Managing Connections

To successfully migrate DB2 databases and applications to SQL Server, you must establish a connection to both databases. You can do this using the Manage Connections tool, or a combination of other connection utilities.

ODBC Providers

For ODBC connectivity, we recommend that you always use the most recent supported version of the ODBC provider available when creating new connections. We also recommend that you upgrade existing connections to use the most recent provider when possible.

When creating a new SQL Server connection, HCOSS defaults the connection to the latest ODBC provider installed and supported on the system. For any SQL Server connection on the SQL Server Connection tab or Connection List tab, you can select from a drop-down list of installed and supported SQL Server ODBC providers. You can also set the ODBC provider for all SQL Server connections on the Connection List tab.

Important: ODBC provider selection for SQL Server connections applies to System or User connections. Azure connections do not use ODBC connections. The "SQL Server" ODBC provider from Microsoft is an older provider that ships with Microsoft Windows and lacks certain features available in many newer Microsoft ODBC providers. As such, it is not shown in Manage Connections ODBC drop-down selectors. Microsoft ODBC provider versions provide support for particular versions of SQL Server. To help you select an appropriate ODBC provider, System requirements, installation, and driver files page on the Microsoft Web site.

For information on supported ODBC drivers, see the HCO for SQL Server (HCOSS) topic under Additional Software Requirements.

OLE DBProviders

To aid in ensuring the fastest performance during HCOSS data transfer, the Manage Connections tool checks to determine if any of the following OLE DB providers are available on your system:

  • Microsoft OLE DB Provider for SQL Server
  • SQL Server Native Client 11.0
  • Microsoft OLE DB Driver for SQL Server

Manage Connections does not directly create SQL Server OLE DB connections. Instead, it uses the ADO.NET provider System.Data.SqlClient and the ODBC provider selected. The Transfer Data tool converts the connection string for SQL Server connections created in Manage Connections to work with these specific OLE DB providers automatically to achieve the fastest data transfer performance. You can also use newer or alternative OLE DB providers by creating those connections in the ADO.NET connection editor. You can select one of these as the target connection in the Transfer Data tool.

Parent topic: HCO for SQL Server (HCOSS)