The MySQL Connector/ODBC is the name for the family of MySQL ODBC drivers (previously called MyODBC drivers) that provide access to a MySQL database using the industry standard Open Database Connectivity (ODBC) API. This reference covers Connector/ODBC 3.51, a version of the API that provides ODBC 3.5x compliant access to a MySQL database.

The manual for versions of Connector/ODBC older than 3.51 can be located in the corresponding binary or source distribution.

For more information on the ODBC API standard and how to use it, refer to http://www.microsoft.com/data/.

The application development part of this reference assumes a good working knowledge of C, general DBMS knowledge, and finally, but not least, familiarity with MySQL. For more information about MySQL functionality and its syntax, refer to http://dev.mysql.com/doc/.

Typically, you need to install Connector/ODBC only on Windows machines. For Unix and Mac OS X you can use the native MySQL network or named pipe to communicate with your MySQL database. You may need Connector/ODBC for Unix or Mac OS X if you have an application that requires an ODBC interface to communicate with the database. Applications that require ODBC to communicate with MySQL include ColdFusion, Microsoft Office, and Filemaker Pro.

If you want to install the Connector/ODBC connector on a Unix host, then you must also install an ODBC manager.

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