The database language SQL is the interface between application programs and the ADABAS database. Database operations are invoked by SQL statements embedded in application programs. By means of special program variables - the so called host variables - values are interchanged between the program and the database. A language-specific ADABAS precompiler checks the syntax and semantics of the embedded SQL statements and transforms them into calls of procedures of the ADABAS runtime system. The compiler of the programming language used translates the source program generated by the precompiler into machine code.
This manual requires basic knowledge of the elementary SQL statements. Whenever the usage of SQL statements in the programs differs from that within the tool components of ADABAS, these differences are explained in detail. The Tutorial offers an introduction to SQL. All the other possible SQL statements are described in the Reference manual. The meanings of the return codes are described in the manual Messages and Codes.