Connect to Oracle Data from PowerBuilder via ODBC

The CData ODBC Driver for Oracle can be used from any platform or development technology that supports ODBC, including PowerBuilder. This article shows how to connect to Oracle data and execute queries from the Database Painter and controls such as the DataWindow.

Connect to Oracle as an ODBC Data Source

If you have not already, first specify connection properties in an ODBC DSN (data source name). This is the last step of the driver installation. You can use the Microsoft ODBC Data Source Administrator to create and configure ODBC DSNs.

To connect to Oracle, you'll first need to update your PATH variable and ensure it contains a folder location that includes the native DLLs. The native DLLs can be found in the lib folder inside the installation directory. Once you've done this, set the following to connect:

• Port: The port used to connect to the server hosting the Oracle database.
• User: The user Id provided for authentication with the Oracle database.
• Password: The password provided for authentication with the Oracle database.
• Service Name: The service name of the Oracle database.

Create a Profile for the ODBC Driver for Oracle

Follow the steps below to use the Database Painter tool to create a database profile based on an ODBC DSN (data source name) for Oracle. In the Database Painter, you can use wizards and the UI to work with Oracle data.

1. In PowerBuilder, click Tools -> Database Painter.
2. In the Objects window in the Database Painter, right-click the ODBC node and click New Profile.
3. On the Connection tab, enter a name for the profile and select the Oracle DSN in the Data Source menu. 👁 The ODBC DSN, required to create the Database Profile. (Salesforce is shown.)
   
4. To view and modify a table, right-click a table and then click Edit Data -> Grid.

Using Oracle Data with PowerBuilder Controls

You can use standard PowerBuilder objects to connect to ODBC data sources and execute queries. The following example shows how to retrieve Oracle data into a DataWindow. You can add the following code to the open method:

SQLCA.DBMS = "ODBC"
SQLCA.DBParm = "ConnectString='DSN=CData OracleOCI Source'"
CONNECT USING SQLCA;
dw_customers.SetTransObject(SQLCA);
dw_customers.Retrieve();