Creating ODBC Connections for Oracle

Before making the ODBC connection to Oracle databases, you must set up a configuration file (tnsnames.ora) that specifies the connection details of the database to which you want to connect.

If you do not use the configuration file, you must specify the connection details (server name, port number, database name) every time you connect to the database instead of merely specifying the alias name.

Place this file in the Oracle directory (for example, C:\oracle\product\12.1.0\client_1\NETWORK\ADMIN) and add a new environment variable TNS_ADMIN (like the Path variable) to direct the system where to look for the file.

  1. Launch the ODBC Data Source Administrator.
  2. On the System DSN tab, click Add.
    The Create New Data Source dialog is displayed.
  3. From the list shown in the dialog, choose Oracle in OraClient12Home1_32bit.
  4. Click Finish.
    The Oracle ODBC Driver Configuration dialog is displayed.
  5. Fill in the following fields as appropriate:
    • Data Source Name: Data source name
    • Description: (Optional) Brief description of the database
    • TNS Service Name: Name of the Oracle server
    • User ID: Name of the database
  6. On the Application tab, select the appropriate options as required.
  7. In the ODBC Data Source Administrator dialog, click OK to complete the connection.