1.0 was released in September 1992.

ODBC is based on Call-Level Interface and was defined by the

SQL Access Group. Microsoft was one member of the group

and was the first company to release a commercial product

based on its work (under Microsoft Windows) but ODBC is not

a Microsoft standard (as many people believe).

ODBC drivers and development tools are available now for

Microsoft Windows, Unix, OS/2, and Macintosh.

[On-line document?]

["Unix Review", Aug 1995].

(1996-05-27)