Product Title: SD-ODBC
Version: 1.1
Description: Java ODBC DataSource Manager
Platforms: Windows 95/98/NT
License: Shareware
Purchase information: www.sildelta.com
Technical Support: support@sildelta.com
Registration Fee: $14.99
Developer: Silicon Delta Corporation


Short Description of SD-ODBC
---------------------------

SD ODBC is a complete ODBC DataSource Manager that you can use directly
from your Java application. Here is a short list of the functionality
provided to you directly from Java:

	1. Obtain a list of all registered DataSource names.
	2. Obtain a list of all installed ODBC drivers.
	3. Register a new DataSource name.
	4. Unregister a DataSource name.

All this is wrapped up in a few well designed, easy-to-use classes,
encapsulating all the functionality that is necessary to easily manage
ODBC DataSource names on your Win32 platform from Java.

The package consists of a Win32 DLL (SD-ODBC.dll) which you should put
in a directory included in your PATH variable. Please, don't forget to
include the location of sdODBC.jar in your CLASSPATH variable as well.

Each native function obtains its own ODBC environmental handle and 
releases it after it is done. The functions for registering and unregistering
DataSource names are synchronized. Therefore the code is completely thread
safe and can be incorporated in a server side application. If something
goes wrong during the execution of a function, an exception is thrown and
the program returns safely to the calling Java code.


Frequently Asked Questions about SD-ODBC
---------------------------
Q. When do I need to use SD-ODBC?

A. There are a lot of applications that can benefit from the functionality
provided by SD-ODBC. A very common one is if you would like to open a DBF, XLS,
or any ODBC related data file through the JDBC-ODBC bridge provided by Sun.
As most of the programmers know you will need a registered ODBC DataSource Name
in order to do that.

Here is what you do:

1. Instead of having the user define one manually for you through the ODBC manager,
   just let him pick the file and you can register a DataSource Name on the fly.
2. Then using the JDBC-ODBC bridge connect to this DataSource Name and start making
   your queries.
3. When you are done - use SD-ODBC to unregister your temporary DataSource Name.

Another example is if you write an application that allows the user to open any
registered DataSource Name through the JDBC-ODBC brdge. In this case you can obtain
a list of all registered DataSource names and display it to the user.

Q. When creating a DataSource name how do I know what ODBC driver to use?

A. The answer is depends what is your goal.

If you know the type of the file you would like to access (for example DBF) you
can use a specific driver name to register appropriate DataSource name
(for example "Microsoft dBase Driver (*.dbf)").

Or you can obtain a list of all registered ODBC drivers and display it to the user
to make a selection. Then you can use that selection to register a DataSource Name.

Q. How do I know what additional parameters are required to register a DataSource Name
for a specific driver?

A. As the parameters are specific for each ODBC driver, please refer to the ODBC
documentation to find an answer to this question. Some drivers (like Oracle ODBC)
require user name, password, and database name, others (like dBase ODBC) require
only a directory name.



---------------------------
http://www.sildelta.com

This code is shareware. Please, register your copy.

Please, send any comments and suggestions for improvements to:
support@sildelta.com
