1
Introduction

This chapter introduces Oracle Provider for OLE DB. The following topics are discussed:

Overview of OLE DB

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

Oracle Provider for OLE DB offers high performance and efficient access to Oracle data by OLE DB consumers.

OLE DB Design

OLE DB's design centers around the concept of a consumer and provider. Figure 1-1, "OLE DB Flow" 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.

Figure 1-1 OLE DB Flow

OLE DB Data Providers

OLE DB data providers are a set of COM components that transfer data from a durable source to a consumer. The 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, 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.

System Requirements

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

Windows 98 or Windows NT 4.0
Access to an Oracle Server (release 7.3.4 or later)
Net8 Client (release 8.1.6)
Redistributable files provided with Microsoft Data Access Components (MDAC) 2.1 are required by the provider. These files are available at the Microsoft Web site:
```
www.microsoft.com/data/oledb
```
Oracle Services for Microsoft Transaction Server (version 8.1.5.0.1 or later). This item is required for consumers using Microsoft Transaction Server (MTS).

Installation

Review Oracle Provider for OLE DB release notes and readme files for detailed instructions on installing the OraOLEDB product.

During the installation process, the following files are installed on the system:

File	Description	Location
OraOLEDB.dll	Oracle Provider for OLE DB	`oracle_base``\``oracle_home``\bin`
OraOLEDBrfc.dll	Oracle rowset file cache manager	`oracle_base``\``oracle_home``\bin`
OraOLEDBrmc.dll	Oracle rowset memory cache manager	`oracle_base``\``oracle_home``\bin`
OraOLEDBrst.dll	Oracle rowset	`oracle_base``\``oracle_home``\bin`
OraOLEDBgmr.dll	Oracle ODBC SQL parser	`oracle_base``\``oracle_home``\bin`
OraOLEDBlang.dll	Language-specific resource DLL	`oracle_base``\``oracle_home``\bin`
OraOLEDBpus.dll	Property descriptions	`oracle_base``\``oracle_home``\bin`
OraOLEDButl.dll	OraOLEDB utility DLL	`oracle_base``\``oracle_home``\bin`
OraOLEDB.tlb	OraOLEDB type library	`oracle_base``\``oracle_home``\bin`
OraOLEDB.h	OraOLEDB header file	`oracle_base``\``oracle_home``\oledb\include`
OraOLEDB.lib	OraOLEDB library file	`oracle_base``\``oracle_home``\oledb\lib`
OraOLEDBlang.msb	Language-specific message file	`oracle_base``\``oracle_home``\oledb\mesg`
readme and documentation files	Release notes and online documentation	`oracle_base``\``oracle_home``\oledb\doc`
	Sample code	`oracle_base``\``oracle_home``\oledb\samples`

1 Introduction