ODBTalk, the leading Smalltalk database framework for ODBC, is a product which allows the Smalltalk developer to interface to ODBC-compliant data sources. It provides a common way for applications to access many databases concurrently, and to add or move to other databases in the future with minimal changes to the application code. The full ODBC SDK 2.1 specification is supported - core, level 1 and level 2. Full source code, online help and more than 50 programming examples (including an extensive SQL application example) are included. Executables created with ODBTalk can be distributed royalty-free. Visual programming components are included with the Visual Smalltalk and VisualAge versions. You may return ODBTalk within 30 days for a full refund.
There are now available ODBC drivers for over 50 data sources, from large platform databases like DB/2 and AS/400, to UNIX relational-SQL databases like Oracle and SQL-Server, down to PC databases like Access and dBase. With ODBTalk you can develop Smalltalk database access logic once for multiple RDBMS in all of the major Intel-based PC environments - Windows 16-bit, Win32s, Windows 95, Windows-NT and OS/2, and once for Digitalk, IBM, and ParcPlace. In addition, if you use only the base database access classes, the same application logic can be used across all 3 major PC Smalltalk development platforms - Visual Smalltalk, VisualWorks and VisualAge.
ODBTalk also includes the ODBTalk Workbench Manager, integrated with the Smalltalk development environment. It allows developers to submit and test SQL requests to ODBC data sources. The classes provided manage and display queries and their result sets, as well as obtaining, modifying and displaying driver options and information. Both SQL statements and result sets can be saved to and restored from ASCII text files.
ENVY Compatibility - ODBTalk for Win32/NT is compatible with Object Technology International's ENVY/Developer. The ODBTalk base classes and those for the OO to RDBMS mapping framework are supported. Using the ODBTalk Workbench requires
SubPanes/V and WindowBuilder Pro from Object Share Inc.
The OO->RDBMS mapping framework automates the process of developing complex client-server Smalltalk applications interfacing to relational databases. It provides automatic retrieval and instantiation of objects mapped to a relational database as well as update, delete, and insert capabilities. You can automatically generate SQL DDL statements from the OO model or automatically generate the OO Model from an existingSQL database schema.
Automatic generation of classes would be useful for simple applications concerned mostly with the retrieval and update of relational tables where Smalltalk is used as a GUI front-end. When classes are not generated the framework uses the concept of database types, brokers, and mappings to handle the database. It is well suited to complex applications with a thick object layer. There are provisions for lazy (and immediate) instantiation of related objects, keyed retrieval, etc.
Smart caching of model instances and performance optimization of the mapping framework minimizes the overhead of mapping tables to Smalltalk objects. As well the use of the cache will reduce database (and network) usage and delays when performing key retrievals.
Models can be fully documented - every element of a model can have a definition attached to it. Models defined with the framework can be filed out and filed in, therefore allowing a team to share models as well as restoring models in a brand new image.
The framework will later be extended to conform to the Object Data Management Group (ODMG) 1.1 standard. This would include support for the ODMG Object Definition Language (ODL) and perhaps Object Query Language (OQL).
Overview of OO->RDBMS Mapping Framework
ODBTalk requires a PC capable of running Digitalk Smalltalk/V or Visual Smalltalk, IBM Smalltalk or VisualAge, or ParcPlace VisualWorks, and the following software:
More detailed information on ODBTalk, including the complete documentation, is available from our FTP site at the University of Illinois. You can download the following ODBTalk-related files now by clicking on the FTP links below. Note that the documentation is in the form of RTF (Microsoft Rich Text Format) files, which are readable by most PC word processors.
Copyright © 1996 LPC Consulting Services Inc.
Author: Ken Findlay kfindlay@ican.ca - last edited June 15th,1996