Oracle ODBC Instant Client for Windows Release Notes Release 11.2 |

# ODBC Instant Client

Release Notes
Release 11.2

May 2009

## 1 ODBC Instant Client

ODBC Instant Client offers all the functionality of the Oracle 11g ODBC driver, except Oracle Services for Microsoft Transaction Server, without the need for a traditional ORACLE_HOME installation.

See Oracle Call Interface Programmer's Guide for information on OCI Instant Client.

### 1.1 Installing ODBC Instant Client

- Download the Basic Instant Client and ODBC Instant Client packages from the Oracle Technology Network Instant Client page. The two packages must be unzipped into same directory. For example, C:\Oracle\instantclient_11_2.

- Basic Instant Client is a prerequisite for installing the ODBC Instant Client.

- ODBC Instant Client package has the following file/DLLs

File name | Description
sqora32.dll | Driver DLL
sqoras32.dll | Driver setup DLL
sqresus.dll | Resource DLL
sqresja.dll | Japanese resource DLL
ODBCRelnotesUS.htm | Release note
ODBCRelnotesJA.htm | Japanese release note
ODBC_IC_Readme_Win.html | ODBC Instant Client read me for Windows
sqora.chm | Help file
sqoraja.chm | Japanese help file
odbc_install.exe | ODBC Instant Client install script
odbc_uninstall.exe | ODBC Instant Client un-install script.

- Make sure Basic Instant Client is deployed before running the ODBC install script.

- Unzip the ODBC Instant Client package, then execute the odbc_install script.

- By default English(US) DLLs, files will be installed.
- To install the Japanese version ODBC Driver, mention the JA option with install script.

- C:\Oracle\instantclient_11_2> odbc_install JA

- The ODBC install script will check for oci.dll, oraociei11.dll, orannzsbb11.dll at present directory. If any of these DLLs are missing, installation will fail.
- Oracle Instant Client directory (present directory) name will be part of the driver name in registry.

- Driver name will be "Oracle in instantclient_11_2".

- After the installation the environment needs to be configured in the following way.

- Add the directory to the PATH system environment variable.

- Otherwise ODBC manager will be not able to load/find the driver.

- Define the TNS_ADMIN environment variable to point the .ora files directory for OCI.

- This must be set for OCI to resolve the TNS name.
- If TNS_ADMIN is not set, OCI will examine an operating system dependent set of directories to find tnsnames.ora. This search path includes looking in the directory %ORACLE_HOME%/network/admin/tnsnames.ora. This is the only reason to set the ORACLE_HOME environment variable for Oracle Instant Client. If ORACLE_HOME is set when running Instant Client applications, it must be set to a directory where Instant Client exists (in this case C:\Oracle\instantclient_11_2). If ORACLE_HOME is not set, then looks in current directory for tnsnames.ora.

- Set any Oracle globalization variables required for your locale. See the Oracle Database 11g Globalization Support Guide for more information.

- For example on Windows to set NLS_LANG:

- set NLS_LANG=JAPANESE_JAPAN.JA16EUC

### 1.2 Uninstalling ODBC Instant Client

Do the following steps to un-install:

- Run the odbc_uninstall script

- It will delete the Driver entry in registry.
- It will delete the installed Oracle ODBC Driver files.

- Reset any environment variables such as PATH and TNS_ADMIN.

### 1.3 Bugs Fixed

- Please refer ODBC Release Note.