Database Support

Jennifer Taylor – Software Test Manager, FabGuard Product Group, Newton MA

Background

Database configuration and support can be confusing. Selecting the correct database driver that works with a specific FabGuard application running in a specific Windows environment is particularly important for proper program operation.

Choosing the correct kind of driver depends on three things:

1. What FabGuard application are you using?
2. What database vendor are you using?
3. What Windows OS are you using, 32-bit or 64-bit?

The remaining sections provide details that will clear up common installation and configuration mistakes.

Database Driver Types by FabGuard Application

Product	32-bit database driver	64-bit database driver
FabGuard Executive
FabGuard Client
FabGuard Node (IPM, IFM, IAM)

Oracle Client Version by Type and OS

Oracle Client	Driver Version	Driver Type	OS
Oracle 18c	ODBC (Recommended) OLEDB (Unresolved Oracle or ADO bug, do not use with models)	32-bit (only on 64-bit OS) 64-bit	Windows 7 Windows 10 Windows Server 2008 R2 Windows Server 2012 R2 Windows Server 2016
Oracle 12c	ODBC (Recommended) OLEDB (Unresolved Oracle or ADO bug, do not use with models)	32-bit 64-bit	Windows XP Windows 7 Windows 10 Windows Server 2008 R2 Windows Server 2012 R2
Oracle 11g	ODBC OLEDB (Recommended)	32-bit 64-bit	Windows XP Windows 7 Windows 10 Windows Server 2008 R2

 

ODBC Drivers

ODBC drivers are recommended for Oracle Client versions 12c and 18c due to a known bug in the OLEDB drivers that cause model errors. All versions of ODBC drivers have a 4000 byte limitation on data types; retrieval of Models will be slower than the corresponding OLEDB driver.

The 32-bit ODBC driver framework and the 64-bit ODBC driver framework are separate and distinct.

ODBC Driver 32-bit

To use the Oracle ODBC driver with a 32-bit application:

1. Install the 32-bit ODBC database driver.
   
   Use odbcad32.exe located in c:\Windows\System32\SysWOW64\odbcad32.exe to verify that 32-bit database drivers are installed.
   
   
2. Install the 32-bit Oracle client. If installing Oracle Client 18c, see Special Treatment for Oracle Client 18c below.
   
   The driver dll is named sqora32.dll for both the 32-bit and the 64-bit versions.
   
   
3. Use the 32-bit ODBC administrator to setup a 32-bit database source name (DSN).
   
   A 32-bit ODBC administrator will show you only the 32-bit Data Source Names (DSN) in the list of SYSTEM DSNs.
   
   USER and FILE DSNs are not stored separately for 32-bit and 64-bit entries. Verify that you are using a DSN that is 32-bit for your application.

ODBC Driver 64-bit

To use the Oracle ODBC driver with a 34-bit application:

1. Install the 64-bit ODBC database driver.
   
   Use odbcad32.exe located in c:\Windows\System32\odbcad32.exe to verify that 64-bit database drivers are installed.
   
   
2. Install the 64-bit Oracle client. If installing Oracle Client 18c, see Special Treatment for Oracle Client 18c below.
   
   The driver dll is named sqora32.dll for both the 32-bit and the 64-bit versions.
   
   
3. Use the 64-bit ODBC administrator to setup a 64-bit database source name (DSN).
   
   A 64-bit ODBC administrator will show you only the 64-bit Data Source Names (DSN) in the list of SYSTEM DSNs.
   
   USER and FILE DSNs are not stored separately for 32-bit and 64-bit entries. Verify that you are using a DSN that is 64-bit for your application.

Oracle Provider for OLEDB Driver

Unlike the Oracle ODBC drivers, the Oracle OLEDB provider has no restrictions for a 32-bit install vs. a 64-bit install. Although the Oracle OLEDB provider is typically a single Oracle home product, the COM registry locations for the 32-bit and the 64-bit drivers are not shared. This means that both a 32-bit and a 64-bit Oracle OLEDB provider can be installed on the same computer.

OLEDB is not recommended for Oracle Client versions 12c and 18c. The driver does not work with models due to an Oracle or ADO bug.

Special Treatment of Oracle Client 18c

To connect with Oracle Database Client 18c, verify the following:

1. The Oracle 18c Client requires a 64-bit OS. An error will be produced and installation will not proceed if the OS is 32-bit.
2. The Oracle Database Server must be version 11.2.0.4 or later.
3. Oracle recommends upgrading the Oracle Database to the latest patch set, 11.2.0.4 or later.

PostgreSQL Server and Client Version by Type and OS

PostgreSQL offers only ODBC drivers. All versions of ODBC drivers have a 4000 byte limitation on data types; retrieval of model data will be slower than a corresponding OLEDB driver.

PostgreSQL Server	Driver Version	Driver Type	OS
11	ODBC Client 11.0 (Recommended) ODBC Client 10.3 ODBC Client 10.0 ODBC Client 9.6	64-bit	Windows 10 Windows Server 2012 R2 Windows Server 2016
10	ODBC Client 10.3 (Recommended) ODBC Client 10.0 ODBC Client 9.6	32-bit 64-bit	Windows 7 Windows 10 Windows Server 2008 R2 Windows Server 2012 R2 Windows Server 2016
9.6	ODBC Client 9.6 (Recommended)	32-bit 64-bit	Windows 7 Windows 10 Windows Server 2008 R2

Microsoft SQL Server and Driver Version by Type and OS

Both the old SQLOLEDB and the new MSOLEDBSQL drivers are supported. However, the new MSOLEDBSQL contains a known ADO bug that will cause model errors. When opening a connection to an MS SQL Server database, FabGuard first tries opening a connection using the MSOLEDBSQL driver. If that fails, FabGuard then tries opening a connection using the old built in SQLOLEDB driver. Unlike SQLOLEDB, the MSOLEDBSQL driver is not built in to Windows and must therefore be installed on each computer where it should be used instead of SQLOLEDB.

SQL Server	Driver Version	Driver Type	OS
2017 2016 2014 2012	SQLOLEDB MSOLEDBSQL (Unresolved ADO bug, do not use with models)	32-bit 64-bit	Windows 10 Windows Server 2012 R2 Windows Server 2016