The SQL standard defines the embedding of SQL statements in a programming language such as C/C++ or COBOL. This is also the only interface at which the different SQL systems offer a certain degree of portability.
For this purpose, variables for database communication must be defined in the application program (DECLARE SECTION). The ADABAS precompiler also allows this DECLARE SECTION to be created implicitly. Apart from the elementary data types usual in the DECLARE SECTION, ADABAS also supports the use of records and arrays, thus simplifying application programming considerably.
The ADABAS precompilers provide the option of executing dynamically generated SQL statements and make a macro mechanism available in addition.
The report generator REPORT and the stored commands in QUERY can also be called from programs.
Programming is supported by convenient error handling routines and by extensive trace functions of the SQL statements. The tuning of SQL applications is made easier by an SQL profiling that identifies SQL statements which are frequently executed or require long runtimes.
Precompilers exist for the programming languages C/C++ and COBOL.
Apart from these precompilers, ADABAS operation from other programming languages is supported by a CALL Interface. The definition of the ADABAS CALL Interface corresponds to the ODBC standard.