1. SQL statements for ADABAS can be embedded in programming languages such as COBOL and C, thus allowing the database to be accessed from application programs. The values to be retrieved from or to be stored in the database can be passed within the SQL statements using parameters. The parameters are declared variables (the so-called host variables) within the embedding program.
2. The data type of the host variables is defined when declaring the variables in the programming language. Values of host variables are implicitly converted from the programming language data type to the ADABAS data type, and vice versa, if possible.
3. Each parameter can be combined with an indicator parameter that indicates irregularities (such as differing lengths of value and parameter, NULL value, special NULL value, etc.) that may have occurred during the assignment of values. For the transfer of NULL values and special NULL values, indicator parameters are indispensable. The indicator parameters are declared variables (the so-called indicator variables) within the embedding program.
4. More details about the embedding of SQL statements for ADABAS in programming languages are provided in the precompiler manuals.