Open Data Access Application Data Access for ClearPath MCP

Application Data Access for ClearPath MCP (formerly HDBC,) is based on the Microsoft ODBC programming interface. Using Application Data Access, application programs on a ClearPath MCP server can execute a subset of standard ODBC function calls, including the ability to use standard SQL statements, against any database on any platform that provides an ODBC driver.

This capability includes all major databases on all major platforms, ranging from simple PC databases to enterprise databases such as DB2 or Oracle. Regardless of where your corporate information is located, it is accessible to your ClearPath MCP machine.

COBOL, ALGOL and C applications make calls to Application Data Access to submit standard ODBC and SQL requests, which are then passed on to the ODBC driver manager for access to any configured data source.

Access is not restricted to retrieval. Application Data Access MCP applications can also update data in non Unisys databases and files in the enterprise. Two-phase commit is not supported.

The Application Data Access API is a subset of the ODBC version 2 specification, with the addition of a few calls to establish the initial connections to the Windows server, to control buffering and to handle Internationalization.

The Application Data Access API functions for C programs are identical to the ODBC counterparts. Ported C applications should work with very minimal changes. Since the ODBC interface is a C interface and the COBOL language does not support pointers or functions, the API for COBOL and ALGOL programs has been modified to suit the requirements of those languages.

The API resides in the MCP environment. This is the definition of the functions that may be invoked to manipulate the target database. These functions appear in a user's program. It is implemented as a library.

Application Data Access for ClearPath MCP is a separately priced product. In addition, Application Data Access for ClearPath MCP, ODBC Access for ClearPath MCP and the Enterprise Database Server OLE DB Data Provider share eight Open Data Access connection licenses, which are included in the Integrated Operating Environment (IOE). Additional connections are available.