The Difference Between ODBC and Superbase

ODBC is based on the SQL standard. In an typical SQL database all of the data files, known as tables, and all of the index files, as well as the data description or metadata information, is often contained inside of one file. The users of such a database do not normally have the ability to simply move it wherever they might want, and it is often an extremely large database (millions or even billions of records or rows, in SQL-speak). All of the relationships between the various tables will be encoded in some set of rules in the metadata portion of the database.

Most of these elements can also be found in Superbase. The tables are Superbase SBF files. The indexes are Superbase index files (.1 to .999). The metadata, in a considerably abbreviated form, is stored in the SBD file and it describes the structure and some of the rules of the database file. The container is the directory where the files are located.

Upon considering how many Superbase customers design their database systems, with files located in one directory, or often also in subdirectories below the main directory, we enhanced the Superbase ODBC driver to support files in subdirectories within a single ODBC data source. The exact capabilities and restrictions are described elsewhere.

In order to access the Superbase files in a given directory, an ODBC data source must be created using the ODBC Administrator tool. This tool is normally located in the Control Panel. It is not possible to simply open the files directly.