This information pertains to Windows. On Windows, data sources are stored in the Windows Registry. You can configure and modify data sources through the ODBC Administrator using a driver Setup dialog box, as described in this section.

This information pertains to UNIX and Linux. On UNIX and Linux, data sources are stored in the odbc.ini file. See Data Source Configuration Through the System Information (odbc.ini) File for detailed information about the specific steps necessary to configure a data source.

When the driver is first installed, the values of its connection options are set by default. These values appear on the driver Setup dialog box tabs when you create a new data source. You can change these default values by modifying the data source. In the following procedure, the description of each tab is followed by a table that lists the connection options for that tab and their initial default values. This table links you to a complete description of the options and their connection string attribute equivalents. The connection string attributes are used to override the default values of the data source if you want to change these values at connection time.

To configure a dBASE data source:

  1. Start the ODBC Administrator by selecting its icon from the Progress DataDirect program group.
  2. Select a tab:
    • User DSN: If you are configuring an existing user data source, select the 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 the driver and click Finish to display the driver Setup dialog box.
    • System DSN: If you are configuring an existing system data source, select the data source name and click Configure to display the driver Setup dialog box.

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

    • File DSN: If you are configuring an existing file data source, select the data source file and click Configure to display the driver Setup dialog box.

      If you are configuring a new file data source, click Add to display a list of installed drivers; then, select a driver. Click Advanced if you want 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.

    The General tab of the Setup dialog box appears by default.

    Figure 1. General tab

    The General tab of the ODBC dBASE Driver Setup dialog box

    Note: The General tab displays the only fields that are required for creating a data source. The fields on all other tabs are optional, unless noted otherwise.
  3. On this tab, provide values for the options in the following table; then, click Apply. The table provides links to descriptions of the connection options.
    Connection Options: General Default
    Data Source Name None
    Description None
    Database Directory None
    Create Type [dBASE] dBASE5
  4. Optionally, click the Advanced tab to specify data source settings.
    Figure 2. Advanced tab

    The Advanced tab of the ODBC dBASE Driver Setup dialog box

    On this tab, provide values for any of the options in the following table; then, click Apply. The table provides links to descriptions of the connection options.

    Connection Options: Advanced Default
    Locking RECORD
    Lock Compatibility dBASE
    File Open Cache 0
    Cache Size 4
    Data File Extension DBF
    International Sort Disabled
    Use Long Names Disabled
    Use Long Qualifiers Disabled
    Application Using Threads Enabled
    IANAAppCodePage UNIX ONLY 4 (ISO 8559-1 Latin-1)

    Translate: Click Translate to display the Select Translator dialog box, which lists the translators specified in the ODBC Translators section of the Registry. Progress DataDirect provides a translator named OEM to ANSI that translates your data from the IBM PC character set to the ANSI character set.

    Select a translator; then, click OK to close this dialog box.

  5. If you use index files that have different names than their corresponding data files and you have not defined this association, click the Define tab. See Defining Index Attributes on Windows for step-by-step instructions.
  6. At any point during the configuration process, you can click Test Connect to attempt to connect to the data source using the connection properties specified in the driver Setup dialog box.
    • If the driver can connect, it releases the connection and displays a connection established message. Click OK.
    • If the driver cannot connect because of an incorrect environment or connection value, it displays an appropriate error message. Click OK.
  7. Click OK or Cancel. If you click OK, the values you have specified become the defaults when you connect to the data source. You can change these defaults by using this procedure to reconfigure your data source. You can override these defaults by connecting to the data source using a connection string with alternate values.