Home > Sharing data > Accessing external data sources > Configuring an ODBC client driver

Configuring an ODBC client driver

Whether you are importing ODBC data or working with ODBC tables in the relationships graph, as a client application, you must configure a driver for the ODBC data source you’re using. For example, if you will be accessing records from an Oracle database, you will configure an Oracle client driver.

The way you interact with the data source, provide a password, and perform and display query results varies with each application’s client driver. Additionally, data source configuration can vary from one ODBC driver manufacturer to another.

Data sources supported in FileMaker 10.0

•

Oracle 9g

•	Oracle 10g

•	Oracle 11g

•	SQL Server 2000

•	SQL Server 2005

•	SQL Server 2008

•	MySQL 5.0 Community Edition (free)

•	MySQL 5.1 Community Edition (free)

For information on supported drivers, see http://www.filemaker.com/support/technologies.

For an overview of the various ways of working with ODBC data sources, see Using ODBC and JDBC with FileMaker Pro.

Use the following procedure as a general guideline for configuring data sources (refer to the documentation that accompanies each data source application for details).

Windows

1.	In the Windows Control Panel, choose Administrative Tools > Data Sources (ODBC).

In Windows XP, Administrative Tools appear in the Performance and Maintenance category.

2.	Click the System DSN tab.

If your data source appears in the list, the driver is already configured. You can skip the remaining steps and begin accessing ODBC data, or choose your data source and click Configure to modify how you’ll interact with the data source.

A System DSN (data source name) is available to all users who log in to your computer. A User DSN is available only when you log in.

Important Only System DSNs are supported when you are working with ODBC tables in the relationships graph.

3.	Click Add to configure a driver for your data source.

A list displays all ODBC client drivers installed on your computer.

If no driver appears for the data source you want to use, third-party drivers are available from a number of vendors, and www.filemaker.com/support/technologies provides links to vendors.

To install a new driver, use the driver’s installation program.

4.	Choose the driver for the data source you’ll be accessing with FileMaker Pro, then click Finish.

A setup dialog box appears.

5.	In Data Source Name, enter descriptive text to identify the data source.

Many drivers also offer options to customize how you access a data source, such as identifying a particular data source file.

6.

Click OK.

Mac OS

1.	Launch the ODBC data source administrator.

The ODBC Administrator utility is available with Mac OS X (in the Applications/Utilities folder).

2.	Click the System DSN tab (or, for ODBC imports, click either the System DSN tab or the User DSN tab).

Important Only System DSNs are supported when you are working with ODBC tables in the relationships graph.

If your data source appears in the list, the driver is already configured. You can skip the remaining steps and begin accessing ODBC data, or choose your data source and click Configure to modify how you’ll interact with the data source.

A System DSN (data source name) is available to all users who log in to your computer. A User DSN is available only when you log in.

3.	Click Add to configure a driver for your data source.

A list displays all ODBC client drivers installed on your computer.

If no driver appears for the data source you want to use, third-party drivers are available from a number of vendors, and www.filemaker.com/support/technologies provides links to vendors.

To install a new driver, use the driver’s installation program.

4.	Choose the driver for the data source you’ll be accessing with FileMaker Pro, then click OK.

A configuration dialog box appears.

5.	In Data Source Name, enter descriptive text to identify the data source.

Many drivers also offer options to customize how you access a data source, such as identifying a particular data source file.

6.

Click OK.

After you have configured the driver, you can access records in your data source. See Connecting to data sources and Querying an ODBC data source from FileMaker Pro.