2009-03-02

'symbolic link' for Windows ODBC drivers

Maybe you know this situation: (nearly) everyone in your Company has local Admin grants on 'his' (and her) local PC. So they install everything they want, also ODBC-Drivers with any name on any local location.
No problem so far, but if they want to share something with an ODBC connection string, they are doomed. Everyone has another version in another ODBC-location.

What else than to 'fake' any ODBC name to any directory you want?

Here is my solution (I don't know, if it's supported. It just works for me!)

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\ODBC\ODBCINST.INI\<INSERT_ODBC_NAME_HERE>]
"APILevel"="1"
"CPTimeout"="60"
"ConnectFunctions"="YYY"
"Driver"="C:\\PATH\\TO\\YOUR\\DRIVER\\SQORA32.DLL"
"DriverODBCVer"="03.51"
"FileUsage"="0"
"Setup"="C:\\PATH\\TO\\YOUR\\DRIVER\\SQORAS32.DLL"
"SQLLevel"="1"
Just use the Driver and Setup files from an existing ODBC-Source.
Might it work for you also ;-)