A Rexx interface to SQL databases

Version 2.5

10 October 2006

Appendix B - Rexx/SQL for mSQL

General:

• The database name argument in SQLCONNECT is mandatory.

• Examples of different connections with SQLCONNECT:

  The following connects to the TEST database running on the local machine with a connection name of MYCON.

  rc = sqlconnect("MYCON",,,"TEST")

  
  The following connects to the MINERVA database running on the machine xyz.my.org.

  rc = sqlconnect(,,,"MINERVA","xyz.my.org")

  
  

• As mSQL has no concept of a transaction, the functions, SQLCOMMIT and SQLROLLBACK don't do anything. They are included for consistency.

• All statements are actually executed by SQLPREPARE. This obviates the SQLEXECUTE function, but it still should be used for portability.

• Under mSQL 1.x implementations, the variable SQLCA.ROWCOUNT always returns 0 for non SELECT DML statements. Thus, there is no way of determining how many rows were deleted, updated, or inserted. For mSQL 2.x implementations, SQLCA.ROWCOUNT returns the number of rows affected correctly.

Bind Variables:

mSQL has no provision for bind variables in SQL statements. The return value from SQLVARIABLE('SUPPORTSPLACEMARKERS') is always 0, so any references to bind variables in this document should be ignored for mSQL.

Column names:

If a column specification in a SQL statement passed to SQLCOMMAND or SQLPREPARE contains a table alias, eg. a.emp_id, the Rexx variables created corresponding to this column DO NOT contain the "a." prefix.

SQLDESCRIBE variables:

The mSQL implementation includes the extra variable component; PRIMARYKEY.