SQL/MP Reference Manual

HP NonStop SQL/MP Reference Manual—523352-013

S-60

SQLCI

SQLCI, the 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.

For a summary of commands unique to SQLCI, see SQLCI Commands on page S-63,

and Report Writer on page R-7. For a list of SQL statements you can use in programs

or in an SQLCI session, see Statements on page S-73.

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 these prompts:

>> 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. For information, see Considerations—FC on

page F-1.