StarQuest Technical Documents

How to Report a StarSQL for Windows (ODBC Driver) Problem

Last Update: 26 February 2015
Product: StarSQL
Version: All
Article ID: SQV00SQ016

Abstract

Before you report a problem to StarQuest Customer Support, review the StarQuest Customer Support knowledge base because it may have the answer you need. There are many technical documents that address common problems and provide helpful suggestions and sample code.

Before contacting StarQuest Customer Support, collect as much information as you can about the problem. By sending in a complete problem description, you can help expedite finding a solution to your problem.

This article describes how to find the information you need to report a StarSQL ODBC Driver for Windows problem and a few additional steps that you can do to help the Customer Support staff better serve your requests.

Solution

• Step 1: Locate the StarSQL Version.
• Step 2: Gather StarSQL Data Source Configuration Information.
• Step 3: Record Environment Configuration.
• Step 4: Describe Symptoms of Problem and Reproduction Scenario.
• Step 5: Collect Traces.
• Step 6: Contact StarQuest Customer Support.

Step 1: Locate the StarSQL Version.

To obtain the StarSQL ODBC Driver for Windows version, use the Windows ODBC Data Source Administrator:

1. From Control Panel, Administrative Tools, click Data Sources (ODBC) to launch the ODBC Data Source Administrator. If you are running the 32-bit version of StarSQL on a Windows 64-bit operating system, open the 32-bit ODBC Data Source Administrator by launching \WINDOWS\SysWOW64\odbcad32.exe. Alternately, you can launch the appropriate version of ODBC Administrator by using the ODBC Administrator shortcut in the StarSQL, StarSQL (32-bit) or StarSQL (64-bit) Program Group.
2. Click on the Drivers tab.
3. Scroll down to StarSQL 32 or StarSQL (64-bit) and note the complete version number listed. For example, StarSQL 6.20.1007.
4. A more detailed view of StarSQL version information is available by selecting the Version Information shortcut of the StarSQL Program Group. Include this information in your report if any of the displayed version numbers (other than starlic.exe) differ from the version number displayed in Step 3 above.

Step 2: Gather StarSQL Data Source Configuration Information.

1. From Control Panel, Administrative Tools, click Data Sources (ODBC) to launch the ODBC Data Source Administrator. If you are running the 32-bit version of StarSQL on a Windows 64-bit operating system, open the 32-bit ODBC Data Source Administrator by launching \WINDOWS\SysWOW64\odbcad32.exe. Alternately, you can launch the appropriate version of ODBC Administrator by using the ODBC Administrator shortcut in the StarSQL, StarSQL (32-bit) or StarSQL (64-bit) Program Group.
2. Click on the appropriate DSN tab and gather the StarSQL data source configuration.
   • For a User or System DSN, click on the appropriate tab, highlight the DSN, and click Configure. On the left pane of the StarSQL Data Source Configuration Wizard, click on the Summary node. Copy all of the text in the Summary page on the right pane and save it in a text document to be sent to StarQuest Customer Support.  
   • For a File DSN, click on the File DSN tab and locate the directory where the data source files are stored. Using Windows Explorer, browse to that directory and locate the StarSQL File DSN. For example, PRODDB2.DSN. Make a copy of this file to provide to StarQuest Customer Support.

Step 3: Record Environment Configuration.

The environment configuration information will help us to understand how StarSQL is used in your environment. The configuration is divided into three layers: client, network, and host.

1. For the client, collect the following information:

• Operating system (e.g., Windows 7, Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2008), edition (e.g. 64-bit Enterprise Edition, 32-bit Professional Edition) and the service pack level.
• The application and version that you are using with StarSQL (e.g., Microsoft Access 2010, Business Objects Designer XI). Please specify whether this is a 32-bit or a 64-bit application. If it is a custom application, specify what tools were used to build it (e.g., VB.NET and ODBC.NET, php/PDO, Perl, etc ). If this is a Web application, note the Web server type and version (e.g., IIS 6, Apache 2.0).

2. For the network, note the following information:

• The network protocol used with your StarSQL data source. In most cases, it will be TCP/IP. If using SNA server, record the Host Integration or SNA Server version and service pack level.

3. For the DB2 host, record the DB2 software version and the operating system and its version. The most common choices are:

• DB2 for z/OS 9, 10, 11
• IBM i v5r4, 6.1, 7.1, 7.2 . In addition, use GO PTF, option 12 - Work with PTF Groups (WRKPTFGRP) to display the levels for Cumulative PTF Package, Group HIPER, and DB2 for i groups. (Use F11 to change the displayed information).
  
• DB2 Universal Database for Linux, UNIX and Windows 9.7, 10.1, 10.5 (include fix pack level). Type db2level at a command prompt to obtain this information.

Step 4: Describe Symptoms of Problem and Reproduction Scenario.

When you describe the problem, keep in mind the following questions:

• Is this a new problem? If yes, what has changed recently?
• Can this problem be reproduced? If so, what is the reproduction scenario?
• What are the symptoms of the problem? Is it an empty result set when data is expected, an unexpected error message, a crash in the application, or is the application not responding? If there is an error message, write it down exactly as it appears or capture a screen shot of it.
• If you are experiencing an error related to StarSQL licensing, please provide the type of license being used (e.g., node-locked client license or StarLicense server license).

Step 5: Collect Traces.

Trace data can greatly expedite the problem resolution process. Please see the following technical documents for further information about capturing these traces:

How to Generate a DRDA Trace with the StarSQL DRDA Trace Recorder

How to Generate an ODBC Trace with the ODBC Administrator

Under multi-threaded environments (such as a web application running in IIS), you may be unable to capture StarSQL DRDA or ODBC traces. As an alternative, use StarPipes to capture DRDA traces.

How to Generate a DRDA and Debug Traces using StarPipes

Step 6: Contact StarQuest Customer Support.

To open a problem report with StarQuest Customer Support, go to http://support.starquest.com, and include the following information:

• Company/Organization name
• Your name, email address, and contact phone number
• All information gathered in Steps 1 - 5.  Any attachments, such as traces or data source configuration files, should be compressed into a single archive file (e.g., .zip file) before sending.
• Indicate whether or not this problem affects a production environment.