Software Update: Microsoft SQL Server Driver for PHP 1.0 cumulative update

Microsoft has released a cumulative update for SQL Server 2005 and SQL Server 2008 released, which brings improved support for PHP 5. The update is called “SQL Server Driver for PHP Version 1.0” in full and allows PHP scripts to read and write data in a SQL Server database. Below are the release notes for this update, which can also be found in the readme document included in the download:

In its continued commitment to interoperability, Microsoft has released an updated SQL Server Driver for PHP. The SQL Server Driver for PHP download is available to all SQL Server users at no additional charge. The SQL Server Driver for PHP is a PHP 5 extension that allows for the reading and writing of SQL Server data from within PHP scripts. The extension provides a procedural interface for accessing data in all editions of SQL Server 2005 and SQL Server 2008.

The following updates are included in this release of the SQL Server Driver for PHP:

• The name of the driver is now SQL Server Driver for PHP. The previous name, SQL Server 2005 Driver for PHP, led many people to infer that the driver was only compatible with SQL Server 2005, although it is also compatible with SQL Server 2008. Note, however, that regardless of which version of SQL Server you are targeting, you must have SQL Server 2005 Native Client installed on the same machine that is running PHP. For more information about SQL Server 2005 Native Client, see the Microsoft SQL Server Native Client page on MSDN. To download and install the SQL Server 2005 Native Client now, click on the appropriate link below:
  • Download the X86 package
  • Download the X64 package
  • Download the IA64 package
• Variables passed as query parameters to the sqlsrv_prepare function in the parameter array should be passed by reference instead of by value. If you pass query parameters by value to sqlsrv_prepare, other variables that are assigned to the query parameters might be overwritten when the query is executed. To call attention to this, a PHP warning will now be raised when a query with by-value parameters is executed. For more information, see sqlsrv_prepare in the API Reference section of the product documentation.
• Variables passed as query parameters to the sqlsrv_query function in the parameter array can be passed by value without concern for overwriting other variables that are assigned to the query parameters.
• The log message “Failed to remove statement resource” is no longer written to the log file when no failure occurred.
• Calling a stored procedure with a RETURN clause no longer causes an error.
• Binding a string output parameter to a PHP variable that has been set to null no longer fails.
• Executing a query in which a string output parameter is bound to a PHP variable that has been set to null no longer causes an error.
• In previous releases, calling a stored procedure that returned an output parameter of type string caused a truncation error. This issue has been fixed.