User Guide

About ColdFusion database drivers 9
If you are creating a UNIX data source, you might need to set environment
variables for your database client library by editing the ColdFusion start script in
<installdir>/coldfusion/bin. For detailed information about editing the
ColdFusion start script for your particular database, see the section about your
database.
About native drivers
The Enterprise Edition of ColdFusion Server includes support for DB2, Informix,
Sybase System 11 through Sybase Adaptive Server 12.0, and Oracle 7.3.4, 8.0, and 8i
databases through native database drivers on both Windows NT and UNIX
platforms.
You might consider using native database drivers for the following reasons:
• Native drivers tend to offer better performance than their ODBC counterparts.
• Some stored procedure functionality is only available through native drivers. For
example, you must use an Oracle native driver to use packages.
Software requirements for native drivers
Before you can use the ColdFusion native database drivers, you must install
additional client software. Also, you must install the database client software and
ColdFusion Server software on the same server.
The following table describes requirements for each database and each supported
platform:
Database Client Software For more information
Oracle Oracle 7.3.4, Oracle 8.0.x
or Oracle 8.1.6 or higher
Installing and Configuring ColdFusion Server
Sybase Sybase Open/Client
11.1.1, 11.9.2 or 12.0
“Connecting to Sybase Databases,” on page
32
Informix Informix 2.50 SDK or
higher
“Connecting to Informix Databases,” on page
26
IBM DB2 IBM DB2 Client
Application Enabler
version 5 or 6
“Connecting to DB2 Databases,” on page 15