ODBC issue [Resolved thru luck and detective work]

[BruceG]

I am trying to connect to an old Sybase database file ("SHARK.DB"). The provider is "Sybase SQL Anywhere 5.0". The ODBC driver file is "wod50w.dll". I would like to connect to this database via a VB program.

Background:
My client has been using an old contact management type program called "Sharkware" (version 4.0, circa 1998). The program uses the old Sybase engine described above. The fact that Sharkware was actually written in VB, and that when I run the program, the database is being accessed, would suggest that I can somehow connect to this database and get the table names, field names, field values, etc. for the ultimate purpose of converting it to an Access database.

However, nothing I've tried so far works. If I try a REGSVR32 on the dll file, it fails. The provider name (Sybase SQL Anywhere 5.0) does not show up in the ODBC list. Any ideas on how I might get at this beast?

[honeybee]

I don't have much to say to solve your problem, but see if there's any OLEDB driver available for Sybase and if it works with the Sybase database version you have. Then you could use ADO to connect to it.

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[john_murphy]

One way I have done similar things in tha past is to create an access database and link the tables through the ODBC driver and then just get VB to update the access table and this updates the link!!!

Good luck.

[BruceG]

johh_murphy: The problem is that the system won't recognize the ODBC driver. (Somehow this Sharkware program is using it, but outside of that realm, Windows is not recognizing it.)

honeybee: I did go the route of downloading a trial version of Sybase's latest SQL Anywhere studio and have tried various things to connect this shark database with its driver ("Adaptive Server Anywhere 8.0"), but could not get it to work.

Somehow, I've got to get Windows to recognize that "Sybase SQL Anywhere 5.0" driver ...

[honeybee]

OK, I shall suggest a Shock and Awe method now

Use regedit to edit the registry, and find and delete all keys relating to the said DLL. (To be on the safer side, restart your system here) Then try using regsvr32 on the DLL to register it. This should work.

Alternatively, you can try it on a fresh Win 9x installation and see if the driver gets registered there.

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[techyspecy]

Originally posted by BruceG
johh_murphy: The problem is that the system won't recognize the ODBC driver. (Somehow this Sharkware program is using it, but outside of that realm, Windows is not recognizing it.)

honeybee: I did go the route of downloading a trial version of Sybase's latest SQL Anywhere studio and have tried various things to connect this shark database with its driver ("Adaptive Server Anywhere 8.0"), but could not get it to work.

Somehow, I've got to get Windows to recognize that "Sybase SQL Anywhere 5.0" driver ...

I have Sybase drivers on my system however, it does not say Sybase SQL anywhere drivers. It looks to me as if the drivers you are talking about came with some custom package of sybase or something and does not comes by default with windows.

[BruceG]

Found a trial version of SQL Anywhere 5.0 on some website (lucky, 'cuz this thing is ancient); had to figure out how to use the thing, had to open the Sharkware executable in Wordpad to snoop for the user-id and password, etc. etc. But was finally able to do queries in the ISQL interface to extract the tables.
*** whew! ***