Student Manager Reports uses ODBC to access databases. ODBC, or Open DataBase Connectivity, is a database access technology built into Windows that provides a consistent way of accessing data from different database engines. Using ODBC means Student Manager Reports doesn't have to know details such as where the server is located, which database to access, etc.; this information is defined in an ODBC "data source" you or your system administrator sets up.

When you run Student Manager Reports the first time, it displays a list of ODBC data sources available on your system in the Setup dialog so you can select which ones to query on and specify the user name and password to access the database. You can also do this by choosing the Manage Databases function from the Tools menu.

Although it's a 32-bit application, Student Manager Reports works just fine on 64-bit versions of Windows. However, while 32-bit applications can access 32-bit system DSNs, 32-bit user DSNs, and 64-bit user DSNs, they cannot access 64-bit system DSNs. Since the default ODBC Administrator is the 64-bit version (you can run the 32-bit version from the SysWoW64 subdirectory of the Windows folder if necessary), any system DSNs you create aren't visible to Student Manager Reports. So, either create user DSNs rather than system DSNs or use the 32-bit ODBC Administrator to create your DSNs. The ODBC button in the Manage Databases dialog brings up the 32-bit ODBC Administrator when you click the ODBC Admin button.

You see a list of ODBC data sources defined on your system with a checkmark in front of data sources already selected so you can tell at a glance which ones are used.

To specify that Student Manager Reports can access a certain data source, select it in the list and check the Use this data source option. Student Manager Reports needs the user name and password to access this database (this is the database user name and password, not your application user name and password), so enter those in the text boxes provided. The password is encrypted when it's stored in Student Manager Reports's system files, so you don't have to worry about compromising your database password. After entering the password, you are asked if you want to test the connection to the data source; choose Yes to perform this test. You can also click the Test button to perform this test.

To create a new data source or edit an existing one, use the Windows ODBC Data Source Administrator dialog. To bring up this dialog, click the ODBC Admin button. Note that you may be prompted to confirm this action in the User Account control dialog. To refresh the list of data sources after creating a new one, click the Refresh button.