Re: Accessing ORACLE via Windows Front End

In article <3tuvoi$h7c_at_ttis.thomtech.com>, ashatzer_at_cda.com wrote:

> We are in the initial stages of developing a client server product that will
> access an ORACLE7 database from MS Windows over a wide area network
> running TCP/IP. We may use Powerbuilder to develop the application, but
> that is not a certainty.
>
> I have several questions regarding connecting to an ORACLE database from
> MS WIndows:
>
> Is SQL*Net REQUIRED to provide connectivity to the ORACLE database or are
> there other drivers available to provide the link? Better yet, what all is
> required to connect to ORACLE on the back end? We would like to avoid ODBC
> for various reasons, of which performance and stability are two.
>
> Also, we are interested in possibly using Borland Delphi. Borland claims to
> provide all of the drivers necessary to connect to ORACLE. Is this via
> ODBC and/or IDAPI? Does this eliminate the need for SQL*Net on the
> client PC, and, if so, why don't other vendors provide this kind of solution?
> We want to avoid bloating our customer's PCs with tons of software, if
> possible.

Allen,

You need SQL*Net on both the server and the clients (windows or other) to have any communications. In a Windows environment SQL*Net is a pair of DLL's.

If the application you are looking at has native drivers then it can communicate directly with the SQL*Net DLL's. Otherwise you use ODBC to bridge the gap. I know Powerbuilder has native drivers to Oracle. From what you said, it sounds like Delphi also has native drivers.

SQL*Net for Windows is a pretty good product and there's no way around it if you want to talk to Oracle. Using ODBC does not eliminate SQL*Net from the equation.

bdiehl_at_omni.voicenet.com
Brian Diehl
Database Administrator
Morrisville, PA Received on Sun Jul 16 1995 - 00:00:00 CEST