Strictly speaking, the answer to this question is no. However, if you are accessing Microsoft SQL Server, Access etc. on a Windows machine, the server side of the ODBC-ODBC Bridge installs the Microsoft Driver Manager. In part, this is to make the configuration of data sources easier and to allow the ODBC-ODBC Bridge server to pass responsibility for which ODBC driver to load on to the Driver Manager.
The client side of the ODBC-ODBC does not need a Driver Manager as you can link your application directly to it. The client contains much of the Driver Manager functionality, and this is how the ODBC-ODBC Bridge can support multiple versions of the ODBC API. Typical applications/interfaces that are available on non-Windows platforms are PHP, Perl DBI, DBD:ODBC, mxODBC and Rexx/SQL. When building the ODBC-ODBC Bridge with any of these, you do not need a Driver Manager. A similar situation exists if you write your own application.
Some applications come with a Driver Manager. E.g. Applixware comes with iODBC. The ODBC-ODBC Bridge will work just as well with a Driver Manager and it is only required if the application is written to expect and need a Driver Manager.
If you have multiple ODBC drivers and you want to pick which one you use at run time then you need a Driver Manager. Easysoft recommend the Driver Manager incorporated in the unixODBC project. The Easysoft ODBC-ODBC Bridge distributions for UNIX contain the unixODBC Driver Manager. Generally speaking, it is a more flexible configuration if you use a Driver Manager.
© 1993 - 2024 Easysoft Limited. All rights reserved. Oracle® is a registered trademark of Oracle® Corporation and/or its affiliates. Other trademarks and registered trademarks appearing on easysoft.com are the property of their respective owners.
