Overview
The purpose of this article is to explain what ODBC errors are, and why you may see them while trying to use TDO. If you are reading this article because you are seeing ODBC errors on your computer(s), you may want to read about the possible causes before contacting TDO Support.
What is ODBC?
ODBC stands for Open Database Connectivity. This is the interface that the TDO application uses to retrieve information from TDOSQLSERVER (on your server). When TDO is operating normally, the application is using ODBC to read from and write to TDOSQLSERVER.
Possible Causes of ODBC Errors
Network Connectivity Problems
This is the most common cause of ODBC errors by far. If your workstation(s) are not able to maintain a stable connection to your server on port 4150, ODBC calls made by TDO will fail, and an error will be displayed. Depending on what you are doing in the program at that time, the program may crash and you may lose data. Implementing the TDO Best Practices on all your workstations and the server can reduce your chances of having network connectivity problems, but if you have failing network equipment, then no amount of settings or software changes can solve the problem.
Problems with the Server
The next most common cause of ODBC errors is problems with the server. Most often, this just means that the server crashed/powered down, and thus ODBC calls are not answered. ODBC errors can also result when the data volume containing the TDOSQLSERVER data files has no remaining space. In cases of extremely slow performance on the server (especially on aging hardware), ODBC calls may intermittently fail. The best way to mitigate these issues is to monitor your server’s performance and disk space (or better yet, hire a professional to do this for you).
Problems with the Database
Bugs in certain older versions of TDO can cause certain database objects to become locked, such that they can’t be edited. If you try to make changes in TDO and get an ODBC error, you may have encountered a locked table. Usually this can be resolved by rebooting your server. If you have ruled out network connectivity problems and disk space/performance problems on the server, please contact TDO Support for assistance.
Article ID: 823
Created: June 5, 2020
Last Updated: October 2, 2023
Author: TDO KB [web_admin@tdo4endo.com]
Online URL: https://kb.tdo4endo.com/article.php?id=823