Integration of legacy database management systems with ODBC-compliant application programs

摘要

A database integrator is provided to an application program that utilizes the ODBC interface so as to enable the application program to access the data in a legacy DBMS. The application program (“the client program”) is located on a workstation, and the legacy DBMS is located on a host computer. The legacy DBMS is used primarily by an application program (“the server program”). The database integrator receives ODBC commands from the client program, and unlike database drivers interacting with non-legacy DBMSs that send SQL statements to the DBMS, the database integrator instead converts these commands into server program-specific commands to manipulate the user interface of the server program, establishes a connection with the server program over a terminal emulation session, and issues the server program-specific commands to the server program by using the terminal emulator. These server program-specific commands manipulate the server program's user interface to display the appropriate data so that the database integrator can then access it. In this manner, the database integrator accesses the data in the legacy DBMS indirectly by issuing user interface commands to the server program, because the database integrator cannot typically access the legacy DBMS directly. This indirect access enables the client program to gain access to the data in a database that it would not otherwise be able to access.