OLE DB Background Information

What Is OLE DB?

OLE DB is a specification from Microsoft that describes how to expose information in a generalized way so that it can be used by various products and in varying ways. OLE DB is similar conceptually to ODBC, an API specification for relational data, but OLE DB is not limited to relational data. In fact, few requirements are imposed on the data that is being exposed through OLE DB.

The OLE DB specification is part of Microsoft's Universal Data Access (UDA) initiative. UDA is an umbrella term that describes Microsoft's recent efforts in the area of generalized data access. Microsoft's stated goal for UDA is "to create a software infrastructure that allows information to be made available in a useful and generalized way."

The best way to learn more about UDA is from Microsoft. The Microsoft Web site (www.microsoft.com) contains numerous white papers.

Some OLE DB Terminology: Consumers and Providers

The OLE DB specification is a set of Microsoft Component Object Model (COM) interfaces that can be implemented to provide information. The general term for these software interfaces is "provider." The software that uses an interface created through OLE DB is called a "consumer."

OLE DB Object Services is a provider. Programs that use Landmark or Lawson ERP application data, such as Crystal Reports or a Visual Basic (VB) application you create, are consumers.

In the software industry, OLE DB providers are considered middleware connectors, which are defined as software that connects two other pieces of software.

In the case of OLE DB Object Services, the connector is the background component, the software that connects application data and metadata to a source outside of Landmark or Lawson ERP applications. In this document, the term "connector" is used to refer to the background piece of software. OLE DB Object Services (or OLE DB OS) refers in this manual to the product as a whole.