ODAC enables connectivity between Oracle and Borland Delphi or C++ Builder without requiring BDE.
One of the most significant advantages of ODAC is the Net option, which allows the software to work directly through TCP/IP protocol without requiring Oracle's software on the client-side. Other benefits of using ODAC include support for Oracle 8 feathers such as BLOB, CLOB, and BFile data types, as well as objects, arrays, references, and nested tables. ODAC also simplifies data updating and provides two ways of updating data.
With TOraQuery, the data updating process becomes more flexible, while TSmartQuery offers a more straightforward approach. Additionally, ODAC speeds up record fetching from the database, provides automatic locking and refreshing of records, and allows the user to execute long-time stored procedures in a separate thread. It also features advanced design-time editors and an interface that is similar to standard data access components (TDatabase, TQuery, etc.). Moreover, ODAC supports all data-aware components.
The Net option of ODAC offers several advantages over the standard system. ODAC Standard applications generally use the Oracle Call Interface to connect to the Oracle database server, and this is the usual way to develop Oracle applications in a third-generation language. However, all OCI routines are in external libraries, so the compiled application has a small size, but it requires Oracle client software installed on the workstation. This can lead to additional expenses for installation and administration, which may not be feasible or advisable for certain use cases.
ODAC Net, on the other hand, allows users to work with Oracle directly through the TCP/IP protocol without requiring Oracle client software. All that is needed to run an application built with ODAC Net is an operating system and TCP/IP protocol support. To connect to Oracle server with ODAC Net, users need to know the address of the computer hosting the server, the listening port number, and the database instance name.
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