Fighting the Tide by Avoiding ODBC Use with MS SQL 2000 {Re: Problems with DBD::Sybase}

[dave_aiello]

I've been using MS SQL Server since version 6.5. Over time, it has become obvious to me that Microsoft isn't committed to interoperability with Sybase at a middleware level. Even if it is possible to use DBD::Sybase to work with the version of MS SQL Server that you use, I would not do it. The reasons are:

1. Major third party vendors treat Sybase and Microsoft SQL Server as separate products for the purpose of integration. Some are charging separate license fees for each product, but nearly all make clear distinction at the driver/middleware level.
2. When Microsoft deals with vulnerabilities in its infrastructure products, it patches reference configurations first. If there was a vulnerability at the middleware level, I know they would fix ODBC, ADO, and OLE-DB first.
3. Anytime I have to deal with a Microsoft component in a Perl application and there is more than one way to implement the solution, I try to determine which implementation is least likely to be broken by future Microsoft architecture changes.

YMMV, but that's why I use DBD::ODBC instead of DBD::Sybase for MS SQL Server.

Dave Aiello
Chatham Township Data Corporation

[dws]

Over time, it has become obvious to me that Microsoft isn't committed to interoperability with Sybase at a middleware level.

It isn't at all suprising that MS SQL has been gradually diverging from Sybase, the only surprise (to me) is that it's taken this long. When MS secured rights to the codebase and forked, they probably kept TDS (the underlying wire protocol) in the interest of getting a product out quickly. That meant that Sybase client libraries could access the early versions of SQL Server. MS probably left good enough alone while focusing on reworking the guts of the database, and are only now getting around to introducing incompatabilities innovations that require new client libraries.

In environments where ODBC isn't available, or if Sybase drivers aren't available, consider using freetds.