Re: PostgreSQL ODBC Commercial use

On 01/05/2015 07:34 PM, Danny Severns wrote:
> I'm new to use of postgresql odbc, but I have been watching the forum
> for awhile to get a feel for some of the problems people report.
> Based on what I have seen, it causes me to wonder if the odbc drivers
> are reliable enough for commercial use.  Does anyone have an opinion
> on that or commercial experience with the odbc drivers?  I notice too
> there are alternative suppliers of postgresql odbc drivers.  Is that
> because the postgresql.org supported drivers are not reliable, or
> just others seeking commercial opportunities, which there is nothing
> wrong with the motive, but there would seem to be no opportunity
> there unless the "official" drivers are lacking in features,
> reliability or support.  Thanks.

It depends on what you're doing. For the basic stuff, the driver works
fine. A lot of people use it commercially. I work for VMware, and we use
it routinely.

But the ODBC API is huge, there are a lot of fringe, seldom-used,
features like keyset-drive updateable cursors. The driver is actually
quite feature-complete and implements many rarely-used features, but
they receive very little testing. It's not difficult to find corner-case
bugs with the more complicated ODBC APIs.

Also, if you're trying to use the driver with something like MS Access,
your mileage may vary.

So stick to the basic stuff, and you should be fine. And write automated
tests for *your* application that you can easily before upgrading, when
a new version of the driver is released.

- Heikki