Informix IDS 7.31 TYPE reserved word

We need to upgrade to 7.31 UC4 an existing instance of 7.23 UC1 which supports several (mainly bespoke) applications and install a new instance of 7.31 TC4 for an application currently running on an evaluation copy of 7.2x and which must go live immediately. We have received 7.3x evaluations at the 11th hour and have been told that 7.2x is "no longer orderable", despite Y2k releases having been announced, and have desperately little time to upgrade and migrate. Now we're also being told that we don't get tech support with evaluations... Some or our tables have columns named "type". Can anyone say whether that is an issue for us with 7.31? Do any of you have tables with columns named "type"? The release notes say that if a table is named type there will be problems but also imply that there are other problems. TIA for a prompt response, Bill Allison BSW Timber plc +44 (0)1896 849255 Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/ Before you buy.

While it is true that the word 'TYPE' is a reservered word, it's impact is not all that great unless you have a table named type. The TYPE keyword is used to define the characteristics of the table in 7.31/9.2. For instance if the create table starts up like - Create RAW table tab_namethen you are creating a non-logged table. Now for where the problem occurs. If I want to alter this non-logged table to a normal table, the command is alter table tab_name TYPE standard; This is where the problem can occur. If the table is named type.... So if columns are named type, it shouldn't be a big problem. bill_allison@my-deja.com wrote: > We need to upgrade to 7.31 UC4 an existing > instance of 7.23 UC1 which supports several > (mainly bespoke) applications and install a new > instance of 7.31 TC4 for an application currently > running on an evaluation copy of 7.2x and which > must go live immediately. > > We have received 7.3x evaluations at the 11th > hour and have been told that 7.2x is "no longer > orderable", despite Y2k releases having been > announced, and have desperately little time to > upgrade and migrate. Now we're also being told > that we don't get tech support with evaluations... > > Some or our tables have columns named "type". Can > anyone say whether that is an issue for us with > 7.31? Do any of you have tables with columns > named "type"? The release notes say that if a > table is named type there will be problems but > also imply that there are other problems. > > TIA for a prompt response, > Bill Allison > BSW Timber plc > +44 (0)1896 849255 > > Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/ > Before you buy. -- Madison Pruet =========================================== Enterprise Replication Product Developement Dallas, Texas Informix Software ===========================================

Thanks What you say matches my expectation. However while the documentation gives a query example with a table named type, the wording doesn't exclude other possible problems in query syntax. I have tackled tech support and the response was that they would consider it "unsafe" to use 7.3x with a schema containing columns named type unless the name was surrounded in quotes or prefixed with the table name. However one of the applications involved is a shrink wrapped application - there is no possibility of modifying the source code. Stop press - Informix have now agreed a special release to us of 7.24 UC8 and 7.23 TC16 which gets us over the immediate Y2K hurdle. FYI they are about to announce withdrawal of support for 7.2x from June 2000. In article <38596E43.10C36075@informix.com>, madison.pruet@informix.com wrote: > While it is true that the word 'TYPE' is a reservered word, it's impact > is not all that great unless you have a table named type. The TYPE > keyword is used to define the characteristics of the table in 7.31/9.2. > For instance if the create table starts up like - > > Create RAW table tab_name> then you are creating a non-logged table. > > Now for where the problem occurs. If I want to alter this non-logged > table to a normal table, the command is > > alter table tab_name TYPE standard;> > This is where the problem can occur. If the table is named type.... > > So if columns are named type, it shouldn't be a big problem. > > bill_allison@my-deja.com wrote: > > > We need to upgrade to 7.31 UC4 an existing > > instance of 7.23 UC1 which supports several > > (mainly bespoke) applications and install a new > > instance of 7.31 TC4 for an application currently > > running on an evaluation copy of 7.2x and which > > must go live immediately. > > > > We have received 7.3x evaluations at the 11th > > hour and have been told that 7.2x is "no longer > > orderable", despite Y2k releases having been > > announced, and have desperately little time to > > upgrade and migrate. Now we're also being told > > that we don't get tech support with evaluations... > > > > Some or our tables have columns named "type". Can > > anyone say whether that is an issue for us with > > 7.31? Do any of you have tables with columns > > named "type"? The release notes say that if a > > table is named type there will be problems but > > also imply that there are other problems. > > > > TIA for a prompt response, > > Bill Allison > > BSW Timber plc > > +44 (0)1896 849255 > > > > Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/ > > Before you buy. > > -- > Madison Pruet > > =========================================== > Enterprise Replication Product Developement > Dallas, Texas > Informix Software > =========================================== > > Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/ Before you buy.