Database Drivers

From RemObjects Software

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Data Abstract for Delphi provides access to many different database systems, from the most common high-power databases such as Microsoft SQL Server and Oracle, over smaller database systems like Interbase/Firebird, PostgreSQL and MySQL to embedded databases such as DBISAM or NexusDB.

Support for each of these database systems is provided by database drivers, which are specifically written to connect Data Abstract to these databases, typically using existing, well-tested and time-proven data access components (DACs) such as dbGo (ADO), DBX, IBX or the thirdparty SDAC, ODAC, PostgresDAC, IBO and FIBPlus.

These drivers provide a common interface based in the IDAConnection, IDADataset and IDASQLCommand interfaces that abstract the actual database-specific details away from the Data Abstract core - allowing a common data access approach across the board.

Available drivers are handled by the TDADriverManager component and registered using a unique name that will be used as the first part of a Data Abstract connection string to determine the driver to be used.

Drivers can be statically linked into the application (the preferred option for most scenarios) by either referencing the driver's unit in the project's uses cause or dropping a driver component, or dynamically loaded from a driver .DAD file (which is essentially a DLL with the driver's code).

Driver .DAD files are also used by Schema Modeler™ to provide design-time data access.

Driver .DAD Files Deployed by Setup

The Data Abstract for Delphi setup deploys .DAD files for all supported drivers, in the Schema Modeler™ folder. These .DAD files are intended primarily for use with Schema Modeler™ at design-time, and only those based on standard Delphi components (ADO, BDX, IBX) allow dynamically loading into applications other than Schema Modeler™ or DAServer at runtime.

To use any of the drivers based on third party libraries, you must own the third party library and manually rebuild the .DAD. Allowing the deployed driver .DADs to be dynamically loaded at runtime would circumvent the requirement to license these components from the third party developers, who of course rely on the revenue support and expand their products.

See Also

• Data Abstract Drivers
• Lists
  • Namespaces
  • Classes: .NET — Delphi
  • Interfaces: .NET — Delphi
  • Enums: .NET — Delphi
  • Types: Data — File

Product: RemObjects Data Abstract
Current version: Data Abstract 'Vinci' (5.0)

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