Data Source Type

DSEDIT can create four different types of data sources. Choose the type that is appropriate for the application type.

• Generic Data Source for ODBC, JDBC and CLOA applications
• ODBC USER Data Source for Windows ODBC applications
• ODBC SYSTEM Data Source for Windows ODBC applications
• OmniAccess CLOA only Data Source for Query Perfect and JDBC applications

Generic Data Source for ODBC, JDBC and CLOA Applications

Generic data sources are the most flexible of the 4 data source types because the same data source can be used for all of the client API's (ODBC, JDBC, and CLOA), and can be copied to other platforms with little or no editing.

A Generic data source is stored as an ASCII text file. It can be copied to any supported client platform and can be edited using any text editor, if DSEDIT is not installed on that machine. Moving a Generic Data Source to another machine is exactly the same as copying any text file from one machine to another.

Generic data sources can also be created by hand using any text editor but aware that typographical errors may prevent Omnidex from connecting. You can use the sample data source (<<click the link) as a guide to copy or cut and paste, changing values as needed.

Generic Data Sources are visible but not editable in the Windows ODBC Administrator under the File DSN tab.

ODBC USER Data Source for Windows ODBC applications

An ODBC USER data source is stored as a Windows System Registry entry at the user level. This means that it is available only to the user that created it. ODBC USER data sources are used in ODBC 3.0 and higher Windows applications such as Microsoft Query. Some applications, such as older versions of Microsoft Office, require an ODBC USER data source.

ODBC USER data sources are visible but not editable in the Windows ODBC Administrator under the User DSN tab

ODBC SYSTEM Data Source for Windows ODBC applications

An ODBC SYSTEM data source is stored as a Windows System Registry entry at the system level. This means that it is available to all users that log on to this machine. ODBC SYSTEM data sources are used in ODBC 3.0 and higher Windows applications such as Microsoft Query. Some applications, such as Cold Fusion, require an ODBC SYSTEM data source.

ODBC SYSTEM data sources are visible but not editable in the Windows ODBC Administrator under the System DSN tab.

OmniAccess CLOA only Data Source for Query Perfect and JDBC Applications

OmniAccess CLOA only data sources are specifically required for the Omnidex utility Query Perfect. They are stored as ASCII text files with the file extension .ini and can be easily moved from one machine to another, similar to a Generic data source.

Omnidex JDBC applications can also use this type of data source object. However, DISC recommends using a Generic data source object instead.

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