Configuring and Connecting on Windows

The following basic information enables you to configure a data source and test connect with a driver immediately after installation. On Windows, you can configure and modify data sources through the ODBC Administrator using a driver Setup dialog box. Default connection values are specified through the options on the tabs of the Setup dialog box and are stored either as a user or system data source in the Windows Registry, or as a file data source in a specified location.

Setting the Library Path Environment Variable (Salesforce Driver on Windows)

Before you can use the Salesforce driver, you must set the PATH environment variable to the path of the jvm.dll file of your Java Virtual Machine (JVM).

Configuring a Data Source

1	From the DataDirect program group, start the ODBC Administrator and click either the User DSN, System DSN, or File DSN tab to display a list of data sources.

■	User DSN: If you installed default DataDirect ODBC user data sources 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 the appropriate 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 the appropriate driver and click Finish to display the driver Setup dialog box.

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File DSN: To configure a new file data source, click Add to display a list of installed drivers. Select the 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.

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

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.

2	The following two options appear on the General tab of all driver Setup dialog boxes:

Data Source Name: Type a string that identifies this data source configuration, such as Accounting.

Description: Type an optional long description of a data source name, such as My Accounting Database.

Provide the requested information for all other options on the General tab; then, click Apply to configure the data source.

Testing the Connection

1

After you have configured the data source, you can click Test Connect on the Setup dialog box to attempt to connect to the data source using the connection options specified in the dialog box. Some drivers immediately return a message indicating success or failure. For most drivers, a logon dialog box appears as described in each individual driver chapter.

2	Supply the requested information in the logon dialog box and click OK. Note that the information you enter in the logon dialog box during a test connect is not saved.

■	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.

3

On the driver Setup dialog box, click OK. 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 previously described procedure to modify your data source. You can override these defaults by connecting to the data source using a connection string with alternate values. See individual driver chapters for information about using connection strings.