What ASQL Does and Where to Find It

ASQL Dictionary Importer is an administration tool. It reads APPX file definitions and generates SQL definitions for the gateway: column names and types, indexes, and public synonyms. The generated tables use STORAGE_ATTRIBUTES 'metadata_only'. The business records remain in APPX and are read when an ODBC query runs. This is different from Access's Import, which copies records into an Access database.

The definitions are stored in the gateway's appx.dbs dictionary. One administrator imports them for everyone connecting to that gateway dictionary. Each desktop needs the appropriate ODBC driver and its own AppxODBC configuration; each desktop does not need its own ASQL import.

For this cookbook, keep ASQL on one administrator-maintained Windows computer. The gateway server is a convenient choice when interactive administration is allowed; an authorized administration workstation can also connect remotely. ASQL does not need to remain running for Excel or other clients to query APPX. Routine user desktops need only the driver; the compatibility-driver helper extracts the driver DLLs without installing the newer ASQL program. APPX's ODBC installation instructions describe this separation between driver-only desktops and the administration installation.

A shared definition does not replace APPX authorization. Use each user's authorized APPX login and the site's APPX access controls. Removing ASQL from a desktop is an installation choice, not a complete security boundary against SQL administration tools.