This manual explains how to create primary access methods that provide SQL access to non-relational and other data that does not conform to built-in access methods. For example, a user-defined access method might retrieve data from an external location or manipulate specific data within a smart large object.
An access method can make any data appear to the end user as rows from an internal relational table. With the help of an access method, the end user can apply SQL statements to retrieve nonstandard data. Because the access method creates rows from the data that it accesses, external or smart-large-object data can join with other data from an internal database.
This manual refers to the table that the access method presents to the end user as a virtual table.
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