FreeTDS Development Group

[jklowden AT schemamania.org]

On Wed, Apr 07, 2010 at 10:31:56AM -0400, mgrosman AT pathcom.com wrote:
> So, if I understand correctly, I'll have to open a separate connection 
> via dblib's dbopen() to use bcp API.
> 
> Are there any plans to move bcp support to ODBC? Microsoft's 2008 SQL 
> Server is the last one which supports dblib connections.

I have an interest in ODBC BCP.  More interest than time, though.  I'm happy 
to apply patches and offer advice....

Don't worry about end-of-life for DB-Library.  As far as the server is 
concerned, ODBC is practically indistinguishable from db-lib.  As an open 
source project, we can make sure the bytes arriving at the server are the 
same regardless of the API used.  

What Microsoft means by "won't be supported" is that they will (may) modify 
the server in such a way that NTWDBLIB.DLL -- which they haven't updated 
since 2002 or so -- won't work.  I expect the next version of the server to 
require ANSI_DEFAULTS session properties, or something like that.  It could 
even be simpler:  the login packet has a "client is ODBC" flag.  It's set ON 
for ODBC connections and OFF (of course) for db-lib.  The server could just 
refuse connections with it OFF.  Cf. 
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd304019%28PROT.13%29.aspx, the 
"fODBC" bit.  

File it under "planned obsolescence".  They'd do the same thing with the C 
standard library if they could.  (_CRT_SECURE_NO_WARNINGS, anyone?)  Ask Joel 
about Fire and Motion.   

Whatever happens, as long as the server speaks TDS, FreeTDS's db-lib will be 
able to adapt.  That promise doesn't come from me; it's courtesy of the LGPL 
and copyright law.  

--jkl