Component Type: Data Source Name

DSN Entries represent ODBC settings for connecting to a database. They can be edited by the user on the system by bringing up the “Data Source Administrator” control panel. The actual settings are stored in specific places in the registry. As a result, the Data source name Resource Type is built on top of the Registry keys resource type. The DSN Install, export, and uninstall directly use the facilities provided by the Registry Key resource handler. The DSN browser wraps the Registry browser to provide an experience closer to the “Data Source Administrator” control panel.

Browsing

Table 5–25 Data Source Name Browser Behavior

Root Path	List of the 2 DSN roots:  User  System
Delimiter	/
Ordering	Settings will appear in alphabetical order.
Selection Type	Double clicking on the System and User roots will provide a list of the DSN entries underneath. Users can then select a single entry for check in.
Sample Path	User/Oracle8
Filters	None

Exported/Internal File Format

On export the browser will export the key containing all the DSN settings, as well as the value of the same name in the `ODBC Data Sources' key at the same level in the registry hierarchy.

Un-Install

The DSN uninstall is based on the registry uninstall with the caveat that the path being deleted is the key containing the DSN settings, but not the key the DSN GUI uses to display the available DSN settings. Special logic exists to delete this key as well. The semantics of this differ slightly from the registry uninstall semantics, though they use the same executor.

Error Conditions

The DSN system component directly calls the Install method of the registry system component. Please reference the Registry Key section of this document for further information on implementation and possible errors.