NonStop SQL/MP Reference Manual

NonStop SQL/MP Reference Manual—142115
S-61
SQLCI
SQLCI
SQLCI, the NonStop SQL/MP conversational interface, executes commands and SQL
statements entered interactively at a terminal or through a command file. SQLCI is
useful for ad hoc queries and reports, for testing SQL statements before adding them to
programs, for comparing the relative efficiency of different versions of a query, and for
database administration tasks such as defining and modifying the structure of the
database.
SQLCI provides many commands that are not available in embedded SQL programs but
also accepts almost any statement that you can include in an embedded SQL program. A
few SQL statements have options that are not allowed in SQLCI (or options that are
allowed only in SQLCI); these are noted in the description of the statement.
See SQLCI Commands
on page S-64 and Report Writer on page R-9 for a summary of
commands unique to SQLCI. See Statements on page S-72 for a list of SQL statements
you can use in programs or in an SQLCI session.
An SQLCI Session
You start an SQLCI session with the command interpreter SQLCI command and end an
SQLCI session with an EXIT command. During a session, SQLCI prompts you to enter
SQLCI statements or SQLCI commands with one of the following prompts:
Within an SQLCI session, the tasks you perform are affected by the following session
attributes:
>> The standard prompt. Enter any SQLCI command or SQL statement except
CANCEL, LIST, or a report formatting command.
+> The continuation prompt. Continue the SQLCI command or SQL statement from the
previous line or enter a semicolon to end it.
S> The select-in-progress prompt. Enter a LIST, CANCEL, report formatting command,
or one of the other SQLCI commands allowed while a SELECT is in progress. You
can also press RETURN, which is equivalent to LIST 1.
D> The dedicated-operation-in-progress prompt. Enter a CONTINUE statement to
commit or roll back the operation, or enter any SQLCI command except ADD
DEFINE, ALTER DEFINE, CATALOG, DELETE DEFINE, EXIT, SET
DEFMODE, SYSTEM, VOLUME, or a utility command or DDL statement on the
object of the dedicated operation.
.. The FC command prompt. See FC Command on page F-1 for details.
Environment The files to use for SQLCI output, logging, and reports; the default
node, volume, subvolume, and catalog
DEFINEs DEFINEs that associate an actual file or object with a logical name
used in a command or statement
Session Options Options set by the SET SESSION command that control the response
to the Break key, automatic creation of TMF transactions, the amount
of SELECT information displayed before a pause, the display of
execution statistics for DML statements, the display of errors and
warnings, and the wrapping of text