Re: Connecting to AS400 from MS SQL Enterprise Manager

Making data accessible to a different platform is usually the responsibility of 
the database vendor. All the main players have written ODBC drivers and OLEDB 
providers so that Windows and Unix boxes can get to the data. The 
responsibility for providing DRDA ARDs is mostly up to the DB vendors - Oracle 
has done it, I bet MS actually has one for SQL Server but is not releasing it, 
since they've done so much with SNA Server. But I don't know that for sure. 

IBM itself makes DRDA possible with its very-expensive-whatever-it's-called 
product that runs on a Windows box and uses various ODBC or OLEDB paths to the 
DBs you want to see.

So it is an interesting question as to who is "open" - IBM has an ODBC 
interface on the iSeries with its CLI, but it communicates with DRDA beneath it 
all.

Too much fun, eh?

-------------- Original message -------------- 

> 
> So where is the ODBC Client ON the iSeries? That is my issue. DRDA is 
> great (had everyone adopted it) but most OS's support ODBC and have 
> applications that support ODBC (emphasis on *Open* DB Connectivity). 
> 
> 
> It would be sweet we if we could define an ODBC connection on the 
> iSeries and RPG (and other apps) could talk through that. For example, 
> I can open up MS Query in windows (part of MS Office, actually) and use 
> whatever database I want (if it supports ODBC). If I open Query/400 I 
> can only query databases on the iSeries. Again, I know that there are 
> tools that can be purchased to do this kind of thing. 
> 
> Again, no big deal. I am very used to this and have written all sorts 
> of programs that run on the iSeries and talk to other DB's (primarily 
> through JDBC, as Rob pointed out). 
> 
> So your statement is that the iSeries doesn't support Open Database 
> Connectivity ODBC (as a client) is because the iSeries IS open? Hmmm, 
> not sure I agree. It probably doesn't support ODBC because writing an 
> ODBC client for the iSeries isn't a priority for IBM (there may be 
> technical issues as well). Business Partners can do that kind of thing 
> (as they should). 
> 
> I am just "wishing" here, not being critical (at all) of the iSeries and 
> it's capabilities. 
> 
> Pete Helgren 
> 
> Wilt, Charles wrote: 
> 
> >>-----Original Message----- 
> >>From: midrange-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx 
> >>[mailto:midrange-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx]On Behalf Of Pete Helgren 
> >>Sent: Friday, September 30, 2005 10:06 AM 
> >>To: Midrange Systems Technical Discussion 
> >>Subject: Re: Connecting to AS400 from MS SQL Enterprise Manager 
> >> 
> >> 
> >>Not a big deal, really. I am pretty used to digging around for 
> >>additional tools (some free, some not). But, someone coming from a 
> >>MS-centric world might say: "What, I can't connected to an 
> >>SQL Database 
> >>from the iSeries yet SQL can connect to an iSeries database? That 
> >>doesn't sound very 'open' !" 
> >> 
> >> 
> > 
> >I agree that it is frustrating. But just wanted to point out the fact that 
> >the 
> reason it is frustrating is that the iSeries is open whereas SQL server 
> isn't. 
> > 
> >IBM uses an published open protocol (DRDA) for remote database access. 
> > 
> >Microsoft, Oracle, ect. don't. 
> > 
> > 
> > 
> >Charles 
> > 
> > 
> > 
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