eGenix mxODBC 3.1.2 GA
Introduction
mxODBC™ provides an easy-to-use, high-performance, reliable and robust Python interface to ODBC compatible databases such as MS SQL Server, Oracle Database, IBM DB2 and Informix , Sybase ASE and Sybase Anywhere, MySQL, PostgreSQL, SAP MaxDB and many more:
The eGenix mxODBC - Python ODBC Database Interface product is a commercial extension to our eGenix mx Base Distribution:
News
mxODBC 3.1.2 Update
The 3.1.2 release of our mxODBC is the latest release of our popular Python ODBC Interface.
The new patch-level version includes a few important fixes:
- Fixed a compatibility problem with Python 2.7's distutils that was introduced in Python 2.7.3
- Improved compatibility of the mxODBC native Unicode string format handling with Unix ODBC drivers when running UCS4 builds of Python.
Support for MS SQL Server Native Client for Linux
This allows using the NVARCHAR and NCHAR types of SQL Server with the new MS SQL Server Native Client for Linux with UCS4 Python builds. UCS2 Python builds don't exhibit this issue. The new driver has proven to be much more feature complete than the FreeTDS ODBC driver, so it's definitely worth a try.
Note that the MS driver currently has an issue with Unicode connection strings which causes stack corruption. Please don't use Unicode connection strings with the MS SQL Server Native Client for Linux driver, since there's no way we can work around this problem: we only know the type of driver after connection and then it's already too late.
Windows x64 and eGenix mx Base 3.2
With mxODBC 3.1.1 we had already introduced compatibility with our current mx Base 3.2 release in order to be able to support the Windows x64 platform. If you are currently using the combinations mxODBC 3.1.0 + mx Base 3.1, please consider upgrading to our latest releases mxODBC 3.1 + mx Base 3.2.mxODBC 3.1 Release Highlights
- We've added Python 2.7 support and builds for all platforms.
- mxODBC 3.1 adds native support for the Windows 64-bit platforms as well as the Mac OS X 10.6 (Snow Leopard) 64-bit builds of Python.
- mxODBC now fully supports the Oracle Instant Client ODBC driver.
- We have updated the support for the latest IBM DB2 9.7 ODBC drivers and enhanced compatibility of mxODBC with the MS SQL Server Native Client ODBC driver on Windows/Linux and the Sybase ASE 15 ODBC drivers on Unix.
- mxODBC 3.1 adds support for large-scale data warehouse databases Netezza and Teradata.
- In addition to the Windows, Mac OS X, iODBC and unixODBC ODBC driver managers, we now also include support for the DataDirect ODBC manager.
- The 64-bit support on Unix platforms was updated to support the new unixODBC 2.3.0 version.
- We've improved the documentation on how to connect to various popular databases and now include many tips & tricks for each database/driver.
- The Python 2.7 memoryview object is now supported as binary data container.
- We have simplified handling of database warnings using a new customizable .warningformat attribute.
- The catalog methods now accept both Unicode and 8-bit strings as parameters.
- You
can now select whether to use ANSI (8-bit) or Unicode ODBC APIs in the
ODBC drivers, removing unnecessary data conversions and enhancing
ODBC driver compatibility.
For the full set of changes, please check the mxODBC change log.
Feature Highlights
- Python Database API 2.0 Compliance: the mxODBC API is fully Python DB-API 2.0 compatible and implements a large number of powerful extensions.
- Support for all popular ODBC Drivers: mxODBC
includes adjustments and work-arounds to support MS SQL Server Native
Client, MS SQL Server ODBC Driver, FreeTDS ODBC Driver, Oracle Instant
Client ODBC Driver, IBM DB2 ODBC Driver, Sybase ASE ODBC Driver,
Netezza ODBC Driver, Teradata ODBC Driver, PostgreSQL ODBC Driver,
MySQL ODBC Driver, .MaxDB ODBC Driver as well as the ODBC driver sets
of EasySoft, DataDirect, OpenLink, Actual Technologies.
- Support for all popular ODBC Driver Managers: mxODBC comes with subpackages for the native Windows and Mac OS X ODBC managers, as well as the ODBC managers unixODBC, iODBC and DataDirect, which are commonly used on Unix systems.
- Stable, robust and reliable:the mxODBC API has been in active production use for more than 10 years.
- Full Python Support: mxODBC works with Python 2.4, 2.5, 2.6 and 2.7.
- Full 64-bit Support: mxODBC runs on the following 64-bit platforms: Windows, Linux, FreeBSD and Mac OS X.
For the complete set of features, please have a look at the mxODBC product page.
New mxODBC Editions:
Due to popular demand, we have extended the set of available mxODBC editions and included a new low-cost standard edition. mxODBC is now available in thesethree editions:
- The low-cost Standard Edition which provides data connectivity to a selected set of database backends.
- The Professional Edition, which gives full access to all mxODBC features.
- The Product Development Edition, which allows including mxODBC in applications you develop.
At the same time we have simplified our license terms to clarify the
situation on multi-core and virtual machines. In most cases, you no
longer need to purchase more than one license per processor or virtual
machine, scaling down the overall license costs significantly compared
to earlier mxODBC releases.
For a complete overview of the new editions, please see the product page.
Upgrading
Users are encouraged to upgrade to this latest mxODBC release to benefit from the new features and updated ODBC driver support.
We have taken special care not to introduce backwards incompatible
changes, making the upgrade experience as smooth as possible.
Customers who have purchased mxODBC 3.1 license can continue to use their licenses with this patch level release.
Customers who have purchased mxODBC 2.0, 2.1 or 3.0 licenses can upgrade their licenses using the mxODBC Professional Edition Upgrade License.
If you want to try the new release before purchace, you can request 30-day evaluation licenses by visiting our web-site or writing to sales@egenix.com, stating your name (or the name of the company) and the number of eval licenses that you need.Downloads
Please visit the eGenix mxODBC product page for downloads, instructions on installation and documentation of the packages.
Note that in order to use the eGenix mxODBC product, you first need to install our open-source eGenix mx Base Distribution.
More Information
For more information on the eGenix.com Python products, licensing and download instructions, please write to sales@egenix.com.
Enjoy !
Marc-Andre Lemburg, eGenix.com