To define, query, insert, change, and delete data in an SAP MaxDB database, you use the Structured Query Language (SQL).
To program a database application, you can embed SQL statements in a programming language and send them to the database via one of the SAP MaxDB interfaces. Users of the database application then only implicitly enter SQL statements. For more information, see Database Administration, Developing Database Applications.
For development and tests you can explicitly enter SQL statements using the following database tools:
Database Studio (GUI)
SQLCLI (command line)
SQL Syntax
SQL statements are divided into the following groups: data definition, authorization, data manipulation, data query, transactions, and statistics.
For more information, see
Introduction to the SAP MaxDB SQL syntax: SQL Tutorial
Complete SQL syntax description: SQL Syntax
SQL Reference Manual, SQL Statements: Overview
SQL Reference Manual, Restrictions for SQL Statements
Property |
More information |
---|---|
Schema |
SQL Tutorial, Schemas SQL Reference Manual, CREATE SCHEMA Statement (create_schema_statement) |
Foreign Keys (referential integrity) |
SQL Tutorial, Foreign Key Dependencies Between Tables SQL Reference Manual, Referential CONSTRAINT Definition (referential_constraint_definition) |
Explicit and implicit locks on rows, tables and the database catalog |
SQL Reference Manual, Transactions |
Updatable view table |
SQL Tutorial, View Tables SQL Reference Manual, CREATE VIEW Statement (create_view_statement) |
Temporary table |
SQL Reference Manual, CREATE TABLE Statement (create_table_statement) |
Domain definition |
SQL Tutorial, Domains SQL Reference Manual, CREATE DOMAIN Statement (create_domain_statement) |
Join |
SQL Tutorial, Joins: Information From Several Tables SQL Reference Manual, JOIN Predicate (join_predicate) |
Subquery |
SQL Tutorial, Subquery: Inner Queries SQL Reference Manual, Subquery (subquery) |
Subtransaction |
SQL Reference Manual, SUBTRANS Statement (subtrans_statement) |
Number generator (auto-increment column) |
SQL Tutorial, Number Generators for Tables SQL Reference Manual, CREATE SEQUENCE Statement (create_sequence_statement) |
Database procedure (stored procedures) |
SQL Tutorial, Database Procedures SQL Reference Manual, CREATE DBPROC[EDURE] Statement (create_dbproc_statement) |
Database function (user-defined function) |
SQL Tutorial, Database Functions SQL Reference Manual, CREATE FUNCTION Statement (create_function_statement) |
Triggers |
SQL Tutorial, Database Triggers SQL Reference Manual, CREATE TRIGGER Statement (create_trigger_statement) CREATE SYSTEM TRIGGER Statement (create_system_trigger_statement) |
Server-side cursor |
SQL Reference Manual, DECLARE CURSOR Statement (declare_cursor_statement) |
Shared SQL (re-use of execution plans) |
Special Database Parameters UseSharedSQL |
Optimization |
Data Types
Data Type |
Description in SQL Reference Manual |
---|---|
BOOLEAN |
|
CHAR[ACTER] [ASCII | BYTE | UNICODE] |
|
DATE |
|
FIXED |
|
FLOAT |
|
INT[EGER] |
|
CLOB [ASCII] CLOB UNICODE BLOB |
In earlier database versions, this data type was known as LONG. |
SMALLINT |
|
TIME |
|
TIMESTAMP |
|
VARCHAR [ASCII | BYTE | UNICODE] |
For more information, see SQL Reference Manual, Data Type (data_type).
Compatibility
You can choose between two SQL modes: INTERNAL and ORACLE (see SQL Mode ORACLE).