Chapter 1: Before You Start
Check Versions and Choose 32-bit Programs
| Component | Tested version | Bitness |
|---|---|---|
| Windows | Windows 11 Pro, version 25H2, OS build 26200.6584 | 64-bit |
| APPX engine | 5.5.3 | 32-bit |
| APPX ODBC gateway | 5.5.3 | 32-bit |
| Client ODBC driver | Dharma 14.01 from the APPX 6.2.1 package | 32-bit |
| ASQL Dictionary Importer | From the APPX 5.5.3 package | 32-bit |
| WinSQL, Excel, Access, Crystal Reports and PowerShell | Releases specified in their recipes | 32-bit |
| LibreOffice Calc and Base | 26.2.6.3, after an update from the starting 25.8.7 x86 package | 32-bit |
Choose the driver and ODBC Administrator that match the client application's bitness. The engine and gateway are separate components connected over the network. This cookbook verifies the combination above; a different APPX release or bitness needs its corresponding installation and client recipe.
The tested configuration uses Windows 11 Pro, version 25H2, OS build 26200.6584 (64-bit), verified on October 14, 2026. The clients are WinSQL 15, Microsoft 365 version 16.0.20430.20182, and Crystal Reports 2016 SP9 Patch 21. Every ODBC client and its driver in this recipe must be 32-bit, even though Windows is 64-bit.
Matching and mixed versions
The 5.5.3 download includes the legacy Dharma 9.01 driver. For the Windows 11 Pro 25H2 configuration documented here, use the updated Dharma 14.01 driver: catalog access and the client recipes were verified with that driver. The legacy driver returned a catalog-query error in this environment. Earlier Windows installations may have different compatibility requirements; this test does not identify a particular Windows update as the cause or establish a Windows release cutoff.
The verified combination here is 5.5.3 engine + 5.5.3 gateway + ASQL from the 5.5.3 package + Dharma 14.01 client driver from the 6.2.1 package. Extracting that driver does not install the 6.2.1 gateway or change the APPX engine. This specific compatibility repair passes the COUNTRY import and full-value query comparison.
Use matching APPX engine and gateway releases as the starting point. ASQL is a separate client: the reviewed 5.x and 6.x sources both call the gateway's bld_ddl and get_ddl functions, so compatible interfaces make some ASQL mixing plausible. The sources also differ in script-fetch handling. A newer ASQL is therefore a candidate to test, not an automatic substitute, and it does not upgrade the gateway's field conversion or the APPX engine.
Before approving another combination, verify the ASQL and driver bitness, DSN discovery, file listing, import, generated definitions and complete field values. Record the exact package versions and hashes. This edition does not claim acceptance of a newer ASQL program against the 5.5.3 server. Later editions need their own compatibility results and limits.
The 5.5.2 cookbook documents a different accepted combination: matching 5.5.2 engine/gateway/ASQL with the supplied Dharma 9.01 x86 driver. Its Access imports fail, while this edition's complete configuration passes Access. Its reported table/name limits are also smaller. These differences require the documented component combinations; the tests do not establish a driver-only upgrade for 5.5.2.