The ODBC interface provides a standard set of functions or APIs (Application Program Interfaces) that allow applications to access a variety of ODBC-compliant databases. It also administers the database names and drivers associated with the data files.

ODBC access is based on SQL (Structured Query Language) which is an English-like database access language designed to enable end-users to view and manipulate data files. Over the years, the SQL language has been standardized by ANSI and adopted by a large number of database manufacturers. SQL’ original intent was to provide ad-hoc access to data — but not as a development language or as a database interface tool. With the advent of ODBC and other generic interfaces, SQL became the de-facto standard used to manipulate databases.

Because the SQL language is English-like in its structure, it is easy to learn and understand. The basic SQL directives are:

SELECT cst_id, cst_name FROM Customer

This retrieves customer numbers and names from the Customer file. For more information on the use of SQL with ProvideX ODBC, see Using the ODBC Driver.