Re: SQL Newbies List?

mathprof For a "newbie", you sure have some tough questions. I dont know the answers to all your questions, but probably I can help you on a few. % How do I limit a field to specific text (or numeric) values? Informix has check constraints that limit the column's values to a given list of values. Another way is to have a lookup table and have a foreign key from your column pointing back to it. % Availability of intelligent web interfaces for adding/editing data on tables/views. None that I know of. You are aware of dbaccess, I hope. This is a tool that allows you to create/alter tables/views/indexes and select/update/delete/insert data into those tables using SQL. % Spreadsheet-like functions on tables, including references to the "previous row" (under some specific sort condition of course) You can implement these features in your application. No such feature exists in SE or even IDS. Perhaps some such feature already exists or could be built into the UDO product by the user. % Object-oriented databases using SE The "onject oriented" (more correctly, Object Relational) product in the Informix family is called IDS/UDO (Informix Dynamic Server with the Universal data option). It permits such features as user defined datatypes, as well as other OO features I know nothing about. SE is not an OO database, nor was it built to be one. % User-defined field types See above. % Using ESQL with Perl and/or Java For Perl, there is a DBI module by Alligator Descartes and the Informix DB driver (aka DBD::Informix) by Jonathan Leffler which is available for download from CPAN. I have used it with Linux RH 5.1 and Informix SE 7.24 and it works very nicely. For Java, there is a JDBC driver available for free download from the Intraware site (http://www.intraware.com). You will need to register, but registration is free too. Java 1.1.6 (last I looked) for Linux can be downloaded from www.blackhawk.com. I haven't tried using the JDBC driver yet, but I will soon. There are people here who have, though, so they may be able to help you. % Writing DB procedures in an external language (Perl/Java/etc) Not supported in SE. Informix has its own stored procedure language called SPL. It is a very basic language derived from Informix 4GL. Lately (since engine 7.2x and later) it has become richer with the addition of more functions. UDO may support writing SPs in Java, but I am not sure. % Forms that auto-update when the underlying table(s) receive a DELETE, UPDATE, or INSERT operation. Do you mean triggers? Triggers update other database tables on an event on a table such as INSERT, UPDATE or DELETE. % Time-travel: preserving older versions of tables, so I can ask questions like "what did this database look like two months ago". Not supported in SE, although you can set up your schema to do this. Probably supported in UDO. % Arbitrarily long text fields, BLOBs. BLOBS are supported on SE, though I have never used them. But I do see discussions on BLOBS here, so others have used them and succesfully. % General newbie questions on views, cursors, forms and schema. You would do well to read the manual that Informix supplies in its Answers Online CD. AFAIK., it is also available on the web. It is fairly comprehensive and will answer most of your questions. Finally AFAIK there is only one newsgroup for Informix. So this *is* the place to post your questions. Unlike other groups, this NG is fairly tolerant of "newbie" questions, and you will get answers to even basic questions without being flamed. So if you still have questions after RTing the FM, I think you would be more than welcome to post your questions here. HTH Sujit mathprof@bigfoot.com on 04/26/99 08:38:53 PM Please respond to mathprof@bigfoot.com To: informix-list@iiug.org cc: (bcc: Sujit Pal) Subject: SQL Newbies List? [My apologies if this message arrives twice-- I sent it earlier, but it didn't show up on the list, so I am resending it now] I recently downloaded and installed a free copy of INFORMIX-SE 7.24.UC5 on my Linux machine. I had some fairly basic questions about SQL/ESQL/forms/views/etc, so I thought I'd join this list/newsgroup. However, looking over the newsgroup archives, I realized that it is far too high-level for me! Before I unsubscribe, I was wondering if anyone could recommend a more appropriate list for SQL "newbies" such as myself. I am including a sample of the types of questions I have below. I appreciate any help! Sample questions I have: % How do I limit a field to specific text (or numeric) values? % Availability of intelligent web interfaces for adding/editing data on tables/views. % Spreadsheet-like functions on tables, including references to the "previous row" (under some specific sort condition of course) % Object-oriented databases using SE % User-defined field types % Using ESQL with Perl and/or Java % Writing DB procedures in an external language (Perl/Java/etc) % Forms that auto-update when the underlying table(s) receive a DELETE, UPDATE, or INSERT operation. % Time-travel: preserving older versions of tables, so I can ask questions like "what did this database look like two months ago". % Arbitrarily long text fields, BLOBs. % General newbie questions on views, cursors, forms and schema. Thanks again for any help!