Connecting to Your Database
Using the ODBC Interface

To prepare a SQL Anywhere data source:

1. Make sure the database file for the SQL Anywhere data source already exists. You can create a new database by:

   • Launching the Create SQL Anywhere Database utility. You can access this utility from the Utilities folder for the ODBC interface in the Database profile or Database painter when PowerBuilder is running on your computer.

     This method creates a local SQL Anywhere database on your computer, and also creates the data source definition and database profile for this connection. (For instructions, see the section called “Creating and deleting a SQL Anywhere database” in Users Guide.)

   • Creating the database some other way, such as with PowerBuilder running on another user's computer or by using SQL Anywhere outside PowerBuilder. (For instructions, see the SQL Anywhere documentation.)

2. Make sure you have the log file associated with the SQL Anywhere database so that you can fully recover the database if it becomes corrupted.

   If the log file for the SQL Anywhere database does not exist, the SQL Anywhere database engine creates it. However, if you are copying or moving a database from another computer or directory, you should copy or move the log file with it.

To define a SQL Anywhere data source for the SQL Anywhere driver:

1. Select Create ODBC Data Source from the list of ODBC utilities in the Database Profiles dialog box or the Database painter.

2. Select User Data Source and click Next.

3. On the Create New Data Source page, select the SQL Anywhere driver and click Finish.

   The ODBC Configuration for SQL Anywhere dialog box displays:

   

4. You must supply the following values:

   • Data source name on the ODBC tab page

   • User ID and password on the Login tab page

   • Database file on the Database tab page

   Use the Help button to get information about fields in the dialog box.

5. (Optional) To select an ODBC translator to translate your data from one character set to another, click the Select button on the ODBC tab.

   See Selecting an ODBC translator.

6. Click OK to save the data source definition.

To create a Transact-SQL special timestamp column in a SQL Anywhere table in PowerBuilder:

1. Give the name timestamp to any column having a timestamp datatype that you want treated as a Transact-SQL special timestamp column. Do this in one of the following ways:

   • In the painter -- Select timestamp as the column name. (For instructions, see Users Guide.)

   • In a SQL CREATE TABLE statement -- Follow the CREATE TABLE example.

2. Specify timestamp as the default value for the column. Do this in one of the following ways:

   • In the painter -- Select timestamp as the default value for the column. (For instructions, see Users Guide.)

   • In a SQL CREATE TABLE statement -- Follow the CREATE TABLE example.

3. If you are working with the table in the Data Pipeline painter, select the initial value exclude for the special timestamp column from the drop-down list in the Initial Value column of the workspace.

   You must select exclude as the initial value to exclude the special timestamp column from INSERT or UPDATE statements.

   For instructions, see the section called “Modifying the data pipeline definition” in Users Guide.

To specify that PowerBuilder not treat columns named timestamp as a Transact-SQL special timestamp column:

• Edit the SAP SQL Anywhere section of the PBODB initialization file to change the value of SQLSrvrTSName from 'Yes' to 'No'.

  After making changes in the initialization file, you must reconnect to the database to have them take effect. See Adding Functions to the PBODB Initialization File