Updated: June 17, 1996
(If you're running Internet Explorer 3.0 or Netscape Navigator, you'll see new questions marked with
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May 24, 1996
Updated: June 17, 1996
(If you're running Internet Explorer 3.0 or Netscape Navigator, you'll see new questions marked with )
What is Microsoft dbWeb 1.1?
How does Microsoft dbWeb work?
Is Microsoft dbWeb supported by Microsoft Product Support Services?
Will there be an update release of the current version posted on the Web?
Is there documentation in addition to the help files and the readme file?
Why does Microsoft offer both dbWeb and the Internet Database Connector (IDC) for IIS?
What is the Internet Database Connector (IDC)?
How does IDC work?
How will dbWeb and IDC be distributed and supported over time?
Are dbWeb and IDC compatible?
What are the system requirements for dbWeb?
Does dbWeb work on other Web servers in addition to the Microsoft Internet Server?
Does dbWeb run on Windows NT 4.0 and IIS 2.0?
Can I run the dbWeb Administrator on Windows 95?
Does dbWeb run on Windows NT RISC platforms?
After installing dbWeb, I cannot find the sample database in the dbWeb Administrator.
I upgraded from dbWeb 1.0, and now links to schemas from my Web pages do not work.
When running dbWeb setup, my machine hangs.
Does dbWeb 1.1 support remote administration?
I am having problems connecting to an Oracle database. Does dbWeb work with Oracle?
Can I do inner and outer database joins with dbWeb?
Can I upsize the dbWeb repository from Microsoft Access to Microsoft SQL Server for better performance of my dbWeb applications?
Can I display images (JPG/GIF) in a dbWeb query result form?
I get the following dbWeb Administrator error message: "The ODBC data source you are trying to use is either non-existent or incorrectly named."
The dbWeb service seems to stop running without any warning.
I am trying to install dbWeb, but setup fails.
I cannot get updates to work with dbWeb.
I cannot get the secure connection option to work with dbWeb 1.1.
Microsoft® dbWeb is a publishing utility that provides a simple point-and-click metaphor for quickly publishing open database connectivity (ODBC) databases on the Web. dbWeb is based on ODBC and Microsoft Internet Information Server (IIS), and provides real-time database connectivity to anyone with a standard Web browser. dbWeb requires no knowledge of SQL, HTML, or other programming technologies.
To publish a database on the Internet, the Web developer installs dbWeb on an existing Internet Information Server system. Then, using the dbWeb Administrator, they use the dbWeb Schema Wizard to select an available ODBC data source, such as a Microsoft Access database. The Schema Wizard provides a simple, visual interface for selecting tables and records to make available from the chosen data source. Web developers can also set custom properties on their schemas, such as custom date and numeric formats, basic validation, and so on. Finally, the Web developer simply links the schema to their Web site by embedding a URL link into an existing HTML page that points at a specific schema created by dbWeb.
Microsoft dbWeb allows the user to navigate though a database through a feature called "Automatic links." Automatic links allow the user to drill down to information in a given table or look up related information in a different table or database. For example, one could look up personnel information in an Access database, then jump to related sales information for that person in a SQL Server database residing in another city.
Microsoft dbWeb 1.1 is provided as a free, downloadable utility for interested customers and is not supported by Microsoft Product Support Services. We have established a news group for users to communicate with each other and to provide feedback to Microsoft. During the first few weeks that the utility is available, Microsoft support engineers may occasionally provide some assistance on the news group. In addition, we will update this FAQ to address the common technical issues users encounter.
Yes. We will be rolling out an update release in July that will be the final version of dbWeb 1.1 to be incorporated into the Windows NT Resource Kit. We will post this update online as well.
The update will address the following issues:
Based on customer feedback, we will provide a Microsoft dbWeb Tutorial in Microsoft Word format. The tutorial will be available in the next 1-2 weeks on this site, and will help users learn how to use Microsoft dbWeb 1.1. This tutorial supplements the existing help files, which serve as the main documentation for using specific Microsoft dbWeb features.
dbWeb and IDC appeal to different types of users. IDC is a developer technology that serves as a foundation for developing custom database applications with IIS. It provides a great deal of flexibility by allowing developers to directly program custom SQL statements and create their own custom HTML templates. dbWeb is wizard-like publishing technology that works via a point-and-click metaphor without SQL programming. Microsoft offers both products because different types of users require products tailored to their specific requirements.
IDC is a core component of Microsoft Internet Information Server (IIS), and provides database connectivity between IIS applications and any ODBC-compliant database. Using IDC and IIS, Web developers can provide anyone using a standard Web browser with real-time access to ODBC data sources. Because IDC gives Web developers the full power of the SQL language, it enables them to create customized Web-based applications.
To publish database information on the Web using IDC, the developer creates an .IDC file that resides on the IIS server. The .IDC file is a text file that specifies an ODBC data source and login information, as well as queries programmed in SQL to retrieve and/or update data. The developer also creates an .HTX file (also a text file) that acts as a formatting template for any retrieved results. The IDC file references the .HTX file so that the database information can be formatted to display in an HTML page. Finally, the developer creates a Web page published on their site that passes a reference to a specific .IDC file in order to connect to and access the database from a Web browser. The Web page (HTML document) can include a form so that users can enter search or update information that will be used by the IDC file when executing the SQL statements. If results are returned, they are returned in an HTML page that is formatted based on the rules set up in the .HTX file. For more information on using IDC with IIS, access the INETMGR.HLP help file included with IIS, and search for "IDC."
IDC is a Microsoft product that is a core component of the Microsoft Internet Information Server, while dbWeb is provided as a freely downloadable utility. IDC will continue to be supported and upgraded as part of IIS, while dbWeb technology will be integrated into future Microsoft products, including Internet Studio, Microsoft's forthcoming high-end Web authoring system, and the next version of Microsoft Access.
Yes. Both IDC and dbWeb are ISAPI applications that work in conjunction with IIS, and both are based on the ODBC standard. Customers can use both products side-by-side.
DbWeb requires the following system setup:
No. Microsoft dbWeb 1.1 is implemented as an ISAPI application tuned specifically for IIS. It will not work with other Web servers.
At the time of the dbWeb 1.1 release, Windows NT® 4.0 and Internet Information Server (IIS) 2.0 (a component of Windows NT Server 4.0) were still in beta testing. Our testing indicates that dbWeb 1.1 should operate without additional setup requirements using Beta 2 of Windows NT Server 4.0, running IIS 2.0.
No. The dbWeb Administrator can only be run under Windows NT Server 3.51 and Windows NT Workstation 3.51, with Service Pack 4 installed.
No. The dbWeb service runs only on Windows NT Intel® Pentium®-based systems. At this time Microsoft does not intend to release versions for RISC platforms.
After installing ODBC, you need to make the system data sources for the sample database (DBPUBS) and schema repository (DBWEBSCHEMA) available to the dbWeb Administrator.
To make the system data sources available:
If your existing URLs reference dbWeb applications you created with dbWeb 1.0, change your URLs to reference DBWEBC.DLL instead of $DBWEBC.EXE as the client stub.
For example, the first URL below is no longer valid. The second URL shows the correct reference.
Old: URL HTTP://MYDOMAIN.COM/DBWEB/$DBWEBC.EXE/MYSCHEMA?GETQBE
New: URL HTTP://MYDOMAIN.COM/DBWEB/DBWEBC.DLL/MYSCHEMA?GETQBE
Verify that your machine meets the requirements for running Microsoft dbWeb. Microsoft dbWeb runs only under Microsoft Windows NT 3.51 or higher and requires Service Pack 4 for Windows NT 3.51. Microsoft dbWeb will not run under Windows 95 or Windows 3.1.
No, dbWeb 1.1 does not currently support remote administration. While you can still view and modify a dbWeb schema repository from across a local area network using the dbWeb Administrator, any changes made to the repository will not affect the dbWeb service. Unlike dbWeb 1.0, the dbWeb 1.1 release maintains the repository in a memory cache for optimum performance. dbWeb 1.1 will refresh the cache only during startup or when it senses that the repository has been modified. The dbWeb Administrator alerts the dbWeb service once the repository has been modified only if both components reside on the same machine. Customers should not attempt remote administration using the current version of dbWeb 1.1 for this reason. Note that we are looking into providing a remote administration mechanism for an update release to be posted this summer.
dbWeb should operate with Oracle databases using the latest 32-bit Oracle ODBC drivers for Windows NT. We have verified that there are problems using the Visigenic 2.0 ODBC driver for Oracle, but we have tested sucessfully against the Visigenic 1.3 driver. We are continuing to investigate the apparent issue with the 2.0 Visigenic driver; in the meantime, try using the latest Oracle 32-bit ODBC driver for Windows NT (available from the Oracle Web site), or the 1.3 version of the Visigenic 32-bit ODBC driver.
Yes. To create inner/outer joins with dbWeb, the user must select the '*=' or '=*' type of join in the Joins dialog box. However, this does not work with Microsoft Access data sources. The following workaround allows you to do inner and outer joins with Microsoft Access:
1. In Access, create a QueryDef that has the inner or outer join between the tables. The following example QueryDef shows an outer join between Customers and Products:
"SELECT * FROM Customers,Products RIGHT JOIN Customers ON Products.CustomerID = Customers.CustomerID"
2. In the dbWeb Administrator, the QueryDef displays as another table, which can now be used in a schema to accomplish the join.
To increase performance, you can upsize the dbWeb schema repository (dbWeb.mdb) to a SQL Server database using the Access Upsizing Wizard:
Yes, you can display JPEG and GIF images as part of a database record in your dbWeb query result forms. The JPEG and GIF images must exist as individual files stored in the file system--not in the database. You can build references to these files by adding a column to your database table containing the name and path of each of these files. Create a computed column in the form that will display the images. In the Computed Column expression builder, type '<IMG SRC="'+[table name].[column name]+'">' The query will be executed and the image references in the database will cause the appropriate images to be displayed with the other selected database fields in the Web browser. You can use the provided Northwind Traders sample Employees schema under the dbnwind dbWeb data source as a good example.
This error message appears when ODBC reports to the dbWeb Administrator that the data source you requested cannot be found. You may encounter this error in one of two cases: Either the data source does not exist and must be created, or the 16-bit ODBC INI file needs to be refreshed with the data source information.
To create a new data source:
If you were running an older version of ODBC, you need to ensure that you upgrade to ODBC 2.5. This can be done by choosing to install ODBC when running dbWeb setup. After setup completes, you will need to reboot the server to make the new ODBC DLLs active in memory. Also, DbWeb 1.1 requires Service Pack 4 (SP4) for Windows NT Server 3.51. When running under SP3, the dbWeb service can stop without warning.
Make sure you are installing on Windows NT 3.51, running Service Pack 4 (SP4). DbWeb will not install on Windows 95.
There is a known bug with the current version of dbWeb 1.1 that can cause updates to fail. We are working on this issue for an update release targeted for July, and will post it online when available.
The secure connection option does not work in the current release of dbWeb 1.1. We are working on this issue for an update release targeted for July and will post the solution on this Web site when it is available.
Back to the Microsoft dbWeb home page