ODBC and JDBC Guide

Chapter 1 | Introduction 6
About ODBC and JDBC
ODBC and JDBC are application programming interfaces (APIs). ODBC is an API for applications
written in the C language, and JDBC is a similar API for the Java language. These APIs give client
applications a common language for interacting with a variety of data sources and database
services, including FileMaker Pro Advanced and FileMaker Server.
All applications that support ODBC and JDBC recognize a basic subset of SQL (Structured Query
Language) statements. Working with SQL, you can use other applications (such as spreadsheets,
word processors, and reporting tools) to view, analyze, and modify data.
Using ODBC or JDBC APIs, a client application communicates with a driver manager that
identifies the client driver to communicate with a data source.
FileMaker software can act either as a client application or as a data source.
Using FileMaker software as an ODBC client application
As an ODBC client application, FileMaker software can access data in external SQL data sources.
FileMaker software connects to the external SQL data source using the client driver for the ODBC
data source, and either imports ODBC data or works with ODBC tables in the relationships graph.
Importing ODBC data
You can import ODBC data in either of these ways:
1 from the File menu, by specifying an ODBC data source and entering SQL statements in the
FileMaker Pro Advanced SQL Query builder dialog box
1 by creating a FileMaker script that uses the Import Records script step or the Execute SQL
script step
For either of these methods, you enter the SQL statements yourself, so you need to know the
supported SQL statements and their syntax for your ODBC data source. And because you write
the SQL statements, you can import ODBC data from any ODBC data source. See FileMaker SQL
Reference for information on SQL statements and syntax supported by FileMaker.
Adding ODBC tables to the relationships graph
When you add an ODBC table to the relationships graph, you can connect to and work with data
in external SQL data sources in much the same way that you work with data in the current, active
FileMaker database file. For example, you can:
1 create tables in the relationships graph for ODBC data sources
1 add supplemental fields to ODBC tables to perform unstored calculations or to summarize data
in the ODBC tables
1 add, change, and delete external data interactively
1 create relationships between fields in FileMaker tables and fields (also called “columns”) in
ODBC tables
Driver
Manager
Client
Application
Client
Driver
Data
Source