This section provides you with an overview of the steps required to install and set-up the driver. After completing this procedure, you will be able to begin accessing data with your application.

To begin accessing data with the driver:

  1. Install the driver:
    1. After downloading the product, unzip the installer files to a temporary directory.
    2. From the installer directory, run the appropriate installer file to start the installer. The installer file takes the following form:

      PROGRESS_DATADIRECT_ODBC_nn_WIN_xx_INSTALL.exe

    3. Follow the prompts to complete installation.
    Note:

    The installer program supports multiple installation methods, including command-line and silent installations. For detailed instructions, refer to the Progress DataDirect for ODBC Drivers Installation Guide.

  2. To configure the driver using the ODBC Administrator (GUI), start the ODBC Administrator from the Progress DataDirect program group. The GUI dialog allows you to configure the data source definitions in the Windows Registry or generate connection strings.
    Note: The Windows driver also supports using connection strings to connect to your service. For more information, see "Using a connection string."
  3. Select either the User DSN, System DSN, or File DSN tab to display a list of data sources.
    • User DSN: If you installed a default DataDirect ODBC user data source as part of the installation, select the appropriate data source name and click Configure to display the driver Setup dialog box.

      If you are configuring a new user data source, click Add to display a list of installed drivers. Select your driver and click Finish to display the driver Setup dialog box.

    • System DSN: To configure a new system data source, click Add to display a list of installed drivers. Select your driver and click Finish to display the driver Setup dialog box.
    • File DSN: To configure a new file data source, click Add to display a list of installed drivers. Select your driver and click Advanced to specify attributes; otherwise, click Next to proceed. Specify a name for the data source and click Next. Verify the data source information; then, click Finish to display the driver Setup dialog box.
  4. The General tab of the Setup dialog box appears by default. Provide values for the following essential connection options; then, click Apply:
    Note: The General tab displays only fields that are required for creating a data source. The fields on all other tabs are optional, unless noted otherwise in this book.
    • Host: Type either the name or the IP address of the server to which you want to connect.

    • Port Number: Type the port number of your Oracle listener. Check with your database administrator for the correct number.

    • SID: Type the Oracle System Identifier that refers to the instance of Oracle running on the server. This option and the Service Name option are mutually exclusive. If the Service Name option is specified, do not specify this option.
    • Service Name: Type the Oracle service name that specifies the database used for the connection. The service name is a string that is the global database name—a name that is comprised of the database name and domain name, for example: sales.us.acme.com. This option and the SID option are mutually exclusive. If the SID option is specified, do not specify this option.
    Note: If no values are specified for the SID, Service Name, and TNSNames options, the driver attempts to connect to the ORCL SID by default.
    Note: For demonstration purposes, this procedure uses the default authentication method, user ID and password (1 - Encrypt Password), to authenticate to the server. However, you can use any of the authentication methods supported by the driver. To know more about them, see "Authentication".
  5. Set the values for any additional connection options that you want to configure. To view more options, click on the tabs on the dialog. See the following resources for additional information on optional features and functionality:
    Note: For most connections, specifying the minimum required connection options is sufficient to begin accessing data; however, you can provide values for optional connection options to use additional supported features and improve performance.
  6. At any point during the configuration process, you can click Test Connect to attempt to connect to the data source using the connection options specified in the driver Setup dialog box. A logon dialog box appears. Provide values for the following connection options in it; then, click OK.
    • User Name: Type your Oracle user name.
    • Password: Type your Oracle password.
    Note: The information you enter in the logon dialog box during a test connect is not saved.
  7. If the test was successful, the window displays a confirmation message.
  8. Click OK to close the setup dialog. The values you have specified are saved and are the defaults used when you connect to the data source. You can change these defaults by using the setup dialog to modify your data source, or you can override these defaults by connecting to the data source using a connection string with alternate values.
  9. Connect to your server and begin accessing data with your applications, BI tools, database tools, and more. To help you get started, the following resources guide you through accessing data with some common tools:
    • Example Application: The example application allows you to test connect, execute SQL statements, and practice using the ODBC API right out of the box.
    • Power BI: Power BI is a business intelligence software program that allows you to generate analytics and visualized representations of your data.
    • Tableau: Tableau is a business intelligence software program that allows you to easily create reports and visualized representations of your data.
    • Microsoft Excel: Excel is a spreadsheet tool that allows you to connect, view tables, and execute SQL statements against your data.

This completes the deployment of the driver.