Using an ODBC driver manager to configure the ODBC driver

On Mac, you use an ODBC driver manager to configure the ODBC connection settings. ODBC driver managers use configuration files to define and configure ODBC data sources and drivers. The ODBC driver manager that you use depends on the operating system that you use.

Configuring the ODBC driver using iODBC or unixODBC driver manager

The following files are required to configure the Amazon Redshift ODBC driver:

• amazon.redshiftodbc.ini

• odbc.ini

• odbcinst.ini

If you installed to the default location, the amazon.redshiftodbc.ini configuration file is located in /opt/amazon/redshiftodbcx64.

Additionally, under /opt/amazon/redshiftodbcx64, you can find sample odbc.ini and odbcinst.ini files. You can use these files as examples for configuring the Amazon Redshift ODBC driver and the data source name (DSN). The sample files in the installed directory are for example purposes only.

We don't recommend using the Amazon Redshift ODBC driver installation directory for the configuration files. If you reinstall the Amazon Redshift ODBC driver at a later time, or upgrade to a newer version, the installation directory is overwritten. You will lose any changes that you might have made to files in the installation directory.

To avoid this, copy the odbc.ini, odbcinst.ini and amazon.redshiftodbc.ini files to a directory other than the installation directory. If you copy these files to the user's home directory, add a period (.) to the beginning of these file names to make it a hidden file.

Modify the files to add DSN configuration information. When you create new files, you also need to set environment variables to specify where these configuration files are located.

The following is an example of setting the environment variables:

export ODBCINI=/Library/ODBC/odbc.ini
export ODBCSYSINI=/Library/ODBC
export ODBCINSTINI=${ODBCSYSINI}/odbcinst.ini

For command-line applications: Add the export commands to your shell startup file (e.g., ~/.bash_profile or ~/.zshrc).

For supported version of driver manager, see here

Configuring a connection using a data source name (DSN) on Apple macOS

When connecting to your data store using a data source name (DSN), configure the odbc.ini file to define data source names (DSNs). Set the properties in the odbc.ini file to create a DSN that specifies the connection information for your Redshift data warehouse.

On Apple macOS, use the following format:

[ODBC Data Sources]
driver_name=dsn_name

[dsn_name]
Driver=path/driver_file
Host=cluster_endpoint
Port=port_number
Database=database_name
locale=locale

The following example shows the configuration for odbc.ini with the 64-bit ODBC driver on Apple macOS.

[ODBC Data Sources]
Amazon_Redshift_x64=Amazon Redshift ODBC Driver (x64)

[Amazon_Redshift_x64]
Driver=/opt/amazon/redshiftodbcx64/librsodbc64.dylib
Host=examplecluster.abc123xyz789.us-west-2.redshift.amazonaws.com
Port=5932
Database=dev
locale=en-US

Configuring a connection without a DSN on Apple macOS

To connect to your Redshift data warehouse through a connection that doesn't have a DSN, define the driver in the odbcinst.ini file. Then provide a DSN-less connection string in your application.

On Apple macOS, use the following format:

[ODBC Drivers]
driver_name=Installed
...
                            
[driver_name]
Description=driver_description
Driver=path/driver_file
    
...

The following example shows the configuration for odbcinst.ini with the 64-bit ODBC driver on Apple macOS.

[ODBC Drivers]
Amazon Redshift ODBC Driver (x64)=Installed

[Amazon Redshift ODBC Driver (x64)]
Description=Amazon Redshift ODBC Driver (64-bit)
Driver=/opt/amazon/redshiftodbcx64/librsodbc64.dylib