INF: Using Version 3.6 Microsoft SQL Server ODBC Driver

ID: Q195927

The information in this article applies to:

SUMMARY

This article describes using the version 3.6 Microsoft SQL Server ODBC driver with Microsoft SQL Server version 6.5 or earlier.

The topics covered are:

  1. Overview


  2. Installing Instcat.sql on the server


  3. Obtaining the SQL Server Client Net-Libraries


  4. Documentation sources regarding using ODBC with SQL Server


  5. Using the driver in a development environment


  6. Compatibility issues


Most of the information in the article is taken from the Sqlsrdme.txt file, which accompanies the various installations of the driver. The same file is in the System directory.
  1. Overview

    The version 3.6 Microsoft SQL Server ODBC driver is a Win32(R) ODBC version 3.6 driver. It can be used with applications written to either the ODBC 2.x or ODBC 3.x APIs. The driver works with Microsoft SQL Server version 4.21a or later. The driver runs on Windows 95 and Windows NT (version 4.0 or later).

    A new version of the Win32 SQL Server Client Configuration utility is also installed with the SQL Server ODBC driver version 3.6. This SQL Server Client Configuration utility can be used with Microsoft SQL Server version 4.21a or later and the Client Net-Libraries that come with those versions of SQL Server.


  2. Installing Instcat.sql on the server

    The SQL Server ODBC driver uses a set of system stored procedures, known as catalog stored procedures, to obtain information from the SQL Server system catalog. Each version of the Microsoft SQL Server ODBC driver is developed to work with a specific version of the catalog stored procedures. The Instcat.sql file included with the version 3.6 SQL Server ODBC driver includes minor updates to the catalog stored procedures that upgrade the procedures to the versions used by this driver. The SQL Server system administrator must use the Instcat.sql script to upgrade the catalog stored procedures to ensure the proper operation of the driver. Upgrading the catalog stored procedures does not affect the operation of older SQL Server clients. This must be done for all versions of Microsoft SQL Server from 4.21a to 6.5.

    To upgrade the catalog stored procedures, the system administrator runs a script using the isql utility. (See the instructions below.) Before making any changes to the master database, the system administrator should back it up. To run isql, your computer must be installed as a client workstation for Microsoft SQL Server.

    At a command prompt, use the isql utility to run the Instcat.sql script. For example
    C:> ISQL /Usa /Psa_password /Sserver_name /ilocation\Instcat.sql

    where
    sa_password is the system administrator's password
    server_name is the name of the server SQL Server is installed on
    location is the full path of the location of Instcat.sql

    The Instcat.sql script generates many messages. Most of these indicate how many rows were affected by the Transact-SQL statements issued by the script. Most of these messages can be ignored, although the output should be scanned for messages that indicate an execution error. When Instcat.sql is run against a version 6.0 SQL Server, the message that says the object sp_MS_upd_sysobj_category does not exist can be ignored. The last message should indicate that Instcat.sql completed successfully. The Instcat.sql script fails when there is not enough space available in the master database to store the catalog stored procedures or to log the changes to existing procedures.


  3. Obtaining the SQL Server Client Net-Libraries

    The Microsoft SQL Server ODBC driver uses the Microsoft SQL Server Client Net-Libraries to communicate with the server. The version 3.6 SQL Server ODBC driver also uses the SQL Server Client Configuration utility to manage the Net-Library associated with an ODBC data source.

    The version 3.6 SQL Server ODBC driver installs only the Win32 named pipe Net-Library Dbnmpntw.dll and TCP/IP Sockets DBMSSOCN.DLL.

    You can use the version 3.6 SQL Server ODBC driver with older Win32 Net- Libraries. If a Net-Library other than the named pipe/TCP-IP Sockets Net- Library is needed to connect to SQL Server, you can use the Net-Library that came with your version of Microsoft SQL Server. You can get the SQL Server Net-Libraries by installing the Win32 SQL Server Client utilities for your version of Microsoft SQL Server.

    The version of the SQL Server Client Configuration utility installed with the version 3.6 SQL Server ODBC driver can be used with the Client Net- Libraries from SQL Server 4.21a or later.


  4. Documentation sources regarding using ODBC with SQL Server

    The version 3.6 Microsoft SQL Server ODBC driver complies with existing SQL Server 6.5 documentation for driver-specific information. For documentation of driver-specific features, see SQL Server manuals and Books Online.

    The version 3.6 Microsoft SQL Server ODBC driver also complies with additional driver-specific information in the technical note "Using ODBC with Microsoft SQL Server," which is available on the Microsoft Web site with the Microsoft SQL Server Developer's Resource Kit.

    The Sqlsodbc.hlp file that ships with the version 3.6 SQL Server ODBC driver contains only context-sensitive help for the SQL Server ODBC Data Source wizard. The Drvssrvr.hlp file that shipped with earlier versions of the Microsoft SQL Server ODBC driver contained driver-specific information for older versions of the driver. The information contained in the older versions of Drvssrvr.hlp is duplicated in the SQL Server 6.5 manual "Programming ODBC for Microsoft SQL Server."


  5. Using the driver in a development environment

    The Microsoft SQL Server ODBC driver uses driver-specific parameters for several ODBC function calls. #defines for these driver-specific parameters and driver-specific C and C++ programming structures are contained in the include file Odbcss.h.

    The version 3.6 SQL Server ODBC driver works with the Odbss.h file provided in the following sources:
    SQL Server Service Pack 2 (SP2) or later
    ODBC 3.5 SDK
    The ODBC 3.5 SDK is part of the Microsoft Developer Network Professional edition. The SDK can be downloaded from the Microsoft Web site at http://www.microsoft.com/odbc. The 3.0 version of the SDK is also available from Microsoft Press(R) in the "Microsoft ODBC 3.0 Software Development Kit and Programmer's Reference."

    Other sources like Microsoft Visual C++ version 6.0 may also provide this file.


  6. Compatibility issues

    The version 3.6 SQL Server ODBC driver displays a new wizard when adding or configuring data sources in either the ODBC Administrator utility or when an application calls SQLConfigDataSource and asks the driver to prompt the user for information. Click the Help button in the wizard to access the wizard documentation.

    In the version 2.65 SQL Server ODBC driver that shipped with SQL Server 6.5, the SQL_COPT_SS_PERF_QUERY_INTERVAL worked in seconds instead of the milliseconds it was documented to use (see Knowledge Base article Q157753). In the version 3.6 SQL Server ODBC driver, SQL_COPT_SS_PERF_QUERY_INTERVAL has been changed to work in milliseconds as documented.

    The following changes affect only applications written using the ODBC 3.x API. They do not affect applications written using the ODBC 2.x API. These changes should not impact the result set processing in most ODBC applications.

    In prior versions of the SQL Server ODBC driver, contiguous PRINT or RAISERROR statements in a batch or stored procedure return their messages together, in one result set. In the version 3.6 SQL Server ODBC driver, the messages for each SQL statement are returned as separate result sets. You must call SQLMoreResults in between each message to be positioned on the message for the next SQL statement. The messages from a single SQL statement, such as a DBCC statement, are all returned in a single result set, and there is no need to call SQLMoreResults in between each message.

    In prior versions of the SQL Server ODBC driver, a run-time error or a RAISERROR with a severity of 11 or higher on the first statement in a batch or stored procedure always caused either SQLExecute, SQLExecDirect, or SQLParamData to return SQL_ERROR. In the version 3.6 SQL Server ODBC driver, SQLExecute, SQLExecDirect, or SQLParamData returns SQL_ERROR only if no other statements are executed after the first statement. If any other statements are executed after the first, even a simple RETURN statement with no return value, SQLExecute or SQLExecDirect returns SQL_SUCCESS_WITH_INFO. After processing the SQL_SUCCESS_WITH_INFO messages using SQLGetDiagRec, call SQLMoreResults to be positioned on the next result set.

    When prior versions of the driver encountered an error on the first statement of a batch or stored procedure, the statement handle was available for use with another SQL statement after SQLExecute or SQLExecDirect returned SQL_ERROR. When the 3.6 driver returns SQL_SUCCESS_WITH_INFO, the statement is not free to process another SQL statement until SQLMoreResults returns SQL_NO_DATA or until all result sets following the RAISERROR have been closed. If no result set follows the error message, then SQLCloseCursor cannot be called; SQLFreeStmt(SQL_CLOSE) or SQLMoreResults must be called to free the statement handle to process another SQL statement: 
    
   CREATE PROCEDURE TestPrc @Parm1 as
   IF (@Parm1 IS NULL)
   BEGIN
      RAISERROR ('Parm1 cannot be NULL', 11, 1)
      RETURN
   END
   SELECT * FROM sysusers WHERE suid = @Parm1
   GO

    Execute the following: 
    
   SQLExecDirect(hstmt, "{ call TestPrc (NULL) }", SQL_NTS);

    When using an older version of the SQL Server ODBC driver or if the application uses the ODBC 2.x API, SQLExecDirect returns SQL_ERROR. After SQLGetDiagRec returns SQL_NO_DATA or SQLError returns SQL_NO_DATA_FOUND, the statement handle is free to execute another SQL statement.

    When using the version 3.6 SQL Server ODBC driver from an application written to the ODBC 3.x API, SQLExecDirect returns SQL_SUCCESS_WITH_INFO. After SQLGetDiagRec returns SQL_NO_DATA, the statement handle cannot be used to process another SQL statement until SQLMoreResults returns SQL_NO_DATA or SQLFreeStmt(SQL_CLOSE) is called.

    In prior versions of the SQL Server ODBC driver, SQLExecute, SQLExecDirect, or SQLParamData returns SQL_SUCCESS when an application executes a searched UPDATE or DELETE statement that affects no rows. For this case, the version 3.6 driver still returns SQL_SUCCESS to applications written with the ODBC 2.x API, but it returns SQL_NO_DATA to applications written with the ODBC 3.x API. If either the ODBC 2.x application that receives SQL_SUCCESS or the ODBC 3.x application that receives SQL_NO_DATA then calls SQLRowCount, SQLRowCount returns a count of zero.

    ODBC 3.x more clearly defines the way results are returned than ODBC 2.x. Earlier versions of the SQL Server ODBC driver returned the values of output parameters and return codes when the ODBC 2.x functions SQLFetch or SQLExtendedFetch returned SQL_NO_DATA on the last result set returned by a stored procedure. The version 3.6 driver retains this behavior when called by ODBC 2.x applications. When the version 3.6 driver is called by ODBC 3.x applications, however, the driver does not return output parameters or return codes until SQLMoreResults returns SQL_NO_DATA.


Additional query words: prodsql 


Keywords          : 
Version           : WINDOWS:3.6; WINNT:6.5
Platform          : WINDOWS winnt 
Issue type        : kbinfo

Last Reviewed: April 12, 1999