How to integrate JDBC data source with ODBC application

Integrate ODBC and JDBC-ODBC Bridge
Integrate ODBC and JDBC-ODBC Bridge

Learn how to quickly and efficiently connect JDBC-ODBC Bridge with ODBC for smooth data access.

Read and write JDBC data effortlessly. Connect ODBC applications to Java-based services using standard JDBC drivers (.jar) for analytics, reporting, and data pipelines — almost no coding required. You can do it all using the high-performance JDBC-ODBC Bridge Driver (often referred to as the JDBC-ODBC Bridge Connector). We'll walk you through the entire setup.

Ready to dive in? Download the product to jump right in, or follow the step-by-step guide below to see how it works.

Prerequisites

Before we begin, make sure you meet the following prerequisite: Java Runtime Environment (JRE) or Java Development Kit (JDK) must be installed on your system.

If your JDBC Driver targets a different Java version (e.g., 11 / 17 / 21), install the corresponding or newer Java version.

If you already have a JRE installed, you can try using it too. However, if you experience any issues, we recommend using one of the distributions mentioned above (you can install an additional JRE next to the existing one; just don't forget to configure the default Java in the Windows Environment Variables).

Download your Java application JDBC driver

To connect to your Java application in , you will have to download JDBC driver for it, which we will use in later steps. Let's perform these little steps right away:

  1. Visit your Java application website or MVN Repository.
  2. Download the JDBC driver, and save it locally, e.g. to D:\Drivers\JDBC\app-jdbc.jar.
  3. Done! That was easy, wasn't it? Let's proceed to the next step.

Create data source using JDBC-ODBC Bridge ODBC Driver

Step-by-step instructions

To get data from JDBC-ODBC Bridge using ODBC, we first need to create an ODBC data source. We will later read this data in ODBC. Perform these steps:

  1. Download and install ODBC PowerPack (if you haven't already).

  2. Search for odbc and open the ODBC Data Sources (64-bit):

    Open ODBC Data Source

  3. Create a User data source (User DSN) based on the ZappySys JDBC Bridge Driver driver:

    ZappySys JDBC Bridge Driver
    Create new User DSN for ZappySys JDBC Bridge Driver
    • Create and use a User DSN if the client application runs under a User Account. This is the ideal option at design time (e.g., when developing in Visual Studio). Use it for both types of applications (64-bit and 32-bit).
    • Create and use a System DSN if the client application runs under a System Account (e.g., as a Windows Service). This is usually the required option in a production environment. If your Windows Service is a 32-bit application, you must use the 32-bit ODBC Data Source Administrator to configure this

  4. Now, we need to configure the JDBC connection in the new ODBC data source. Simply enter the Connection string, credentials, configure other settings, and then click Test Connection button to test the connection:

    JdbcOdbcBridgeDSN
    jdbc:exampleApp://app-service-host-name.com:1234
    com.provider.exampleApp.jdbc.AppDriver
    D:\Drivers\JDBC\app-jdbc.jar
    admin
    *************
    [{"Name":"AppParameter","Value":"12345"}]
    JDBC-ODBC Bridge driver data source settings

    Use these values when setting parameters:

    • Connection string: jdbc:exampleApp://app-service-host-name.com:1234
    • Driver class: com.provider.exampleApp.jdbc.AppDriver
    • JDBC driver file(s): D:\Drivers\JDBC\app-jdbc.jar
    • User name: admin
    • User password: *************
    • Connection parameters: [{"Name":"AppParameter","Value":"12345"}]

  5. You should see a message saying that connection test is successful:

    ODBC connection test is successful

    Otherwise, if you are getting an error, check out our Community for troubleshooting tips.

  6. We are at the point where we can preview a SQL query. For more SQL query examples visit JDBC Bridge documentation:

    JdbcOdbcBridgeDSN
    SELECT * FROM orders
    JDBC ODBC Bridge data source preview 
    SELECT * FROM orders
    You can also click on the <Select Table> dropdown and select a table from the list.

    The ZappySys JDBC Bridge Driver acts as a transparent intermediary, passing SQL queries directly to the JDBC driver, which then handles the query execution. This means the Bridge Driver simply relays the SQL query without altering it.

    Some JDBC drivers don't support INSERT/UPDATE/DELETE statements, so you may get an error saying "action is not supported" or a similar one. Please, be aware, this is not the limitation of ZappySys JDBC Bridge Driver, but is a limitation of the specific JDBC driver you are using.

  7. Click OK to finish creating the data source.

Video Tutorial

Optional: Centralized data access via ZappySys Data Gateway

In some situations, you may need to provide JDBC-ODBC Bridge data access to multiple users or services. Configuring the data source on a Data Gateway creates a single, centralized connection point for this purpose.

This configuration provides two primary advantages:

  • Centralized data access
    The data source is configured once on the gateway, eliminating the need to set it up individually on each user's machine or application. This significantly simplifies the management process.
  • Centralized access control
    Since all connections route through the gateway, access can be governed or revoked from a single location for all users.
Data Gateway
Local ODBC
data source
Simple configuration
Installation Single machine Per machine
Connectivity Local and remote Local only
Connections limit Limited by License Unlimited
Central data access
Central access control
More flexible cost

To achieve this, you must first create a data source in the Data Gateway (server-side) and then create an ODBC data source in ODBC (client-side) to connect to it.

Let's not wait and get going!

Create JDBC-ODBC Bridge data source in the gateway

In this section we will create a data source for JDBC-ODBC Bridge in the Data Gateway. Let's follow these steps to accomplish that:

  1. Search for gateway in the Windows Start Menu and open ZappySys Data Gateway Configuration:

    Open ZappySys Data Gateway Service Manager

  2. Go to the Users tab and follow these steps to add a Data Gateway user:

    • Click the Add button
    • In the Login field enter a username, e.g., john
    • Then enter a Password
    • Check the Is Administrator checkbox
    • Click OK to save
    Data Gateway - Add User

  3. Now we are ready to add a data source:

    • Click the Add button
    • Give the Data source a name (have it handy for later)
    • Then select Native - ZappySys JDBC Bridge Driver
    • Finally, click OK
    JdbcOdbcBridgeDSN
    ZappySys JDBC Bridge Driver
    Data Gateway - Add data source

  4. When the ZappySys JDBC Bridge Driver configuration window opens, go back to ODBC Data Source Administrator where you already have the JDBC-ODBC Bridge ODBC data source created and configured, and follow these steps on how to Import data source configuration into the Gateway:

    • Open ODBC data source configuration and click Copy settings:
      ZappySys JDBC Bridge Driver - Configuration [Version: 2.0.1.10418]
      ZappySys JDBC Bridge Driver - JDBC-ODBC Bridge
      Read and write JDBC data effortlessly. Connect ODBC applications to Java-based services using standard JDBC drivers (.jar) for analytics, reporting, and data pipelines — almost no coding required.
      JdbcOdbcBridgeDSN
      Copy connection string for ODBC application
    • The window opens, telling us the connection string was successfully copied to the clipboard: Successful connection string copying for ODBC application

    • Then go to Data Gateway configuration and in data source configuration window click Load settings:

      JdbcOdbcBridgeDSN
      ZappySys JDBC Bridge Driver - Configuration [Version: 2.0.1.10418]
      ZappySys JDBC Bridge Driver - JDBC-ODBC Bridge
      Read and write JDBC data effortlessly. Connect ODBC applications to Java-based services using standard JDBC drivers (.jar) for analytics, reporting, and data pipelines — almost no coding required.
      JdbcOdbcBridgeDSN
      Load configuration in ZappySys Data Gateway data source
    • Once a window opens, just paste the settings by pressing CTRL+V or by clicking right mouse button and then Paste option.

  5. Once done, go to the Network Settings tab and Add a firewall rule for inbound traffic:

    Data Gateway - Add firewall rule for inbound connections
    • This will initially allow all inbound traffic.
    • Click Edit IP filters to restrict access to specific IP addresses or ranges.

  6. Crucial Step: After creating or modifying the data source, you must:

    • Click the Save button to persist your changes.
    • Hit Yes when prompted to restart the Data Gateway service.

    This ensures all changes are properly applied:

    ZappySys Data Gateway - Save Changes
    Skipping this step may cause the new settings to fail, preventing you from connecting to the data source.

Create ODBC data source to connect to the gateway

In this part we will create an ODBC data source to connect to the ZappySys Data Gateway from ODBC. To achieve that, let's perform these steps:

  1. Search for odbc and open the ODBC Data Sources (64-bit):

    Open ODBC Data Source

  2. Create a User data source (User DSN) based on the ODBC Driver 17 for SQL Server driver:

    ODBC Driver 17 for SQL Server
    Create new User DSN for ODBC Driver 17 for SQL Server
    If you don't see the ODBC Driver 17 for SQL Server driver in the list, choose a similar version.

  3. Then set a Name for the data source (e.g. Gateway) and the address of the Data Gateway:

    ZappySysGatewayDSN
    localhost,5000
    ODBC driver for SQL Server - Setting hostname and port
    Make sure you separate the hostname and port with a comma, e.g. localhost,5000.

  4. Proceed with the authentication part:

    • Select SQL Server authentication
    • In the Login ID field enter the user name you created in the Data Gateway, e.g., john
    • Set Password to the one you configured in the Data Gateway
    ODBC driver for SQL Server - Selecting SQL Authentication

  5. Then set the default database property to JdbcOdbcBridgeDSN (the one we used in the Data Gateway):

    JdbcOdbcBridgeDSN
    JdbcOdbcBridgeDSN
    ODBC driver for SQL Server - Selecting database
    Make sure to type the data source name manually or copy/paste it directly into the field. Using the dropdown might fail because the Trust server certificate option is not enabled yet (next step).

  6. Continue by checking the Trust server certificate option:

    ODBC driver for SQL Server - Trusting certificate

  7. Once you do that, test the connection:

    ODBC driver for SQL Server - Testing connection

  8. If the connection is successful, everything is good:

    ODBC driver for SQL Server - Testing connection succeeded

  9. Done!

We are ready to move to the final step. Let's do it!

Access data in ODBC via the gateway

Finally, we are ready to read data from JDBC-ODBC Bridge in ODBC via the Data Gateway. Follow these final steps:

  1. Go back to ODBC.

  2. Open your ODBC client application and use ZappySysGatewayDSN to connect to JDBC-ODBC Bridge.

  3. Read the data the same way we discussed at the beginning of this article.

  4. That's it!

Now you can connect to JDBC-ODBC Bridge data in ODBC via the Data Gateway.

If you are asked for authentication details, use Database authentication, SQL authentication or Basic authentication option and enter the credentials you used when configuring the Data Gateway, e.g. john and your password.

Troubleshooters & resources (JDBC Bridge Driver)

Below are some useful community articles to help you troubleshoot and configure the ZappySys JDBC Bridge Driver:

Conclusion

In this article we showed you how to connect to JDBC-ODBC Bridge in ODBC and integrate data without writing complex code — all of this was powered by JDBC-ODBC Bridge Driver. ZappySys JDBC Bridge Driver allows you to connect to any Java application that supports JDBC.

Download ODBC PowerPack now or ping us via chat if you have any questions or are looking for a specific feature (you can also reach out to us by submitting a ticket):

Download Chat

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