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Import Real-Time DB2 Data in ColdFusion to Build Applications


Use CData ODBC drivers to import and use DB2 data in ColdFusion.

Adobe ColdFusion is a web and mobile application development platform. It uses its own scripting language, ColdFusion Markup Language (CFML), to create data-driven websites as well as generate remote services, such as REST. When ColdFusion is paired with the CData ODBC Driver for IBM DB2, you can link your ColdFusion web and mobile applications to operational DB2 data. This allows for your applications to be more robust and complete. This article details how to use the ODBC driver to create a table populated with DB2 data from within a ColdFusion markup file.

To follow along with this tutorial, you need to install the CData ODBC Driver for IBM DB2 and Adobe ColdFusion.

Configuring the Connection

If you have not already, first specify connection properties in an ODBC DSN (Data Source Name). This is the last step of the driver installation process. You can use the Microsoft ODBC Data Source Administrator to create and configure ODBC DSNs.

Set the following properties to connect to DB2:

  • Server: Set this to the name of the server running DB2.
  • Port: Set this to the port the DB2 server is listening on.
  • Database: Set this to the name of the DB2 database.
  • User: Set this to the username of a user allowed to access the database.
  • Password: Set this to the password of a user allowed to access the database.

You will also need to install the corresponding DB2 driver:

  • Windows: Install the IBM Data Server Provider for .NET.

    On Windows, installing the IBM Data Server Provider is sufficient, as the installation registers it in the machine.config.

  • Java: Install the IBM Data Server Driver for JDBC.

    In the Java version, place the IBM Data Server Driver JAR in the www\WEB-INF\lib\ folder for this application.

Adding a Data Source and Creating a Table

After creating a DSN, follow the steps below to add a new data source, test our connection to it, create a ColdFusion markup file, and, finally, import DB2 DB2 data and display it in a table in ColdFusion:

  1. From the ColdFusion administrator interface, choose Data & Services.
  2. Here, click "Add New Data Source". The data source name can be any name, provided it conforms to the ColdFusion variable naming conventions. For our ODBC driver, choose "ODBC Socket", then click the "Add" button.
  3. From the ODBC DSN Dropdown menu select CData DB2 Sys. Under the Advanced Settings section, leave the Connection String blank. Note that any properties specified in this input field will override the ones specified in the DSN Configuration.
  4. Now, test the connection by pressing the check mark to the left of the CDataDB2ODBC data source you just created. When the data source reports an "OK" status, it is ready for use.
  5. Next, create a new ColdFusion Markup file (.cfm) and place it in the wwwroot directory ("C:\ColdFusion2021\cfusion\wwwroot") for ColdFusion.

    The following code queries the data source: 

                
        <cfquery name="DB2Query" dataSource="CDataDB2ODBC"> 
          SELECT * FROM Orders 
        </cfquery>
    And a CFTable can be used to quickly output the table in HTML: 
                
          <cftable  
          query = "DB2Query" 
          border = "1" 
          colHeaders 
          colSpacing = "2" 
          headerLines = "2" 
          HTMLTable 
          maxRows = "500" 
          startRow = "1"> 

          <cfcol header="<b>OrderName</b>" align="Left" width=2 text="OrderName"/> 

          <cfcol header="<b>Freight</b>" align="Left" width=15 text="Freight"/> 

          ...

        </cftable>
    Full code, including the HTML portion is available below: 
                
        <html> 
        <head><title>CData Software | DB2 Orders Table Demo </title></head> 
        <body> 
        <cfoutput>#ucase("DB2 Orders Table Demo")#</cfoutput> 
        <cfquery name="DB2Query" dataSource="CDataDB2ODBC"> 

          SELECT * FROM Orders 

        </cfquery> 
        <cftable  
          query = "DB2Query" 
          border = "1" 
          colHeaders 
          colSpacing = "2" 
          headerLines = "2" 
          HTMLTable 
          maxRows = "500" 
          startRow = "1"> 
          <cfcol header="<b>OrderName</b>" align="Left" width=2 text="OrderName"/> 

          <cfcol header="<b>Freight</b>" align="Left" width=15 text="Freight"/> 

          ...

        </cftable> 
        </body> 

        </html>
  6. Finally, run the code in a browser. It produces a table populated with DB2 data!

As a note, the CData ODBC Drivers also support parameterized queries using the cfqueryparam element. For example: SELECT * FROM Account WHERE name =

Get Started Today

Download a free, 30-day trial of the CData ODBC Driver for DB2 and start building DB2-connected applications with Adobe ColdFusion. Reach out to our Support Team if you have any questions.

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Download a free trial of the IBM DB2 ODBC Driver to get started:

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Learn more:

IBM DB2 Icon IBM DB2 ODBC Driver

The IBM DB2 ODBC Driver is a powerful tool that allows you to connect with live data from IBM DB2, directly from any applications that support ODBC connectivity.

Access IBM DB2 data like you would a database - read, write, and update through a standard ODBC Driver interface.

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