PHP and ODBC

If you’ve visited the PHP mailing lists or done any serious database development you have probably come across ODBC (Open DataBase Connectivity), and may know that it’s a way of accessing databases. But what is it beyond that? Why would you use it? What can it possibly be good for? Do we really need to look at YAFA (Yet Another Acronym) and explore the inevitable complexity hidden behind a few innocuous letters? Well…yes. Instead of starting off by redefining the acronym, let’s consider what ODBC does for us.