MySQL Connector/ODBC

Working with various databases such as MySQL or PostgreSQL you surely know that specific configurations have to be made before connecting them with various applications.
An important aspect that concerns almost all databases is the ODBC driver (also known as Open Database Connectivity) aimed to connect to SQL database servers. It defines a set of function calls, error codes and data types that can be used in order to develop database-independent programs.
For instance, developers who work with Visual Studio and need to run SQL scripts inside their applications, are mostly required to firstly access the ‘ODBC Data Source’ from Administrative Tools and install the proper ODBC driver. If this condition is not accomplished, the scripts will not run and will not display any data.
With the help of MySQL Connector/ODBC you have the possibility to get instant access to a MySQL database using the ODBC API. It provides both driver-manager based and native interfaces to the MySQL database, including stored procedures, transactions and Unicode compliance.
Before you connect to a MySQL database, you need to configure an ODBC Data Source Name (DSN), which is used to communicate with the database, then use the ‘GRANT ALL ON’ function in order to set up a new account. Then, you can use a MySQL database with Microsoft Access or Excel effortlessly.
When you open an Access database or project, a database windows appears. You can view shortcuts for creating new database objects and opening existing objects.
Also, when you use Microsoft Word and Excel in order to access information from a MySQL database, you can execute queries on your server and import the data directly into an Excel worksheet. Simply create a new file, and choose the ‘Import External Data’ option from the Data menu. Then easily choose the data source such as dBase or Excel files and select the columns you want to import. The list of the available tables is shown on the left panel and enables you to quickly select only the ones you want to add to your queries.
All in all, MySQL Connector/ODBC is a steady solution specially intended for developers and programmers who need to connect their applications to a MySQL database, execute queries and extract data from tables.