How to Fix the Wrong odbc.ini File Issue in Informatica Workflows

Discover how to resolve the ODBC configuration issue in Informatica workflows, ensuring your mappings use the correct odbc.ini file for seamless database connections.
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How to Fix the Wrong odbc.ini File Issue in Informatica Workflows

When working with the Informatica Workflow, you may encounter a frustrating problem: your mappings are referring to the wrong odbc.ini file. This situation arises particularly when trying to execute a workflow that pulls data from MSSQL Server and targets Oracle DB. Instead of using your intended odbc.ini, located at $INFA_HOME/ODBC7.1/odbc.ini, the mappings seem to point to the system's /etc/odbc.ini file. Let’s break down how to resolve this issue.

Understanding the Problem

It’s important to grasp that the odbc.ini file contains the configuration settings for the ODBC (Open Database Connectivity) drivers. When Informatica runs a workflow:

It looks for database configurations defined in the odbc.ini file.

If it defaults to the wrong location, the mappings may fail due to improper configuration.

Key Points to Note

Current Setup: Your workflow is always referring to the /etc/odbc.ini.

Bash Profile Variables: You have confirmed that the bash_profile variable ODBCINI points to the correct location, but it’s still not working.

Action Steps to Resolve the Issue

To fix the issue and ensure that Informatica recognizes the correct configuration file, you need to set two essential ODBC-related parameters in the user’s bash profile. Here's how to do that:

Step 1: Define Environment Variables

Open the user's bash profile and add the following lines:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

INFA_HOME: This points to the installation directory of Informatica.

ODBCINI: This directs the system to your ODBC configuration file.

ODBCINST: This refers to the driver installation configuration.

Step 2: Verify Permissions

After updating the bash profile:

Log in as the Unix/Linux user that runs Informatica.

Check Read Permissions:

Use the command more $ODBCINI to see if the user can read the file.

Do the same for $ODBCINST.

If the user doesn’t have permission to access these files, update the permissions accordingly.

Step 3: Test Connectivity

Finally, ensure that you can connect to your MSSQL Server database properly:

Use the command ssgodbc to check connectivity to the database.

Ensure there are no errors indicating that the wrong odbc.ini is being used.

Conclusion

By defining the environment variables correctly and ensuring proper file permissions, you should be able to direct Informatica to use the correct odbc.ini file. This solution will streamline your workflow mappings, allowing them to operate as intended without referencing the system's defaults.

If you continue to experience issues or if the configuration doesn’t seem to update, revisiting the setup and double-checking the paths or configuring Informatica’s environment may be necessary.

Now that you’re equipped with this solution, you can troubleshoot confidently and get back to maximizing your use of Informatica!