RE: stupid question

heidi, 1: isql is a tool with which to query the database and perform some database maintenance. r4gl is an ide (integrated development environment) for informix-4gl programs. more specifically, r4gl is the "rapid development" environment, where programs are not fully compiled and are "translated" when run -- as opposed to i4gl, an environment in which programs are fully compiled into executables. 2: i'm not sure of *every* use for temporary tables, but one major use is for--get this--the creation of temporary tables. 3: tables are not loaded unless needed, and then only the rows needed...well, actually, the data is pulled back a page at a time, and i'm not sure if the last page pulled back will be padded out with extraneous rows, or null characters...maybe someone else knows for sure. -joe- (huddles@hasting.com) ---------- From: ilist To: informix-list Subject: stupid question Date: Sunday, January 22, 1995 9:55AM I am really, really new with database and am learning it. There are some things I am still confused about. Can someone please shed a light on me? Ok, here we go: 1. What is the difference between isql and r4gl? Do they interact with each other when run, or what?? 2. Why do they need a temporary directory? What is it for? 3. What actually happens to the database when a program runs? Will it be that only certain tables are loaded, or everything is loaded into memory? I have the book INFORMIX-4GL by Example, but I can't find any information about those questions (well, ok, it's not stupid question, but stupid questionS ...:) Thank you for any reply The Bewildered heidi