MACROMEDIA DREAMWEAVER MX 2004-USING DREAMWEAVER Use Manual page 748

Here's what the same database looks like in Notepad:
Your web application faces the same problem as Notepad or any other application trying to access
data in an unknown format: the application can't decipher the data. A software interface is needed
between your web application and the database allowing the application and the database to talk
to each other.
Three common interfaces let applications communicate with databases. The first is called Open
Database Connectivity, or ODBC; the second is called OLE DB (object linking and embedding
database); and the third is called Java Database Connectivity, or JDBC.
The job of these interfaces is to act like interpreters. For example, when a speech is given in
English at the United Nations, one interpreter translates for French-speaking delegates while
another interpreter translates for German-speaking delegates. Similarly, you use one interface for
OLE DB-speaking applications, another interface for ODBC-speaking web applications, and still
another interface for JDBC-speaking applications. ColdFusion MX and JSP applications are
JDBC speakers, ASP speak ODBC (through a built-in OLE DB/ODBC interpreter), ASP.NET
applications speak OLE DB, and ColdFusion 4 or 5 applications speak ODBC and OLE DB.
Using database drivers to communicate with your database
The ODBC, OLE DB, and JDBC interfaces are implemented by database drivers (or "data
providers" in OLE DB), which are simply pieces of software. When your web application
communicates with your database, it does so through the intermediary of a driver.
Database drivers are database-specific. For example, you can use Microsoft Access, SQL Server,
and dBase drivers. Similarly, you can use OLE DB providers such as the OLE DB provider
for SQL Server. Your choice depends on your database.
Drivers are written by database vendors such as Microsoft and Oracle, and by a variety of
third-party software vendors. Microsoft offers a number of ODBC drivers and OLE DB
providers for the most popular database packages, such as Microsoft Access, Microsoft SQL
Server, and Oracle. The ODBC drivers, which only run on the Windows platform, are
automatically installed with Microsoft Office, and with Windows 2000 and Windows XP
Professional. They are also installed with the Microsoft Data Access Components (MDAC) 2.5,
2.6, and 2.7 packages, which you can download for free from the Microsoft website at
www.microsoft.com/data/download.htm. MDAC 2.7 installs a number of OLE DB providers.
748 Appendix A: Beginner's Guide to Databases