SQL/MP Programming Manual for C

HP NonStop SQL/MP Programming Manual for C—429847-008
1-1
1 Introduction
NonStop SQL/MP is the HP relational database management system (RDBMS) that
uses SQL to define and manipulate data in an SQL/MP database. You can run SQL
statements interactively by using the SQL/MP conversational interface (SQLCI) or
programmatically by embedding SQL statements and directives in a host-language
program written in COBOL, C, Pascal, or TAL. This manual describes the
programmatic interface to NonStop SQL/MP for C programs.
This section discusses:

Advantages of Using Embedded SQL Statements

Developing a C Program

Dynamic SQL on page 1-6

SQL/MP Version Management on page 1-7
Advantages of Using Embedded
SQL Statements
Using embedded SQL statements and directives in a C program to access an SQL/MP
database has these advantages:

A high-level, efficient database language––You code a request to access the
database using SQL statements. The SQL/MP optimizer then generates an
efficient path to perform your request.

Insulation against database changes––If a database administrator modifies an
SQL/MP database (for example, adds a column to a table), the change does not
affect the logic of your program.

Use of C statements to process data––You can access the database using SQL
statements and then use C statements to process and manipulate the data.

System support for data consistency––If you require audited tables and views, the
system maintains data consistency with the locking feature and the HP NonStop
Transaction Management Facility (TMF) subsystem.
Developing a C Program
You can embed static or dynamic SQL statements in a C source file. You embed a
static SQL statement as an actual SQL statement and run the SQL compiler to
explicitly compile the statement before you run the program. For a dynamic SQL
statement, you code a placeholder variable for the statement, and then construct,
SQL compile, and run the statement at run time.