ODBC architecture

The ODBC architecture has four layers:.

The ODBC architecture has four layers:

  • Client Application

    Is an application that opens a data source through a Data Source Name (DSN). It then sends requests to the data source, and receives the results of those requests. Requests are made in the form of calls to ODBC functions.

  • Driver Manager

    Is a library on the client system that acts as an intermediary between a client application and one or more drivers. The driver manager:

    • Resolves the DSN provided by the client application.

    • Loads the driver required to access the specific database defined within the DSN.

    • Processes ODBC function calls from the client or passing them to the driver.

    • Retrieves results from the driver.

    • Unloads drivers when they are no longer needed.

    On Windows and Mac client systems, the driver manager is provided by the operating system. On Linux and UNIX systems, you usually need to install a driver manager. See ODBC prerequisites for a list of driver managers that can be used with Vertica on your client platform.

  • Driver

    A library on the client system that provides access to a specific database. It translates requests into the format expected by the database, and translates results back into the format required by the client application.

  • Database

    The database processes requests initiated at the client application and returns results.