MC Press Online

Beginning SQL Part One

Contributed by Sam Lennon Saturday, 31 October 1998 Last Updated Saturday, 31 October 1998

It?s time you paid attention to SQL.

If you arent using SQL or have only a nodding acquaintance with it, this article is for you. It explains how SQL coexists with DDS, how it can replace procedural code, and how it can make your life easier. This article describes basic syntax and shows some practical examples that you can run on your own machine. Experimentation with SQL is an easy and inexpensive (free!) way to learn. Even if you are already using SQL, you may find some new techniques in the examples.

The AS/400 comes with a native database management system, DB2/400. Files in this system are traditionally described with DDS and accessed a record at a time from a third-generation language (3GL) such as RPG or COBOL. SQL can work concurrently with native access to allow you to manipulate these files.

SQL is Rochesters strategic interface to DB2/400. So wrote Kent Milligan of the DB2/400 Solutions Team in a recent Internet discussion (find it with Deja News by searching on SQL is Rochesters strategic interface). SQL has been around on the AS/400 since at least V2R1, and with each new release of the operating system, IBM has improved both the functionality and performance of the product. It is no longer possible to write off SQL as a passing fad.

IBM defines SQL in DB2 for AS/400 SQL Programming V4R2 this way: SQL consists of statements and clauses that describe what you want to do with the data in a database and under what conditions you want to do it. This is an excellent definition, but it needs a little fleshing out, since I could describe an RPG batch program the same way.

SQL vs. DDS

SQL eliminates many of the procedural issues you must deal with when you write applications with a language like RPG. Rather than access and update data a record at a time using controlling procedural logic in a 3GL, with one SQL statement, you can operate on a set of data. (Think of a set as a group of records with some common characteristic, e.g., all records with the same customer number.) And, with SQL, you generally dont have to worry about how the data is keyed or sorted.

In a single SQL statement, you specify what set (group) of records you want, how the set should be sorted, and what you want done with each record in it. You dont have to

worry about coding logic to position into the file, to read records in a loop, or to select records for display and/or update.

You can use IBMs implementation of SQL in DB2/400 by coding SQL statements in a 3GL. You can also execute ad hoc SQL statements, either interactively or in a CL program by using the Start Query Management Query (STRQMQRY) command. One such statement can often replace a small to moderate 3GL program that uses native access.

http://www.mcpressonline.com

Powered by Joomla!

Generated: 18 March, 2009, 01:21

MC Press Online

Consider a few other advantages of SQL over native OS/400 data access: SQL queries can accept parameters. How often have you wanted to have something like this in a CL program?

RUNQRY QRY(LARGEOBJ) +

OWNER(&OWNER) +

MINSIZEMB(&MB) +

UNUSED(&DAYS)

This task would be pretty difficult to do in Query/400 because Query/400 doesnt take parameters. But its remarkably simple with SQL because SQL queries do allow parameters.

SQL is like Open Query File (OPNQRYF) when it comes to filtering, sorting, and manipulating data. But since SQL runs inside the program, rather than in a separate CL, you have a lot more control. (Ive seen some OPNQRYF/3GL combinations that will run without the OPNQRYF and will cause significant damage in the process.) I find the SQL syntax easier than OPNQRYF, and SQL has more functions for data manipulation.

SQL is largely immune to file changes. Add a field to a file, and programs that use the file will get a level check, unless you recompile them over the new file. (Its best not to use the dangerous LVLCHK(*NO) practice.) Query/400 will also object. SQL is much more tolerant and wont object, though it cant handle all changes. (For example, it is going to get upset if you remove a field that it was using. And if you lengthen a numeric field that is being read into a program, you may also want to check that the receiving variable is big enough to hold the new larger field without truncating it.)

SQL isnt just an IBM standard. It is the de facto relational database access language, and college graduates will know more about it than they will about DDS. (Something to consider in a tight job market.)

SQL is where IBM is putting its development efforts and has been for several years. Remember the strategic interface comment at the beginning of the article. Some of the enhancements that go into SQL find their way into DDS, but in recent releases, DDS has been the poor relative.

These arguments are not meant to imply that SQL is going to totally replace DDS and native I/O now or in the near future. However, SQL is powerful enough and efficient enough now that systems can be written without DDS and native I/O. SQL is such a powerful tool in the AS/400 developers toolkit that is worth getting acquainted with and shouldnt be ignored.

SQL Syntax Overview

The basic statements used to manipulate data are SELECT, UPDATE, DELETE, and INSERT. Each statement has one or more clauses; for example, FROM and WHERE. Clauses in a statement must come in the correct sequence; for
http://www.mcpressonline.com Powered by Joomla! Generated: 18 March, 2009, 01:21

MC Press Online

example, FROM always comes before WHERE. A typical SELECT statement might look like this:

SELECT ODLBNM, ODOBNM,

ODOBSZ, ODOBTX FROM DSPOBJD WHERE ODOBTP = *FILE

SQL syntax is free-form, and there is no punctuation between clauses. Lists, like the ODLBNM, ODOBNM, ODOBSZ, ODOBTX text shown, are separated by commas. Parentheses are used for grouping and prioritizing.

The following statement is syntactically correct and identical in function to the previous statement but much less readable:

SELECT ODLBNM, ODOBNM,ODOBSZ, ODOBTX FROM DSPOBJD WHERE ODOBTP=*FILE

In this article, Ill be using the structured layout for readability.

Examples in This Article

All the examples use a common input file, DSPOBJD, the output of the Display Object Description (DSPOBJD) command. To build such a file, issue a command something like this:

DSPOBJD OBJ(inlib/*ALL) +

OBJTYPE(*ALL) +

OUTPUT(*OUTFILE) +

OUTFILE(outlib/DSPOBJD)

Here, inlib is a moderately sized library containing several different object types with a variety of creation and last used dates; outlib is a library in your library list. It could be QTEMP.

http://www.mcpressonline.com

Powered by Joomla!

Generated: 18 March, 2009, 01:21

MC Press Online

The records in the file created from the DSPOBJD command contain many fields that tell you all kinds of useful things about the objects in your library.

Are you interested in what else is in the file? The CL manual says: The database format (QLIDOBJD) of the output file is the same as that used in the IBM-supplied file database QADSPOBJ. Youll find this file in QSYS.

In these examples, Ill use the fields listed in Figure 1.

Simple SELECT Statements

The SELECT statement in Figure 2 is almost as simple as you can get with SQL: The first line starts the statement with the SQL reserved word SELECT. It is followed by at least one blank and then a list of field names to be selected, each separated by commas and, optionally, one or more blanks. At least one blank must follow the last field selected. In this example, Ive selected the object name, the object type, the size of the object, and the object description.

The second line is the FROM clause; it specifies the file from which the data is to be selected.

Try running this SQL interactively. (See the Use SQL Free! sidebar if you need instructions.) You should see a report that is formatted like Figure 3.

Obviously, your data will be different, but youll notice that the DDS column heading text has been used to identify the columns.

Here is the simplest useful SELECT statement you can run:

SELECT * FROM DSPOBJD

The asterisk character (*) is shorthand for all fields in the same order they appear in the record. Run this statement, and you should see a report that runs off the right of your screen, formatted like the one in Figure 4.

If you keep scrolling your display to the right, youll eventually come to the end of the data. (For Query/400 users, this is functionally equivalent to RUNQRY *NONE DSPOBDJ). A maximum of 8,000 fields can be retrieved this way.

The WHERE Clause in the SELECT Statement

Suppose you want to list just the files in your library; you would include a WHERE clause, as shown in Figure 5.

http://www.mcpressonline.com

Powered by Joomla!

Generated: 18 March, 2009, 01:21

MC Press Online

Run this, and youll see that, indeed, only files are listed. (Presuming, of course, that you ran DSPOBJD over a library that included some files.)

This WHERE clause introduces the equal to (=) relational operator. The other operators are greater than (>), greater than or equal to (>=), less than ( 70000

Figure 6: A complex WHERE clause

SELECT ODOBNM, ODOBTP, ODOBSZ, ODOBTX FROM DSPOBJD WHERE ODOBTP = *FILE

Object Object Object Object Type Size Owner CMPC *PGM 77,824 LENNON$S CMPFSC *PGM 73,728 LENNON$S MUSICT1D *FILE 238,305,280 LENNON$S

Figure 7: Results of a complex WHERE clause

SELECT ODOBNM, ODOBTP, ODOBOW,

ODOBSZ/(1024*1024) AS SIZE_MB FROM DSPOBJD WHERE ODOBOW = 'LENNON$S' AND ODOBTP = '*FILE'

AND ODOBSZ/(1024*1024) > 200

Figure 8: Using an expression

Object Object Object Type Owner SIZE_MB MUSICT1D *FILE LENNON$S 227.265625000000000000000

Figure 9: Results of using an expression

SELECT ODOBNM, ODOBTP, ODOBOW,

DECIMAL(ODOBSZ/(1024*1024),7,2) AS SIZE_MB
http://www.mcpressonline.com Powered by Joomla! Generated: 18 March, 2009, 01:21

MC Press Online

FROM DSPOBJD WHERE ODOBOW = 'LENNON$S' AND ODOBTP = '*FILE'

AND ODOBSZ/(1024*1024) > 200

Figure 10: Using a function

Object Object Object Type Owner SIZE_MB MUSICT1D *FILE LENNON$S 227.26

Figure 11: Results of using a function

http://www.mcpressonline.com

Powered by Joomla!

Generated: 18 March, 2009, 01:21