Open Database Connectivity (ODBC) is an application programming interface for accessing databases with SQL.

Starting with version 3.0, the ODBC API was aligned with the international standard SQL Call Level Interface (SQL/CLI). There are commercial and freeware implementations of ODBC and ODBC drivers for Windows operating systems, Linux, Macintosh operating systems and various flavors of Unix.

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This ODBC portal includes links to ODBC-related articles, books and tools.

 

Articles, White Papers

by John Paul Ashenfelter
Database Access Protocols

by Easysoft
Linux/Unix ODBC

by Lee Fesperman
"Open Data Access and ODBC"
ODBC Thread Safety

by Kingsley Idehen
OpenLink ODBC White Paper

by Microsoft
"Understanding ODBC Security Issues"
Keyset Cursor DELETE bug
Office 2000 ODBC Driver Security Update

by Ken North

Middleware in Action
Examining Data Access APIs
"Understanding ODBC and Multidatabase APIs"
"Plugging SQL and ODBC into Integration Frameworks"
"ODBC Reality and Developer Experiences"
"The Future of Data Access"
"Understanding ODBC 3.0, Standards and OLE DB"
"Performance Testing, ODBC, and Native SQL APIs"
"Building Web Databases"
"Using Interoperable SQL"
"Microsoft APIs Expand Web Data Access Options"
"ODBC Extends Reach to Servers and Web"
"Portable Database Programming with Java"
"Streamline Database Applications"
"ODBC Branches Out"
"ODBC 3.0"
"Whither ODBC?"
"A Generic SQL Class Library"
"ODBC, JDBC, and the Quest for a Black Box (Chinese)
"ODBC, JDBC und die Suche nach der Black Box"
"Windows and Databases Meet the Inter(intra)net"

by Paul Reed
"Using ODBC for Accessing Nontabular Data"

by Andrew Stopford
"Using ODBC with PHP"

Performance,  Benchmarks

Wire protocol ODBC Benchmarks
ODBC vs Native APIs
APIBench
Performance Information
Performance Testing, ODBC, and Native SQL APIs
 

Sites

DBMS
Dr. Dobb's Journal
Easysoft
First SQL
Integrity Data Systems
Intelligent Enterprise
iODBC Project
DataDirect Technologies
Microsoft ODBC
OpenLink Software
Salterton Hill Ltd.
Simba Technologies
unixODBC

ODBC API Reference (MSDN)
unixODBC User Manual

Books

Database Magic with Ken North
Inside ODBC
The ODBC Solution
Windows Multi-DBMS Programming

Drivers

List of Drivers and Providers

Tools, SDKs

Common Lisp SQL-ODBC (download)
Dr. DeeBee Tools and ODBC SDK
Driver SDKs, XML Tools
Easysoft
ICOBOL ODBC Interface
OpenAccess ODBC SDK
Open Link iODBC SDK
Python ODBC Module
SimbaLib ODBC SDK
SQL/CLI Kit (Linux)

 

FAQs, Etcetera

Win32::ODBC FAQ
ODBC Myths and Facts
Hall of Fame