• What is ODBC?
• What do you mean "MySQL is ODBC Compliant"?
• Who, Why and How can this be used?
• Setting up ODBC on your PC to access your online mySQL database.
• Example: How to set up MS Access to access your mySQL database

What is ODBC?

According to Microsoft:

Open Database Connectivity (ODBC) technology provides a common interface for accessing heterogeneous SQL databases. ODBC is based on Structured Query Language (SQL) as a standard for accessing data. This interface provides maximum interoperability: a single application can access different SQL Database Management Systems (DBMS) through a common set of code. This enables a developer to build and distribute a client/server application without targeting a specific DBMS. Database drivers are then added to link the application to the user's choice of DBMS.
Benefits:
1. ODBC Applications are not tied to a proprietary vendor API.
2. ODBC 3.0 aligns with, and is a superset of, the X/Open and ISO Call Level Interface (CLI) standards.
3. Increased performance.

More information can be found at http://www.microsoft.com/data/odbc/

What do you mean "MySQL is ODBC Compliant"?

MySQL is ODBC Compliant, which means once you setup a DSN (data source name) on your local PC that points to an online mySQL database, you can actually add/delete and update records from your local PC.

Note: In order to connect to and manipulate an online mySQL database, you must be connected to the Internet.

Why, Who and How can this be used?

• Why: MySQL with ODBC can potentially cut information management costs considerably
• Who: Businesses with an existing offline database can migrate it to the Internet and eliminate the need for two separate online/offline databases.
• How:
  Existing windows programs can be still be used to access the same database, as long as ODBC is used.
  Separate CGI and PHP programs can manipulate the same database.

Setting up ODBC on your PC to access your online mySQL database.

Requirements: Windows 95, 98, or NT 4.0

1. Download the ODBC Download myodbc for your version of Windows from here.
2. Unzip the file into a temp directory and run program "setup.exe"
3. From the "Install Drivers" window, choose MySQL.
4. After installing the MySQL ODBC driver, the install program will show the "Data Sources" window.  Click "Add."
   Note: On Windows NT 4.0, you'll get a message saying "This application uses the old version of CTL3D32.DLL..." Just ignore it for the moment.
5. From the "Add Data Source" Window, fig. 1, choose MySQL from the list box and click the OK button.
   
   
   Fig 1.
   
6. You should now be looking to a window similar to Fig.2 below:
   
   
   Fig 2
   
   Fill out the fields in the DSN setup window according to the instructions (in dark red characters) on Fig. 2 and click the OK button.  This will setup a MySQL DSN  on your local PC.
   
7. You may start using the MySQL Data Source in your PC programs.