# DBI: connect succeeds in IRB, fails in Rails

**URL:** <https://discuss.rubyonrails.org/t/dbi-connect-succeeds-in-irb-fails-in-rails/45258>\
**Category:** rubyonrails-talk\
**Created:** [August 18, 2009, 2:45pm UTC](https://discuss.rubyonrails.org/t/dbi-connect-succeeds-in-irb-fails-in-rails/45258 "2009-08-18T14:45:30Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![11175](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/1/8edcca/32.png) [@11175](https://discuss.rubyonrails.org/u/11175)\
**Post date:** [August 18, 2009, 2:45pm UTC](https://discuss.rubyonrails.org/t/dbi-connect-succeeds-in-irb-fails-in-rails/45258/1 "2009-08-18T14:45:30Z")

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require 'dbi' # 0.4.2 dbh = DBI.connect('DBI:ODBC:PACS', 'username', 'password')

This works in IRB; in Rails it fails (taken from Rails console): DBI::InterfaceError: Unable to load driver 'ODBC' (underlying error: uninitialized constant DBI::DBD::ODBC) &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;from C:/scripts/Rads/vendor/gems/dbi-0.4.2/lib/dbi.rb:300:in `load_driver' &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;from c:/ruby/lib/ruby/1.8/monitor.rb:242:in `synchronize' &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;from C:/scripts/Rads/vendor/gems/dbi-0.4.2/lib/dbi.rb:242:in `load_driver' &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;from C:/scripts/Rads/vendor/gems/dbi-0.4.2/lib/dbi.rb:160:in `\_get\_full\_driver' &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;from C:/scripts/Rads/vendor/gems/dbi-0.4.2/lib/dbi.rb:145:in `connect' &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;from (irb):2

I haven't found anything online that was a substantial help 😕

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![11175](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/1/8edcca/32.png) [@11175](https://discuss.rubyonrails.org/u/11175)\
**Post date:** [August 18, 2009, 2:53pm UTC](https://discuss.rubyonrails.org/t/dbi-connect-succeeds-in-irb-fails-in-rails/45258/2 "2009-08-18T14:53:09Z")

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Oh -- Ruby 1.8.7, and I can connect by writing a small script and launching it with Ruby (same version of Ruby that Rails uses).