1 Introduction to Oracle Provider for OLE DB

This chapter introduces Oracle Provider for OLE DB (OraOLEDB).

This chapter contains these topics:

Overview of OLE DB

OLE DB is an open standard data access methodology which utilizes a set of Component Object Model (COM) interfaces for accessing and manipulating different types of data. These interfaces are available from various database providers.

OLE DB Design

The design of OLE DB centers around the concept of a consumer and a provider. Figure 1-1 is an illustration of the OLE DB system. The consumer represents the traditional client. The provider places data into a tabular format and returns it to the consumer.

OLE DB Data Providers

OLE DB data providers are a set of COM components that transfer data from a data source to a consumer. An OLE DB Provider places that data in a tabular format in response to calls from a consumer. Providers can be simple or complex. A provider may return a table, it may allow the consumer to determine the format of that table, and it may perform operations on the data.

Each provider implements a standard set of COM interfaces to handle requests from the consumer. A provider may implement optional COM interfaces to provide additional functionality.

With the standard interfaces, any OLE DB consumer can access data from any provider. Because of COM components, consumers can access them in any programming language that supports COM, such as C++, Visual Basic, and Java.

OLE DB Data Consumers

The OLE DB data consumer is any application or tool that utilizes OLE DB interfaces of a provider to access a broad range of data.

Overview of OraOLEDB

Oracle Provider for OLE DB (OraOLEDB) is an OLE DB data provider that offers high performance and efficient access to Oracle data by OLE DB consumers.

In general, this developer's guide assumes that you are using OraOLEDB through OLE DB or ADO.

With the advent of the .NET framework, support has been provided for using the OLEDB.NET Data Provider with OraOLEDB. With the proper connection attribute setting, an OLEDB.NET Data Provider can utilize OraOLEDB to access Oracle Database.

See Also:

"OLEDB.NET Data Provider Compatibility" for further information on support for OLEDB.NET Data Provider

System Requirements

The following items are required on a system to use Oracle Provider for OLE DB:

  • Windows Operating System:

    • 32-bit: Windows 7 (Professional, Enterprise, and Ultimate Editions), Windows Server 2008 (Standard, Enterprise, Datacenter, Web, and Foundation Editions), Windows 8 (Pro and Enterprise Editions), or Windows 8.1 (Pro and Enterprise Editions).

      Oracle supports 32-bit Oracle Provider for OLE DB on x86, AMD64, and Intel EM64T processors on these operating systems.

    • 64-bit: Windows 7 x64 (Professional, Enterprise, and Ultimate Editions), Windows Server 2008 R2 x64 (Standard, Enterprise, Datacenter, Web, and Foundation Editions), Windows Server 2008 x64 (Standard, Enterprise, Datacenter, Web, and Foundation Editions), Windows 8 (Pro and Enterprise Editions), Windows 8.1 (Pro and Enterprise Editions), Windows Server 2012 x64 (Standard, Datacenter, Essentials, and Foundation Editions), or Windows Server 2012 R2 x64 (Standard, Datacenter, Essentials, and Foundation Editions).

      Oracle supports 32-bit Oracle Provider for OLE DB and 64-bit Oracle Provider for OLE DB for Windows x64 on these operating systems.

  • Access to an Oracle Database (Oracle 10.2 or later)

  • Oracle Client and Oracle Net Services (included with Oracle Provider for OLE DB installation).

  • Redistributable files provided with Microsoft Data Access Components (MDAC) 2.1 or higher are required by the provider. These files are available at the Microsoft Web site:

    http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/data/aa937730.aspx

  • Oracle Services for Microsoft Transaction Server release 12.1 or higher. This is required for consumers using Microsoft Transaction Server (MTS) or COM+.

OraOLEDB Installation

Oracle Provider for OLE DB is included as part of your Oracle installation. It contains the features and demos that illustrate how to use this product to solve real-world problems.

See Also:

The Oracle Database Installation Guide for Microsoft Windows for installation instructions

During the installation process, the files listed in Table 1-1 are installed on the system. Some files have ver in their name to indicate the release version.

Table 1-1 Oracle Provider for OLE DB Files

File Description Location

OraOLEDBver.dll

Oracle Provider for OLE DB

ORACLE_BASE\ORACLE_HOME\bin

OraOLEDBrfcver.dll

Oracle rowset file cache manager

ORACLE_BASE\ORACLE_HOME\bin

OraOLEDBrmcver.dll

Oracle rowset memory cache manager

ORACLE_BASE\ORACLE_HOME\bin

OraOLEDBrstver.dll

Oracle rowset

ORACLE_BASE\ORACLE_HOME\bin

OraOLEDBgmrver.dll

Oracle ODBC SQL parser

ORACLE_BASE\ORACLE_HOME\bin

OraOLEDBlangver.dll

where lang is the required language

Language-specific resource DLL

ORACLE_BASE\ORACLE_HOME\bin

OraOLEDBpusver.dll

Property descriptions

ORACLE_BASE\ORACLE_HOME\bin

OraOLEDButlver.dll

OraOLEDB utility DLL

ORACLE_BASE\ORACLE_HOME\bin

OraOLEDBver.tlb

OraOLEDB type library

ORACLE_BASE\ORACLE_HOME\bin

OraOLEDB.h

OraOLEDB header file

ORACLE_BASE\ORACLE_HOME\oledb\include

OraOLEDBver.lib

OraOLEDB library file

ORACLE_BASE\ORACLE_HOME\oledb\lib

OraOLEDBlang.msb

where lang is the required language

Language-specific message file

ORACLE_BASE\ORACLE_HOME\oledb\mesg

readme

Release notes

ORACLE_BASE\ORACLE_HOME\oledb

Component Certifications

Oracle provides support information for components on various platforms, lists compatible client and database versions, and identifies patches and workaround information.

Find the latest certification information at My Oracle Support (formerly OracleMetaLink):

https://support.oracle.com