Client Access

Overview
PHP/Web
ODBC
JDBC
MS Access


Client Access Overview

The WXN Server Suite does not itself support a means of viewing the data. It is a true server in that connections are established to the database and then used by a client application. This virtually eliminates any restrictions on how the data can be accessed, used and displayed. Aside from the hardware and extended data collection and archival abilities, this flexibility is what makes the Server Suite so powerful.

This document only discusses the most common ways the data can be accessed. In all cases, some kind of network connectivity will be required (with one exception discussed below). If you are new to this, three recommendations:

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PHP/Web

A web interface is by far one of the best means to access server data. It can be customized any way you wish and incorporate any number of elements, including Flash, Java and Javascript.

While any web server could be used, the best choice would be to run Apache on the same box as the server is running on. Apache is a very stable and rich in advanced features. As of this writing, 70% of the world's web servers are Apache. More than two-thirds of the systems on the Internet can't be wrong. (soap box mode off...) While Apache supports most any scripting that's currently in use, PHP is the best choice. It's fast and very flexible.

To see what can be done with PHP and Apache take a look at the Kirksville (IN) server. This is only an example. Much more can be added. These pages can easily be customized and are included in this package.

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ODBC

Microsoft's ODBC (Open DataBase Connectivity) standard is available to access data from the server. The driver is downloaded from the following site:

http://gborg.postgresql.org

Once downloaded, you must configure a machine data source in the ODBC Administrator. The administrator can be accessed through Start->Settings->Control_Panel. Once established, you can use any ODBC compliant Windows application to access the data. In the microsoft family of products, this would include:

This is but a small number of the applications, Microsoft or otherwise, that support the ODBC standard.

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JDBC

Java database connectivity is established through JDBC. The .jar file that allows this is available from the following site:

http://jdbc.postgresql.org/

Java can be used to develop applications that will run on any platform that supports Java. As such, it provides an efficient means of developing and deploying applications that are not platform dependent.

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Microsoft Access

Microsoft's Access can also be used to retrieve data. With MS Access you can create queries, generate reports, etc.

You must also have the ODBC driver for PostgreSQL installed on the Windows machine. The must current ODBC driver can be downloaded from:

http://gborg.postgresql.org

There are a number of different downloads. Be sure you get the one that is appropriate for you operating platform.

Once installed, go into the ODBC Administrator and set-up your data source. It will be classified as a "Machine Source".

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