OPEN DATABASE CONNECTIVITY (ODBC)

Database Connectivity ODBC/Access
Connect your Microsoft Access® database to your web site using ODBC. Easy to set up just follow the instructions on The 'ROCC'™. 

Database Connectivity ODBC/SQL Server
Connect your Microsoft SQL® database to your web site using ODBC.  Easy to set up, just follow the instructions on The 'ROCC'™. 

*Open Database Connectivity (ODBC) is a widely accepted application programming interface (API) for database access. It is based on the Call-Level Interface (CLI) specifications from X/Open and ISO / IEC for database APIs and uses Structured Query Language (SQL) as its database access language.

ODBC is designed for maximum interoperability—that is, the ability of a single application to access different database management systems (DBMS's) with the same source code. Database applications call functions in the ODBC interface, which are implemented in database-specific modules called drivers. The use of drivers isolates applications from database-specific calls in the same way that printer drivers isolate word processing programs from printer-specific commands. Because drivers are loaded at run time, a user only has to add a new driver to access a new DBMS; it is not necessary to recompile or re-link the application.

Internet, Intranet, and Commerce

Business today demands a different kind of database solution. Performance, scalability, and reliability are essential and time to market is critical.  Beyond these core enterprise qualities, SQL Server provides agility to your data management and analysis, allowing organizations to adapt quickly and gracefully to derive competitive advantage in a fast-changing environment.  From a data management and analysis perspective, it's critical to turn raw data into business intelligence and take full advantage of the opportunities presented by the Web.                                                                                                                                            A complete database and data analysis package, SQL Server  opens the door to the rapid development of a new generation of enterprise-class business applications that can give your company a critical competitive advantage. The owner of important benchmark records for scalability and speed, SQL Server is a fully Web-enabled database product, providing core support for XML and the ability to query across the Internet and beyond the firewall. For a detailed description of SQL Server. 

Cutting-edge features and seamless integration with Microsoft Windows 2000® and Microsoft BackOffice® make SQL Server a vital factor in your Internet, intranet, and electronic commerce strategy. 

Full-text search - with SQL Server, you no longer need expensive add-ons to handle full-text database searches.  This release supports linguistic search, allowing you to create special indexes of pertinent words and phrases in selected columns of selected tables. 
Web Assistant.  A wizard and formatting option in this release enhances the SQL Server Web Assistant, so you can easily generate HTML files from SQL Server data. 
Internet replication.  Replication across the Internet is easier than ever with anonymous subscriptions and built-in support for Internet distribution. SQL Server  supports programs using Active Server Pages (ASP).

* = Information taken from http://microsoft.com