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Microsoft(R) OLE DB Provider for Oracle, version 2.1 Readme File
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(c) 1998 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

This document provides late-breaking or other information that supplements the Microsoft OLE DB Provider for Oracle documentation.

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CONTENTS
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1. PRODUCT DESCRIPTION

2. SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS

3. TECHNICAL NOTES

4. KNOWN LIMITATIONS

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1. PRODUCT DESCRIPTION
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This provider enables OLE DB consumers to access Oracle data sources.
It was implemented with the Microsoft Data Access Components version 2.0. (The provider's version number matches the Data Access version number.)

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2. SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
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The Microsoft OLE DB Provider for Oracle provides access to Oracle databases (version 7.3 or version 8) using the Oracle Client Software, version 7.3.3.4.0 or greater, or version 8.0.4.1.1c. The client software must be installed on the client machine. This provider has been tested primarily with Oracle Client Software version 7.3.3.4.0 and SQL*Net version 2.3.3.0.4. When upgrading an Oracle client, it is important both to install the client upgrade and to apply the "Required Supporting Files" that ship with the Server patch. 

For more information about Oracle products, refer to your Oracle documentation set.

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3. TECHNICAL NOTES
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None

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4. KNOWN LIMITATIONS
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a) This provider does not support the {resultset} escape implemented by the Microsoft ODBC Driver for Oracle.

b) OLE DB 2.0 includes a new flag in IConvertType::CanConvert, which is DBCONVERTFLAGS_FROMVARIANT. This flag is supported by the provider; however, it has no effect on the return value from CanConvert at this time.  

c) In Oracle version 8, the maximum size of a VARCHAR column has increased from 2000 to 4000 bytes. The Oracle 7.3.x client software has no way to bind a parameter value larger than 2000 bytes. Therefore, if you create a table with a VARCHAR column of larger than 2000 bytes, you will be unable to perform parameterized inserts, updates, deletes, and queries against it with data that exceeds the 2000-byte limit of the client software. Because both the ODBC Driver for Oracle and the OLE DB Provider for Oracle use parameterized inserts, updates, deletes, and queries, they will report ORA-01026 errors in this case. Data that is within the limits enforced by the Oracle client software will work properly. The workaround is to update your client software to Oracle 8 (8.0.4.1.1c or higher).

d) This version of the Oracle Provider for OLE DB supports automatic transactioning via MTS when used with Oracle client software versions 7.3.3 and later. This functionality is limited to working on the Windows NT operating system; it does not work on Windows 95.

