Creating a 32-bit ODBC DSN in Windows 2008R2

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ODBC 32-bit add

You may have noticed (or perhaps you haven’t) that the ODBC administrative
screen found in Control Panel |Administrative Tools | Data Sources (ODBC) are
actually 64-bit drivers under Windows Server 2008R2. I noticed this factoid
today while installing VMware Update Manager on SQL Server Standard. It turns
out that even the latest version 5.1 Update Manager requires a 32-bit connection
to its database.

Other legacy software might have the same limitations. So, how do you create a
32-bit ODBC System DSN entry? The following provides step-by-step instructions:

  1. Run the old ODBC administrative interface:
    • From the Start menu | select the Run menu item.
    • Enter the path c:\windows\syswow64\odbcad32.exe in the dialog box.

      • (Note: if you have installed windows in a non-default directory name, you need
      to correct the above path)

    • Press the OK button
  2. Initiate the add ODBC wizard:
    • Goto the System DSN tab in the “ODBC Data Source Administrator” dialog box.
    • Click the Add button.
    • Scroll to “SQL Server Native Client…” and highlight this entry.
    • Click the Finish button.
  3. Define the connection parameters:
    • Enter the name of the DSN (better to not include spaces).
    • Enter the description of the DSN (spaces are OK).
    • Select your server from the dropdown.
    • Click the Next button.
    • Enter appropriate credentials to your SQL Server (refer to your application’s
      requirements).
    • Click the Next button.
  4. Validate the ODBC connection:
    • As long as you left the default “Connect to SQL Server…” checkbox checked, an
      attempt will be made to use the new DSN.
    • If you get a “Connection failed” error, click the Back button and check the
      login credentials to the database.

If the connection succeeds, you are done! Now, you can use this 32-bit ODBC
source for your applications that are unable to use the new 64-bit DSN definitions.