Software⏱️ 3 min read📅 2026-06-19

How to Fix: SQL error: [unixODBC][Driver Manager]Data source name not found, and no default driver specified

Error fixing SQL connection issue with Teradata ODBC driver on RedHat server.

Quick Answer: Check the odbcinst.ini file location and update it to the correct path, e.g., /opt/teradata/client/ODBC_64/odbcinst.ini

📋 Table of Contents

  1. 💡 Why You Are Getting This Error
  2. 🔧 Proven Troubleshooting Steps
  3. 💡 Conclusion

The SQL error '[unixODBC][Driver Manager]Data source name not found, and no default driver specified' occurs when the Teradata ODBC driver is unable to find the required configuration files or when the default driver is not specified. This issue affects users running PHP scripts on RedHat servers using the Teradata ODBC drivers.

This error can be frustrating as it prevents the script from connecting to the Teradata database, leading to an incomplete or incorrect result. However, by following these steps, you should be able to resolve this issue and get your script working again.

💡 Why You Are Getting This Error

  • The primary reason for this error is that the system is unable to find the odbcinst.ini file in the expected location. The Teradata ODBC driver requires this configuration file to be present in the /opt/teradata/client/ODBC_64 directory.
  • Another possible cause is that the .ini file is not correctly configured or does not exist at all.

🔧 Proven Troubleshooting Steps

Update odbcinst.ini file location

  1. Step 1: Locate the current location of the odbcinst.ini file and verify if it matches the expected path /opt/teradata/client/ODBC_64.
  2. Step 2: If the file is not found in this directory, move or copy it to the correct location. If the file exists but has incorrect configuration settings, update these settings accordingly.
  3. Step 3: After updating the odbcinst.ini file, restart the system or reload the ODBC driver configuration.

Specify default driver

  1. Step 1: Open the odbcinst.ini file in a text editor and locate the [ODBC] section.
  2. Step 2: Add the Teradata driver to this section by specifying its name, such as 'Teradata ODBC Driver' or 'terdata'.
  3. Step 3: Save the changes to the odbcinst.ini file and restart the system or reload the ODBC driver configuration.

💡 Conclusion

To resolve the SQL error '[unixODBC][Driver Manager]Data source name not found, and no default driver specified', update the odbcinst.ini file location to the correct path /opt/teradata/client/ODBC_64. Alternatively, specify the default driver in the odbcinst.ini file. After making these changes, restart the system or reload the ODBC driver configuration. This should allow your PHP script to connect to the Teradata database successfully.

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