Re: Survey for AS/400 Developers (ISERIES) DB2/400

[rob@xxxxxxxxx]

Makes sense to me.  Frankly I fail to see how most traditional languages
will be able to access some new UDB features.  For instance what host
variable type would an RPG program store a BLOB?

It is not unreasonable to expect a view created that would ignore certain
fields.  It is done all the time.  If the user wants to open the file in
RPG and the field or function is not supported in RPG, then ignore that
field or function from the view.  Very reasonable.

However, if it is something simple, such as DAYOFWEEK, then I would hope
some effort would be applied to make the view accessable from a traditional
CHAIN versus a SQL select.  There are programmers who would ignore any new
functions regardless of payback or ease of use if it required them to use
SQL.

Rob Berendt

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                    "David Dunfield"                                            
                                         
                    <ddunfie@net-link.n        To:     
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                    et>                        cc:                              
                                         
                    Sent by:                   Subject:     Survey for AS/400 
Developers (ISERIES) DB2/400               
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                    10/26/00 01:23 PM                                           
                                         
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I received this e-mail from IBM today. It raises some real concerns for the
future if the Iseries.

IBM values your input on the design and direction of DB2 UDB for
AS/400.

For some time now, SQL has been the strategic interface for the
industry and the AS/400 database, DB2 UDB for AS/400. As such,
IBM has focused the database investment on SQL and has made
some new database  functionality  (e.g.,  BLOBs, ROUND &
DAYOFWEEK scalar functions,  Derived Tables, etc)  available
only on SQL interfaces.   As a result, non-SQL interfaces such as
OPNQRYF were not enhanced to access these new database features.
Although it's not a common practice,  native opens (OPNQRYF,
OPNDBF, high-level language opens) currently can reference most
SQL Views  (an SQL View is just a logical file),  so it is possible to
create an SQL View that uses some of the newer database
functionality and then have native open reference that SQL View to
access these newer features.

To focus more investment on the SQL interface, IBM's plans are that
after V4R5 new SQL database features and functions must be
accessed directly using SQL interfaces.  The opening of SQL Views
via a native open interface will continue to be supported but will be
limited to views that use database features available in V4R5 and
earlier releases.  However, if a new SQL view is created or an
existing SQL View is recreated to use a new database feature
delivered in a release after V4R5, the open will fail.  Native opens
also may fail against SQL Views created and shipped by software
vendors - if their view uses a database feature not available in V4R5.

Please send us your thoughts and feedback regarding these database
changes by contacting IBM at:  rchudb@us.ibm.com

Dave Dunfield
Midwest Integrated Systems Resources
Iseries and LANSA Solutions Provider
Phone-(616)373-3049 Fax (616)373-3048

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