INFORMIX
Informix Guide to SQL: Tutorial
Introduction
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Documentation Conventions

 This section describes the conventions that this manual uses. These conventions make it easier to gather information from this and other Informix manuals.

The following conventions are covered:

Typographical Conventions

This manual uses the following standard set of conventions to introduce new terms, illustrate screen displays, describe command syntax, and so forth.

Convention Meaning

KEYWORD

All keywords appear in uppercase letters in a serif font.

italics

Within text, new terms and emphasized words appear in italics. Within syntax diagrams, values that you are to specify appear in italics.

boldface

Identifiers (names of classes, objects, constants, events, functions, program variables, forms, labels, and reports), environment variables, database names, filenames, table names, column names, icons, menu items, command names, and other similar terms appear in boldface.

monospace

Information that the product displays and information that you enter appear in a monospace typeface.

KEYSTROKE

Keys that you are to press appear in uppercase letters in a sans serif font.

This symbol indicates the end of feature-, product-, platform-, or compliance-specific information.

Tip: When you are instructed to "enter" characters or to "execute" a command, immediately press RETURN after the entry. When you are instructed to "type" the text or to "press" other keys, no RETURN is required.

Icon Conventions

Throughout the documentation, you will find text that is identified by several different types of icons. This section describes these icons.

Comment Icons

Comment icons identify warnings, important notes, or tips. This information is always displayed in italics.

Icon Description

The warning icon identifies vital instructions, cautions, or critical information.

The important icon identifies significant information about the feature or operation that is being described.

The tip icon identifies additional details or shortcuts for the functionality that is being described.

Feature Icons

Feature icons identify paragraphs that contain feature-specific information.
Icon Description

Identifies information that relates to the Informix Global Language Support (GLS) feature.

These icons can apply to a row in a table, one or more paragraphs, or an entire section. A symbol indicates the end of the feature-specific information.

Sample-Code Conventions

Examples of SQL code occur throughout this manual. Except where noted, the code is not specific to any single Informix application development tool. If only SQL statements are listed in the example, they are not delimited by semicolons. For instance, you might see the code in the following example:

To use this SQL code for a specific product, you must apply the syntax rules for that product. For example, if you are using the Query-language option of DB-Access, you must delimit multiple statements with semicolons. If you are using an SQL API, you must use EXEC SQL at the start of each statement and a semicolon (or other appropriate delimiter) at the end of the statement.

Tip: Ellipsis points in a code example indicate that more code would be added in a full application, but it is not necessary to show it to describe the concept being discussed.
For detailed directions on using SQL statements for a particular application development tool or SQL API, see the manual for your product.

On-Line Manuals

A CD that contains Informix manuals in electronic format is provided with your Informix products. You can install the documentation or access it directly from the CD. For information about how to install, read, and print on-line manuals, see either the installation guide for your product or the installation insert that accompanies the documentation CD.

The documentation set that is provided on the CD describes Universal Server, its implementation of SQL, and its associated application-programming interfaces. For an overview of the manuals in the Universal Server documentation set, see Getting Started with INFORMIX-Universal Server.

Printed Manuals

The Universal Server documentation set describes Universal Server, its implementation of SQL, and its associated application-programming interfaces. For an overview of the manuals in the Universal Server documentation set, see Getting Started with INFORMIX-Universal Server.

To order printed manuals, call 1-800-331-1763 or send email to moreinfo@informix.com.

Please provide the following information:

Error Message Files

 Informix software products provide ASCII files that contain all the Informix error messages and their corrective actions. To read the error messages in the ASCII file, Informix provides scripts that let you display error messages on the screen (finderr) or print formatted error messages (rofferr). For a detailed description of these scripts, see the Introduction to the Informix Error Messages manual.

Documentation Notes, Release Notes, Machine Notes

In addition to printed documentation, the following on-line files, located in the $INFORMIXDIR/release/en_us/0333 directory, supplement the information in this manual.
On-Line File Purpose

SQLTDOC_9.1

The documentation-notes file describes features that are not covered in this manual or that have been modified since publication.

SERVERS_9.1

The release-notes file describes feature differences from earlier versions of Informix products and how these differences might affect current products. This file also contains information about any known problems and their workarounds.

IUNIVERSAL_9.1

The machine-notes file describes any special actions that are required to configure and use Informix products on your computer. Machine notes are named for the product described.

Please examine these files because they contain vital information about application and performance issues.



Informix Guide to SQL: Tutorial, version 9.1
Copyright © 1998, Informix Software, Inc. All rights reserved.