Using the Recital Database Server with Visual FoxPro

In this article Barry Mavin, CEO and Chief Software Architect for Recital, details how to use the Recital Database Server with Visual FoxPro.

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HOWTO: setup in memory file system for temporary files

All temporary files created by Recital are stored in the directory specified by the environment variable DB_TMPDIR.

In order to have these files stored in memory first create a temporary directory

mkdir /opt/recital/tmp

Then mount the directory with the tmpfs command

mount -t tmpfs -o size=1g recitaltmpfs /usr/recital/tmp

Then change the DB_TMPDIR variable in the recital.conf to point to the newly created temporary directory.

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HOWTO: Samba Cluster: drdb + heatbeat

DRBD:
DRBD (Distributed Replicated Block Device) forms the storage redundancy portition of a HA cluster setup. Explained in basic terms DRBD provides a means of achieving RAID 1 behavoir over a network, where whole block devices are mirrored accross the network.

To start off you will need 2 indentically sized raw drives or partitions. Many how-to's on the internet assume the use of whole drives, of course this will be better performance, but if you are simply getting familar with the technology you can repartition existing drives to allow for two eqaully sized raw partitions, one on each of the systems you will be using.

There are 3 DRBD replication modes:
• Protocol A: Write I/O is reported as completed as soon as it reached local disk and local TCP send buffer
• Protocol B: Write I/O is reported as completed as soon as it reached local disk and remote TCP buffer cache
• Protocol C: Write I/O is reported as completed as soon as it reached both local and remote disks.

If we were installing the HA cluster on a slow LAN or if the geogrphical seperation of the systems involved was great, then I recommend you opt for asyncronous mirroring (Protocol A) where the notifcation of a completed write operation occurs as soon as the local disk write is performed. This will greatly improve performance.

As we are setting up our HA cluster connected via a fast LAN, we will be using DRBD in fully syncronous mode, protocol C.
Protocol C involves the file system on the active node only being notified that the write operation was finished when the block is written to both disks of the cluster. Protocol C is the most commonly used mode of DRBD.

/etc/drbd.conf

global { usage-count yes; }
common { syncer { rate 10M; } }
resource r0 {
protocol C;
net {
max-buffers 2048;
ko-count 4;
}
on bailey {
device    /dev/drbd0;
disk      /dev/sda4;
address   192.168.1.125:7789;
meta-disk internal;
}
on giskard {
device    /dev/drbd0;
disk      /dev/sda3;
address   192.168.1.127:7789;
meta-disk internal;
}
}

drbd.conf explained:

Global section, usage-count. The DRBD project keeps statistics about the usage of DRBD versions. They do this by contacting a HTTP server each time a new DRBD version is installed on a system. This can be disabled by setting usage-count no;.

The common seciton contains configurations inhereted by all resources defined.
Setting the syncronisation rate, this is accoimplished by going to the syncer section and then assigning a value to the rate setting. The syncronisation rate refers to rate in which the data is being mirrored in the background. The best setting for the syncronsation rate is related to the speed of the network with which the DRBD systems are communicating on. 100Mbps ethernet supports around 12MBps, Giggabit ethernet somewhere around 125MBps.

in the configuration above, we have a resource defined as r0, the nodes are configured in the "on" host subsections.
"Device" configures the path of the logical block device that will be created by DRBD
"Disk" configures the block device that will be used to store the data.
"Address" configures the IP address and port number of the host that will hold this DRBD device.
"Meta-disk" configures the location where the metadata about the DRBD device will be stored.
You can set this to internal and DRBD will use the physical block device to store the information, by recording the metadata within the last sections of the disk.
Once you have created your configuration file, you must conduct the following steps on both the nodes.

Create device metadata.

$ drbdadm create-md r0
v08 Magic number not found
Writing meta data...
initialising activity log
NOT initialized bitmap
New drbd meta data block sucessfully created.
success

Attach the backing device.
$ drbdadm attach r0

Set the syncronisation parameters.
$ drbdadm syncer r0

Connect it to the peer.
$ drbdadm connect r0

Run the service.
$ service drbd start

Heartbeat:

Heartbeat provides the IP redundancy and the service HA functionailty.
On the failure of the primary node the VIP is assigned to the secondary node and the services configured to be HA are started on the secondary node.

Heartbeat configuration:

/etc/ha/ha.conf

## /etc/ha.d/ha.cf on node1
## This configuration is to be the same on both machines
## This example is made for version 2, comment out crm if using version 1
// replace the node variables with the names of your nodes.

crm no
keepalive 1
deadtime 5
warntime 3
initdead 20
bcast eth0
auto_failback yes
node bailey
node giskard

/etc/ha.d/authkeys
// The configuration below set authentication off, and encryption off for the authentication of nodes and their packets.
//Note make sure the authkeys file has the correct permisisions chmod 600

## /etc/ha.d/authkeys
auth 1
1 crc

/etc/ha.d/haresources
//192.168.1.40 is the VIP (Virtual IP) assigned to the cluster.
//the "smb" in the configuration line represents the service we wish to make HA
// /devdrbd0 represents the resource name you configured in the drbd.conf

## /etc/ha.d/haresources
## This configuration is to be the same on both nodes

bailey 192.168.1.40 drbddisk Filesystem::/dev/drbd0::/drbdData::ext3 smb

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HOWTO: Build a DMG file from the command line on Mac OS X

The first step is to create an Apple Disk Image File (DMG) distribution in a GUI tool, I used DMG Packager.

Then create a directory that will contain all the files that you want included in the DMG file. The best way to do this is to mount the DMG file you created and copy the files into this directory. Then move the .app file created by BitRock into this directory.

Then run the hdiutil utility to create a DMG file

$hdiutil create /tmp/tmp.dmg -ov -volname "RecitalInstall" -fs HFS+ -srcfolder "/tmp/macosxdist/"

Finally call hdutil to convert the writable, to a compressed (and such not writable) DMG

$hdiutil convert /tmp/tmp.dmg -format UDZO -o RecitalInstall.dmg

So now each time before you build a new distribution with the above commands, just move the new .app file into the directory containing the files to be added to the DMG file.

I've already added this to the makefile so after BitRock creates the .app file the hdiutil command is called to automatically generate the new DMG file.

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New PlugComputer introduced by Marvell

I am a fan of the previous incarnation of the PlugComputer so I was excited to see that Marvell have unveiled a new PlugComputer dubbed imaginatively "PlugComputer 3.0."

PlugComputer 3.0 Features:

Smaller sleeker design,
More powerful CPU - 2gz Armanda 300 CPU,
120GB 1.8-inch SATA hard drive,
Wifi,
Bluetooth,
10/100/1000 wired Ethernet,
USB 2.0.
512MB of RAM
512MB of Flash memory

I for one would like to see an additional Ethernet port added to increase application flexibility, for some applications where you are using clustered plugs or even for routing, having multiple Ethernet ports is a must.

Even without multiple ethernet ports, these low power consumption devices really could have a place in SME environments, replacing large cumbersome legacy hardware with compact Linux plug servers.

More information about the PlugComputer can be found here

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Building an SQL Left Outer Join using Recital Navigational Data Commands

The SET RELATION Recital Navigational Data Command can be used to link two (or more) tables based on the master index key of the child table. With a relation active, as you move through the parent table, the record pointer also moves in the child table, automatically selecting the first related record or moving to the end of file if no related record exists.

open database southwind
// open child table
use order_details order orderid in 0
// open parent table
use orders order orderid in 0
set relation to orderid into order_details
do while not eof()
    ? orders.orderid, order_details.productid
    skip
enddo

The code above will display the productid from the first related record, but you will often want to display information from all the related records in the child or detail table as in an SQL Left Outer Join.

open database southwind
select orders.orderid, order_details.productid;
from orders left outer join order_details;
on orders.orderid = order_details.orderid

In this case, we can use a second nested DO WHILE loop, for example:

open database southwind
use order_details order orderid in 0
use orders order orderid in 0
set relation to orderid into order_details
do while not eof()
    // Display first or 0 child record
    ? orders.orderid, order_details.productid
    // Display any additional child records
    do while not eof(order_details)
        ? orders.orderid, order_details.productid
        skip in order_details
    enddo
    skip
enddo

Or we can use the SET SKIP command. The SET SKIP command can be used with DISPLAY, LIST and REPORT and automatically skips through all the related records in the child table.

open database southwind
use order_details order orderid in 0
use orders order orderid in 0
set relation to orderid into order_details
set skip on
set skip to order_details
list orders.orderid, order_details.productid

LIST and DISPLAY offer a number of keyword options to allow you to configure the display output. REPORT offers full column based report design.

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Tagged under

Can I migrate FoxPlus or FoxPRO applications to Recital

Yes, your FoxPlus and FoxPRO applications should run under Recital with little to no changes at all. We provide expert product support if you have any questions or problems. If you lack the resources to move your applications into Recital we can provide that service to you also if required.

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Using Databases

This article examines the advantages of using databases and looks at how to create databases for new and existing applications.

Overview

file which contains information, including full path details, about all the files that belong to that particular database. Opening a database gives an application access to all that database's files - operating system and data dictionary protection and security permitting - in whichever directory on the system they reside and database commands can target the files as a single unit.

NOTE: The word 'database' has often been used in Xbase products to refer to an individual '.dbf' file. In this article these are referred to as 'tables' and a database may contain many tables.

Advantages

Recital has always offered developers the maximum in flexibility in the design and deployment of their applications. The SET DEFAULT and SET PATH commands along with the ability to access files via their full Operating System path name has allowed data and code to be created and stored in any required location. Such flexibility does however put the onus on the developer to manage all elements of the application and ensure that maintenance tasks cover all files. The introduction of the database commands retains the established developer-driven design, but provides functionality to facilitate the access and maintenance of the components of that design. The functionality offered is in three main areas:

Facilitate data access
Facilitate the storage and extraction of information about the files in an application
Facilitate the maintenance of the files in an application

These three areas are looked at in more detail in the sections below.

Data Access

The immediate effect of using a database is that all the database's tables and associated files (indexes, dictionaries, memo files) are accessible with the issue of a single command, the OPEN DATABASE command.

// Open the database
> open database southwind
// List the database tables
> list tables

Tables in Database southwind:
 Name                Source
 categories		/usr/recital/data/southwind/categories.dbf
 customers		/usr/recital/data/southwind/customers.dbf
 employees		/usr/recital/data/southwind/employees.dbf
 example		/usr/recital/data/southwind/example.dbf
 order_details	/usr/recital/data/southwind/order_details.dbf
 orders			/usr/recital/data/southwind/orders.dbf
 productsbyname	/usr/recital/data/southwind/productsbyname.dbf
 products		/usr/recital/data/southwind/products.dbf
 shippers		/usr/recital/data/southwind/shippers.dbf
 suppliers		/usr/recital/data/southwind/suppliers.dbf
 cisamdemo		/usr/recital/data/southwind/cisamdemo.dbf

> use example

In the case of the sample southwind database that ships with Recital products on all platforms and is shown above, this effect can be achieved in other ways (SET PATH or SET DEFAULT), since its files all reside in the southwind directory. The database advantage comes when the database catalog contains files from multiple directories, e.g.

// Open the database
> open database myapp
// List the database tables
> list tables

Tables in Database myapp:
  Name                Source
  zipcodes		/usr/myapp/data/lookups/zipcodes.dbf
  customers		/usr/myapp/data/current/customers.dbf
  archive03		/usr/myapp/data/archive/archive03.dbf
  archive04		/usr/myapp/data/archive/archive04.dbf
  users			/usr/allapps/data/users.dbf
  menus		/usr/myapp/data/system/menus.dbf

// Open a table
> use users

The OPEN DATABASE command requires only the database name to be specified, not the complete path of a directory as with SET PATH or SET DEFAULT. Databases are searched for in the sub-directories of the directory defined in the DB_DATADIR environment variable or symbol. DB_DATADIR is set in the system wide configuration file.

#---------------------------------------------------
# location of directories and important files
#---------------------------------------------------
DB_DATADIR="${ROI_ROOT}data/"     ;export DB_DATADIR

NOTE: DB_DATADIR is read from these files at startup to determine the home directory for databases. Updates to DB_DATADIR once a Recital process is running do not change this setting. The OPEN DATABASE command and certain other database commands allow a '?' to be specified in place of a database name. In this case the 'Select a file' dialog is displayed, listing the available files in the DB_DATADIR directory.

Click image to display full size

Fig 1: Recital Terminal Developer OPEN DATABASE ? command.

This functionality is also supported by the PACK DATABASE, REBUILD DATABASE and REINDEX DATABASE commands.

Databases can also simplify data access for Recital Client Drivers using the Recital Database Server: instead of specifying a starting directory, only a database name is required. The database can handle files from multiple directories and associate tables with their single index files.

Recital Universal .NET Data Provider

/////////////////////////////////////////
// include the references below
using System.Data;
using Recital.Data;

/////////////////////////////////////////
// sample code to call a Stored Procedure
public int CallStoredProcedure()
{
    string source = "Data Source=localhost;" +
	                "Database=southwind;" +
			"uid=?;"+
			"pwd=?";
						
	RecitalConnection conn = new RecitalConnection(source);
	...

Recital Universal JDBC Driver

import java.sql.*;
import java.io.*;
import java.net.URL;
import java.math.BigDecimal;
import Recital.sql.*;

public class jdbc_test {

  public static void main(String argv[]) {
    int i;
    ResultSet rs;
    ResultSetMetaData rsmd;

    System.out.println("Recital JDBC driver verification.");
	
    for (int ii=0; ii<1; ++ii) {
      try {
        //----------------------------------------------------------
        //-- Load the Client Driver for the
        //-- Recital Universal Application Server
        //----------------------------------------------------------
        System.out.println("Loading Recital JDBC driver.");
        new RecitalDriver();
        //-----------------------------------------------------------
        //-- The standard format of the connection URL is as follows:
        //-----------------------------------------------------------
        String url = "jdbc:Recital:" +
                     "SERVERNAME=?;" +
                     "DATABASE=jdbc_test;" +
                     "USERNAME=?;" +
                     "PASSWORD=?;" +
                     "ENCRYPTION=false";
...

Windows Recital Universal ODBC Driver

Click image to display full size

Fig 2: Recital Universal ODBC Driver DSN setup using a database.

Database Procedure Libraries

A database can have an associated procedure library, which is automatically opened when the database is opened. This way, any procedures required by the database's data files are always available. The procedure library should reside in the database's directory and be named dbc_xxx_library.prg, where 'xxx' is the name of the database. When the OPEN DATABASE command is issued, a check is made for the database procedure library and a SET PROCEDURE TO dbc_xxx_library.prg ADDITIVE issued automatically. The procedure library is in turn closed when the CLOSE DATABASES command is issued. This is particularly convenient for client/server database access.

Database Events

Issuing the OPEN DATABASE or CLOSE DATABASES command also fires a database event. Database events, like triggers for tables and forms, can have programs associated with them. The OPEN DATABASE command fires the DBC_OPENDATA event and will run a program called db_opendata.prg if one exists in the database's directory. Similarly, the CLOSE DATABASES command fires the DBC_CLOSEDATA event and runs the db_closedata.prg program. Both of these events also allow the current open or close operation to be abandoned if the associated program returns a logical false (.F.).

Information

Databases, specifically database catalogs, are an excellent place to store information about the files required by a particular application. Instead of having to search through application code to determine which tables are being used and what index keys they have, this information can be viewed in the database catalog. Database catalogs are themselves Recital tables and can be viewed and/or updated in the same way as any other Recital table. There is also a series of commands to provide information about the currently open database. DISPLAY/LIST DATABASE The DISPLAY DATABASE and LIST DATABASE commands display the database name and path, followed by the equivalent of LIST STRUCTURE INDEX and LIST DICTIONARY for each table in the database, e.g.

> open database southwind
> display database

Database Name:  southwind
Database Path:  /usr/recital-9.0/data/southwind/

Structure for database : categories.dbf
Number of data records : 8
Date of creation : 05/12/2004
Date of last update : 05/12/2004
Database encrypted : False


Field	Field Name		Type			Width	Dec	Description
    1	CATEGORYID	Numeric       	10			Category ID
    2	CATEGORYNAME	Character     	15			Category Name
    3	DESCRIPTION	Memo           	8			Description
    4	PICTURE		Memo           	8			Picture
** Total **                       42
Production DBX file: categories.dbx
  Master Index TAG: CATEGORYID
  Key: categoryid
  Type: Binary
  Len: 8
...

DISPLAY DATABASE shows the data one screen at a time, whereas LIST DATABASE is ideal for output to a file.

> open database southwind
> list database to file info.txt

DISPLAY/LIST TABLES

LIST TABLES, as we have seen above, lists all the tables from the database, giving each table's name and path. DISPLAY TABLES shows the information one screen at a time.

Maintenance

Using a database can simplify the maintenance of an application's programs, tables and indexes. Multiple files, possibly in different directories, can be targeted by a single database command.

COMPILE DATABASE

The COMPILE DATABASE command can be used to issue a COMPILE command for all program files listed in the database catalog.

// Open the database
open database myapp

// Compile all the database's programs
compile database

NOTE: Program files are added to a database using the SQL CREATE PROCEDURE command.

PACK DATABASE

The PACK DATABASE command issues a PACK command for every table in the database catalog. The PACK command is used to permanently remove any records that have been marked for deletion using the DELETE command.

// Open the database
open database southwind
// Pack all the database's tables
pack database

REINDEX DATABASE

The REINDEX DATABASE command rebuilds all the tag and single indexes in the catalog. This is the equivalent of an INDEX ON <key> TO | TAG <index> for each catalogued index key.

// Open the database
open database southwind
// Rebuild all the database's indexes
reindex database

NOTE: Using a database helps protect against a table being opened without its associated single index files also being opened. Any single index files that are included in the database catalog will automatically be opened when their table is opened via the database. If a single index appears in the database catalog, but the physical file no longer exists, it will be removed from the catalog when its associated table is next opened. All indexes, tagged indexes or single indexes, created while the database is open, are added automatically to the database catalog.

REBUILD DATABASE

The REBUILD DATABASE command is used to PACK, rebuild the index tags and refresh the contents of the database catalog file.

// Rebuild the database
rebuild database southwind

Creating and populating a database

Databases are created using the CREATE DATABASE command.

// Create new database
create database newdb

The CREATE DATABASE creates a sub-directory in the DB_DATADIR and initializes the new database's catalog file. The catalog file is given the same basename as the database and is a Recital table with a '.cat' file extension. It has a production index file with a '.cax' file extension and a memo file with a '.cam' file extension.

// Open the database
open database newdb

With the database open, the catalog file table is opened in the highest available workarea and is given an alias name of its basename preceded by an underscore, e.g. '_newdb'. Any new tables or indexes that are created will be automatically added into the catalog and form part of the database. 'Free' tables can also be manually added into a database using the SQL ADD TABLE command.

// config.db
set sql on
set sql to vfp
// end of config.db

// Create a 'free' table, with no database open
create table free1 (field1 char(10), field2 date)
// Open the database
open database newdb
add table free1

As the application runs, 'myapp' in the example above, each table that is opened is added to the database catalog. Indexes that are opened are added in the same way. Using SET AUTOCATALOG OFF, inclusion in the catalog can be restricted. Once all required areas of the application have been catalogued, the application can be updated to make use of the database commands.

Converting an existing application

The AUTOCATALOG commands can be used to automatically create a database catalog based on an existing application. The SET AUTOCATALOG TO >database< command will create the database if it does not already exist.

// Database must be closed during autocatalog process
close databases
// Specify the database
set autocatalog to myappdb
// Start the autocatalog process
set autocatalog on
do myapp
// The autocatalog process can be toggled off to exclude 
// certain parts of the application if required
// set autocatalog off

Exporting a database

The BACKUP DATABASE and RESTORE DATABASE commands have been added to simplify the process of moving applications between binary incompatible platforms. Binary files such as tables, memo files and data dictionaries must be exported to ASCII format to allow them to be transferred from one platform to another where the platforms have different binary ordering. For example, this is the case when moving files between a SUN Sparc Solaris machine and an Intel Linux machine. The BACKUP DATABASE and RESTORE DATABASE commands are extensions of the BUILD and INSTALL commands: where BUILD and INSTALL operate on a specified list of tables, BACKUP DATABASE and RESTORE DATABASE automatically handle an entire database.

// Open the database
open database southwind
// Export the database to ASCII format
backup database

The BACKUP DATABASE command goes through the database catalog, exporting each file into an ASCII format that can be handled by the RESTORE DATABASE command. The files are created in a directory with the same name as the database. This directory is a sub-directory of the directory specified in the environment variable DB_BACKUPDIR and is created automatically. By default, DB_BACKUPDIR is the 'backup' sub-directory of the Recital home directory.

// Query the DB_BACKUPDIR environment variable setting
> ? getenv([DB_BACKUPDIR])
/usr/recital/backup

Like DB_DATADIR, DB_BACKUPDIR is set in the system-wide configuration file and is read at startup to determine the home directory for database backups. Updates to DB_BACKUPDIR once a Recital process is running do not change this setting.

# profile.db/uas extract
#---------------------------------------------------
# location of directories and important files
#---------------------------------------------------
DB_BACKUPDIR="${ROI_ROOT}backup/"     ;export DB_BACKUPDIR

Once the BACKUP DATABASE command has completed, the files can be transferred to another platform, for example from Intel SCO OpenServer to IBM AIX and the RESTORE DATABASE command used to recreate the database.

// Export the database to ASCII format
// Note: the BACKUP DATABASE command operates
// on the active or specified database
$ db
> backup database southwind
> quit

// 'tar' up the files for transfer
$ cd /usr/recital/backup
$ tar cvf southwind.tar ./southwind

// Transfer the tar archive to DB_BAKUPDIR on the 
// target machine, then extract the files
$ pwd
/usr/recital/backup
$ tar xvf southwind.tar

// Rebuild the database on the target platform
// The database is automatically created 
// as a sub-directory of DB_DATADIR
$ db
> restore database southwind

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Save and restore state across Recital Web pages

When using Recital Web you can maintain the exact state of each cursor between pages like this.

On entry to the .rsp page.

IF type( _session["state"] ) != "U"
    m_state = _session["state"]
    RESTORE DATASESSION FROM m_state
ELSE
    // open up your tables for the first time 
ENDIF

On exit of the .rsp page.

SAVE DATASESSION TO m_state
_SESSION["state"] = m_state

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The Recital Solution for Universal Data Integration

In this article Barry Mavin, CEO and Chief Software Architect for Recital provides details on how the Recital Database Server can be used to provide a solution for Universal Data Integration.

Overview

The Recital Database Server handles universal cross-platform data access to a wide range of data sources. The database server natively handles full remote SQL data access to Recital, Visual FoxPro, FoxPro, FoxBASE, Clipper and older dBase data. Using Bridges, it handles full remote SQL data access to C-ISAM and OpenVMS RMS. Using gateway connections, it handles full remote SQL data access to Oracle, MySQL, PostgreSQL, SQL Server, server-side ODBC, server-side JDBC and server-side OLE DB data sources. With its ability to access data using server-side ODBC, JDBC and OLE DB drivers from clients on all supported operating systems (Windows, Linux, Unix, OpenVMS), the Recital Database Server is an ideal Data Integration Solution for applications of all sizes and complexity.

Universal Data Integration Solutions

There are several ways in which data may be accessed by the Database Server.

Table 1:

Client Universal Data Access solutions for accessing local or remote data.

Client	Solution
Recital	Use remote gateway connections
Visual FoxPro	Use the Universal ODBC Driver
Java (all platforms)	Use the Universal JDBC Driver
.NET Framework	Use the Universal .NET Data Provider
Microsoft Office	Use the Universal ODBC Driver
Windows Mobile	Use the Universal Compact Framework .NET Data Provider
PHP on Linux	Use the Universal ODBC Driver for Linux
Mono on Linux	Use the Universal .NET Data Provider
Others	If the data source you want to access is not in the list above, then you can use a remote ODBC, JDBC or OLE DB gateway. You can find examples of connection strings for most ODBC and OLE DB data sources by clicking here.

Table 2:

Windows Server Universal Data Access solutions accessible from any remote client running on Windows, Linux, Unix or OpenVMS:

Data Source	Solution
Recital	Native support (See table 1)
Visual FoxPro	Native support (See table 1)
FoxPro	Native support (See table 1)
FoxBASE	Native support (See table 1)
Clipper	Native support (See table 1)
dBase	Native support (See table 1)
C-ISAM	Use a bridge (See table 1)
Access	Use a gateway connection gateway="oledb:Provider=Microsoft.Jet.OLEDB.4.0;Data Source=\somepath\mydb.mdb;User Id=admin;Password=;"
Exchange	Use a gateway connection gateway="oledb:Provider=ExOLEDB.DataSource;Data Source=http://servername/publicstore"
Excel	Use a gateway connection gateway="oledb:Provider=Microsoft.Jet.OLEDB.4.0;Data Source=C:\MyExcel.xls;"
Oracle	Use a gateway connection gateway="oledb:Provider=msdaora;Data Source=TheOracleDB;User Id=xxxxx;Password=xxxxx;"
SQL Server	Use a gateway connection gateway="oledb:Provider=sqloledb;Data Source=Aron1;Initial Catalog=pubs;User Id=sa;Password=asdasd;"
MySQL	Use a gateway connection gateway="oledb:Provider=MySQLProv;Data Source=mydb;User Id=xxxxx;Password=xxxxx;"
IBM DB2	Use a gateway connection gateway="oledb:Provider=DB2OLEDB;Network Transport Library=TCPIP;Network Address=XXX.XXX.XXX.XXX;Initial Catalog=MyCtlg;Package Collection=MyPkgCol;Default Schema=Schema;User ID=MyUser;Password=MyPW"
Sybase ASA	Use a gateway connection gateway="oledb:Provider=ASAProv;Data source=myASA"
Sybase ASE	Use a gateway connection gateway="oledb:Provider=Sybase.ASEOLEDBProvider;Srvr=myASEserver,5000;Catalog=myDBname;User Id=username;Password=password"
IBM Informix	Use a gateway connection gateway="oledb:Provider=Ifxoledbc.2;password=myPw;User ID=myUser;Data Source=dbName@serverName;Persist Security Info=true"
Ingres	Use a gateway connection gateway="odbc:dsn=data_source_name"
Firebird	Use a gateway connection gateway="odbc:dsn=data_source_name"
IBM AS400 iSeries	Use a gateway connection gateway="oledb:PROVIDER=IBMDA400; DATA SOURCE=MY_SYSTEM_NAME;USER ID=myUserName;PASSWORD=myPwd"
Interbase	Use a gateway connection gateway="oledb:provider=sibprovider;location=localhost:;data source=c:\databases\gdbs\mygdb.gdb;user id=xxxxx;password=xxxxx"
Others	If the data source you want to access is not in the list above, then you can use server-side ODBC, JDBC or OLE DB. You can find examples of connection strings for most ODBC and OLE DB data sources by clicking here. Full details on using server-side JDBC drivers can be found here. Full details on using server-side ODBC drivers can be found here. Full details on using server-side OLE DB drivers can be found here.

Table 3:

Linux and Unix Server Universal Data Access solutions accessible from any remote client running on Windows, Linux, Unix or OpenVMS:

Data Source	Solution
Recital	Native support (See table 1)
Visual FoxPro	Native support (See table 1)
FoxPro	Native support (See table 1)
FoxBASE	Native support (See table 1)
Clipper	Native support (See table 1)
dBase	Native support (See table 1)
C-ISAM	Use a bridge (See table 1)
Oracle	Use a gateway connection gateway="oracle:Connection_String"
MySQL	Use a gateway connection gateway="mysql:Connection_String"
IBM DB2	Use a gateway connection gateway="db2:Connection_String"
PostgreSQL	Use a gateway connection gateway="postgres:Connection_String"
Others	If the data source you want to access is not in the list above, then you can use a server-side JDBC driver. Full details on using server-side JDBC drivers can be found here.

Table 4:

OpenVMS Server Universal Data Access solutions accessible from any remote client running on Windows, Linux, Unix or OpenVMS:

Data Source	Solution
Recital	Native support (See table 1)
Visual FoxPro	Native support (See table 1)
FoxPro	Native support (See table 1)
FoxBASE	Native support (See table 1)
Clipper	Native support (See table 1)
dBase	Native support (See table 1)
RMS	Use a bridge (See table 1)
Others	If the data source you want to access is not in the list above, then you can use a server-side JDBC driver.

Supported Data Sources

Native Data Access

The Recital Database Server has native built-in support for the following data sources:

Recital
Visual FoxPro
FoxPro
FoxBASE
Clipper
dBase

You can setup tables to work with using the Database Administration Tool in Recital Enterprise Studio.

Bridges

Using Bridges, you can access the following data sources as if they were standard Recital/FoxPro tables:

CISAM
OpenVMS RMS

You can setup bridges using the Database Administration Tool in Recital Enterprise Studio.

Gateways/Connections

Using Gateways, you can transparently access the following local or remote data sources:

Recital
Oracle
ODBC (Server-side ODBC data sources)
JDBC (Server-side JDBC data sources)
OLEDB Use this to connect to SQL Server and other Windows OLE DB data sources)
MySQL
PostgreSQL

Remote Data Object functions

Recital 10 includes a complete and robust set of data source independent functions for accession MySQL, Oracle, DB2 and Postgres. This article explains how to use them.

Client Data Access drivers

Included with the Recital Database Server are three Client drivers. These Client drivers can access any data sources supported by the Recital Database Server. They are not restricted to accessing only Recital data. They can be used to access server-side ODBC, JDBC and OLE DB data sources also.

Recital Universal .NET Data Provider

Use this client driver when building .NET applications with Visual Studio .NET. A data provider in the .NET Framework serves as a bridge between an application and a data source. A data provider is used to retrieve data from a data source and to reconcile changes to that data back to the data source.

Key features of the Recital Universal .NET Data Provider:

Fully Internet enabled
The Recital Universal .NET Data Provider works across the internet providing access to a wide range of data sources located on remote servers running Windows, Linux, Unix and OpenVMS.
SQL Server compatible
The Recital Universal .NET Data Provider is plug compatible with the .NET Framework SQL Server Data Provider.
Cross-platform Data Integration
Using the Recital Universal .NET Data Provider, you can connect to remote Windows, Linux, Unix or OpenVMS servers and access any data source supported by the Recital Database Server.
Managed code
The Recital Universal .NET Data Adaptor written in C# is 100% .NET Framework managed code.
Runs on Windows Mobile
The Recital Universal .NET Data Adaptor runs under the .NET Compact Framework on Windows Mobile.

Recital Universal JDBC Driver

The JDBC API is the industry standard for database-independent connectivity between the Java programming language and a wide range of databases. The JDBC API provides a call-level API for SQL-based database access. JDBC technology allows you to use the Java programming language to exploit "Write Once, Run Anywhere" capabilities for applications that require access to enterprise data.

Key features of the Recital Universal JDBC Driver:

Fully Internet enabled
The Recital Universal JDBC driver works across the internet providing access to a wide range of data sources located on remote servers running Windows, Linux, Unix and OpenVMS.
JDBC 3.0 API
The Recital Universal JDBC driver supports the JDBC 3.0 API.
Pure Java Type 3 Driver
The Recital Universal JDBC driver is a 100% pure Java Type 3 driver.
Full Access to Metadata
The JDBC API provides metadata access that enables the development of sophisticated applications that need to understand the underlying facilities and capabilities of a specific database connection.
Cross-platform Data Integration
Using the Recital Universal JDBC driver, you can connect to remote Windows, Linux, Unix or OpenVMS servers and access any data source supported by the Recital Database Server.
No Installation
A pure JDBC technology-based driver does not require special installation; it is automatically downloaded as part of the applet that makes the JDBC calls. The Recital Universal JDBC Driver is 100% java.

Recital Universal ODBC Driver

Connect to remote data from Microsoft Office or other applications that support ODBC data access. The Recital Universal ODBC Driver is also available for Linux and Unix.

Key features of the Recital Universal ODBC Driver:

Fully Internet enabled
The Recital Universal ODBC driver works across the internet providing access to a wide range of data sources located on remote servers running Windows, Linux, Unix and OpenVMS.
Works with Crystal Reports
The Recital Universal ODBC driver supports the SQL syntax generated by Crystal Reports.
Works with Microsoft Office
The Recital Universal ODBC driver works with Microsoft Office products.
Works with PHP on Linux
The Recital Universal ODBC driver is available for Linux and works with PHP.

Published in Blogs

Overview

Advantages

Data Access

Recital Universal .NET Data Provider

Recital Universal JDBC Driver

Windows Recital Universal ODBC Driver

Database Procedure Libraries

Database Events

Information

DISPLAY/LIST TABLES

Maintenance

COMPILE DATABASE

PACK DATABASE

REINDEX DATABASE

REBUILD DATABASE

Creating and populating a database

Converting an existing application

Exporting a database

Overview

Universal Data Integration Solutions

Table 1:

Table 2:

Table 3:

Table 4:

Supported Data Sources

Native Data Access

Bridges

Gateways/Connections

Client Data Access drivers

Recital Universal .NET Data Provider

Recital Universal JDBC Driver

Recital Universal ODBC Driver

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