jdbcodbc

JDBCODBC refers to the JDBC-ODBC Bridge, a JDBC driver that allows Java programs to access a database through the ODBC driver manager. It was provided in early Java releases as sun.jdbc.odbc.JdbcOdbcDriver and served as a compatibility layer that translates JDBC calls into native ODBC calls via JNI.

In operation, a Java application connects using a JDBC URL of the form jdbc:odbc:<DSN>, where <DSN> is a data source name configured in the ODBC configuration on the host system. The bridge relies on an installed ODBC driver for the target database and, on many platforms, requires matching architectural components (for example, 32-bit vs 64-bit) to work correctly. Because it routes through ODBC, the driver inherits ODBC limitations and the capabilities of the underlying driver.

The JDBC-ODBC Bridge was deprecated in Java 6 and removed in Java 8. It is generally discouraged for new development due to several drawbacks, including performance overhead, limited support for advanced JDBC features, platform dependence, and security considerations. Modern applications are advised to use a native JDBC driver provided by the database vendor or a third-party JDBC driver, which typically offers better performance and fuller JDBC compliance. The bridge remains relevant mainly for maintaining legacy code that still relies on jdbc:odbc URLs, but it is largely considered obsolete for current production use.