How to Install PostgreSQL ODBC client on Linux for PostgreSQL Target Endpoint

[john_wang]

This article provides a comprehensive guide to efficiently install the PostgreSQL ODBC client on Linux for a PostgreSQL target endpoint.

If the PostgreSQL serves as Replicate source endpoint, please check: How to Install PostgreSQL ODBC client on Linux for PostgreSQL Source Endpoint

Overview

1. Download the PostgreSQL ODBC client software.
2. Upload the downloaded files to your Replicate Linux Server.
3. Install the RPM files in the specified order.
4. Take note of considerations or setup instructions during the installation process.

Steps

1. Download the PostgreSQL ODBC client software
   
   Please choose the appropriate version of the PostgreSQL client software and the corresponding folder for your Linux operating system. In this article, we are installing PostgreSQL ODBC Client version 13.2 on Linux 8.5.
   
   
   • postgresql13-libs-13.2-1PGDG.rhel8.x86_64.rpm
   • postgresql13-odbc-13.02.0000-1PGDG.rhel8.x86_64.rpm
   • postgresql13-13.2-1PGDG.rhel8.x86_64.rpm
2. Upload the downloaded files to a temporary folder in your Qlik Replicate Linux Server
   
   
3. Install the RPM files in the specified order  

   rpm -ivh postgresql13-libs-13.2-1PGDG.rhel8.x86_64.rpm
   rpm -ivh postgresql13-odbc-13.02.0000-1PGDG.rhel8.x86_64.rpm
   rpm -ivh postgresql13-13.2-1PGDG.rhel8.x86_64.rpm

4. Take note of considerations or setup instructions during the installation process.
   
   1. Note the installation folder (default: "/usr/pgsql-13/lib")
   2. Open site_arep_login.sh in /opt/attunity/replicate/bin/ and add the installation folder as a LD_LIBRARY_PATH: 

      export LD_LIBRARY_PATH=/usr/pgsql-13/lib:$LD_LIBRARY_PATH

   3. Save the site_arep_login.sh file and restart Replicate Services.
      
      
5. unixODBC is a prerequisite. If it's not already present on your Linux Server, make sure to install it before PostgreSQL ODBC client software installation:

   rpm -ivh unixODBC-2.3.7-1.el8.x86_64.rpm

6. "/etc/odbcinst.ini" is required:  

   [PostgreSQL]
   Description = ODBC for PostgreSQL
   Driver      = /usr/lib/psqlodbcw.so
   Setup       = /usr/lib/libodbcpsqlS.so
   Driver64    = /usr/pgsql-13/lib/psqlodbcw.so
   Setup64     = /usr/lib64/libodbcpsqlS.so
   FileUsage   = 1

   
   
7. "psql" is required if the task set to Batch optimized apply mode. Add "/usr/pgsql-13/bin" to PATH system environment and restart service if hit error "psql" cannot be found.
   
   
8. "/etc/odbc.ini" is optional and typically not required, unless it becomes necessary for troubleshooting connectivity issues by "isql".A sample:  

   [pg15]
   Driver = /usr/pgsql-13/lib/psqlodbcw.so
   Database = targetdb
   Servername = <targetDBHostName or IP Address>
   Port = 5432
   UserName = <PG User Name>
   Password = <PG user's Password>

Environment

• Qlik Replicate all versions
• PostgreSQL Server all versions
• PostgreSQL Client version 13.2

[Erdem]

Thank you @john_wang .

In my case, while testing the ODBC connection, I encountered the following error. This may have been caused by the collation settings of my PostgreSQL database or the fact that my RHEL 9 locale was set to tr-tr or I have installed rpm packages with different versions rather than you specified:

Error Message:

RetCode: SQL_ERROR SqlState: 01000 NativeError: 0 Message: [unixODBC][Driver Manager]Can't open lib 'PostgreSQL Unicode(x64)' : file not found

I Installed all the packages with the latest version specific to RHEL 9.4

I downloaded and installed the latest PostgreSQL ODBC drivers compatible with RHEL 9. (Links may get outdated soon, try to find the latest ones)

The following commands were used:

wget https://ftp.postgresql.org/pub/repos/yum/13/redhat/rhel-9.4-x86_64/postgresql13-libs-13.16-2PGDG.rhe...

wget https://ftp.postgresql.org/pub/repos/yum/13/redhat/rhel-9.4-x86_64/postgresql13-odbc-13.02.0000-2PGD....

wget https://ftp.postgresql.org/pub/repos/yum/13/redhat/rhel-9.4-x86_64/postgresql13-13.16-2PGDG.rhel9.x8...

Installing the packages:

sudo rpm -ivh postgresql13-libs-13.16-2PGDG.rhel9.x86_64.rpm

sudo rpm -ivh postgresql13-odbc-13.02.0000-2PGDG.rhel9.x86_64.rpm

# solved dependency error with installing the default unixODBC:

sudo yum install unixODBC

sudo rpm -ivh postgresql13-odbc-13.02.0000-2PGDG.rhel9.x86_64.rpm

sudo rpm -ivh postgresql13-13.16-2PGDG.rhel9.x86_64.rpm

Resolution Steps

Creating an Empty ODBC Configuration File as the user Attunity:

To resolve this issue, I created an empty .odbc.ini file under the attunity user's home directory. 

[ert@localhost etc]$ sudo su attunity

[attunity@localhost etc]$ nano ~/.odbc.ini

[attunity@localhost etc]$ ls ~/.odbc.ini ls: cannot access '/home/attunity/.odbc.ini': No such file or directory

[attunity@localhost etc]$ touch ~/.odbc.ini

odbcinst -j 

After creating the .odbc.ini file, resulting odbcinst -j :

[attunity@@localhos etc]$ odbcinst -j

unixODBC 2.3.9 DRIVERS............: /etc/odbcinst.ini

SYSTEM DATA SOURCES: /etc/odbc.ini

FILE DATA SOURCES..: /etc/ODBCDataSources

USER DATA SOURCES..: /home/attunity/.odbc.ini

SQLULEN Size.......: 8

SQLLEN Size........: 8

SQLSETPOSIROW Size.: 8

By following these steps, the ODBC connection test was successful.