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Simple Data Manipulation Commands

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The SQL commands used for simple data manipulation are:

   SELECT

   INSERT

   DELETE

   UPDATE

Refer to the ALLBASE/SQL Reference Manual for the complete syntax and semantics of these commands.

The SELECT Command

In simple data manipulation, you use the SELECT command to retrieve a single row, i.e., a one-row query result. The form of the SELECT command that describes a one-row query result is:

   SELECT SelectList

     INTO HostVariables

     FROM TableNames

    WHERE SearchCondition

Note that the GROUP BY, HAVING, and ORDER BY clauses are not necessary, since these clauses usually describe multiple-row query results.

You may omit the WHERE clause from certain queries when the select list contains only aggregate functions:

    EXEC SQL SELECT  AVG(SalesPrice)

   1           INTO :AvgSalesPrice

   2           FROM  PurchDB.Parts

A WHERE clause may be used, however, to qualify the rows over which the aggregate function is applied:

    EXEC SQL SELECT  AVG(SalesPrice)

   1           INTO :AvgSalesPrice

   2           FROM  PurchDB.Parts

   3          WHERE  SalesPrice > :SalesPrice

If the select list does not contain aggregate functions, a WHERE clause is needed to restrict the query result to a single row:

    EXEC SQL SELECT  PartName,  SalesPrice

   1           INTO :PartName, :SalesPrice

   2           FROM  PurchDB.Parts

   3          WHERE  PartNumber = :PartNumber

Because the host variables that hold query results for a simple SELECT command are not arrays of records, they can hold only a single row. A runtime error occurs when multiple rows qualify for a simple SELECT command. You can test for an SQLCode value of -10002 to detect this condition:

   .

   .

   .

   SUBROUTINE GetRow

       MultipleRows = -10002

   .

   .

   .

       The SELECT command is executed here.



         IF (SQLCode .EQ. MultipleRows) THEN

           WRITE(*,*) 'WARNING:  More than one row qualifies.'

         ENDIF

   .

   .

   .

   RETURN

   END

When multiple rows qualify but the receiving host variables are not in an array of records, none of the rows are returned.

When a column named in the WHERE clause has a unique index on it, you can omit testing for multiple-row query results if the column was defined NOT NULL. A unique index prevents the key column(s) from having duplicate values. The following index, for example, ensures that only one row will exist for any part number in PurchDB.Parts:

   CREATE UNIQUE INDEX PartNumIndex

          ON PurchDB.Parts (PartNumber)

If a key column of a unique index can contain a null value, the unique index does not prevent more than one null value for that column, since each null value is considered unique. Therefore if a query contains a WHERE clause using the null predicate for such columns, multiple-row query results may occur.

It is useful to execute the SELECT command before executing the INSERT, DELETE, or UPDATE commands in the following situations:

  • When an application updates or deletes rows, the SELECT command can retrieve the target data for user verification before the data is changed. This technique minimizes inadvertent data changes:

          This program accepts a part number from the user into
    
          a host variable named PartNumber, then retrieves a row
    
          for that part.
    
    
    
          EXEC SQL SELECT  PartNumber,  BinNumber
    
         1           INTO :PartNumber, :BinNumber
    
         2           FROM  PurchDB.Inventory
    
         3          WHERE  PartNumber = :PartNumber
    
    
    
         The row is displayed, and the user is asked whether they
    
         want to change the bin number.  If so, the user is
    
         prompted for the new bin number, which is accepted into the
    
         host variable named BinNumber.  Then the UPDATE command
    
         is executed. If not, the user is prompted for another
    
         part number.
    
    
    
          EXEC SQL UPDATE PurchDB.Inventory
    
         1            SET BinNumber  = :BinNumber
    
         2          WHERE PartNumber = :PartNumber
    
      

    Another method of qualifying the rows you want to select is to use the LIKE specification to search for a particular character string pattern.

    For example, suppose you want to search for all VendorRemarks that contain a reference to 6%. Since the percent sign (%) happens to be one of the wild card characters for the LIKE specification, you could use the following SELECT statement specifying the exclamation point (!) as your escape character.

    SELECT * FROM PurchDB.Vendors 
    
             WHERE VendorRemarks LIKE '%6!%%' ESCAPE '!'
    

    In this example, the first and last percent signs are wildcard characters, and the percent sign after the exclamation point is the percent sign that is part of the search pattern. The character following an escape character must be either a wild card character or the escape character itself. Complete syntax is presented in the ALLBASE/SQL Reference Manual .

  • To prohibit the multiple-row changes possible if multiple rows qualify for an UPDATE or DELETE operation, an application can use the SELECT command. If multiple rows qualify for the SELECT operation, the UPDATE or DELETE would not be executed. Alternatively, the user could be advised that multiple rows would be affected and given a choice about whether to perform the change:

         This program prompts the user for an order number and
    
         a vendor part number in preparation for allowing the user
    
         to change the vendor part number.  The following SELECT
    
         command determines whether more than one line item
    
         exists on the order for the specified vendor part number:
    
    
    
          EXEC SQL SELECT  ItemNumber
    
         1           INTO :ItemNumber
    
         2           FROM  PurchDB.OrderItems
    
         3          WHERE  OrderNumber    = :OrderNumber
    
         4            AND  VendPartNumber = :VendPartNumber
    
    
    
         When more than one row qualifies for this query, the
    
         program lets the user decide whether to proceed with
    
         the update operation.
    
  • When an application lets the user INSERT a row that must contain a value higher than an existing value, the SELECT command can identify the highest existing value:

          EXEC SQL SELECT  MAX(OrderNumber)
    
         1           INTO :MaxOrderNumber
    
         2           FROM  PurchDB.Orders
    
    
    
         This program can increment the maximum order number by
    
         one, then provide the user with the new number and
    
         prompt for information describing the new order.
    

The INSERT Command

In simple data manipulation, you use the INSERT command to either insert a single row or copy one or more rows into a table from another table.

You use the following form of the INSERT command to insert a single row:

    INSERT INTO TableName

                (ColumnNames)

         VALUES (DataValues)

You can omit column names when you provide values for all columns in the target table:

    EXEC SQL INSERT INTO   PurchDB.Parts

   1              VALUES (:PartNumber,

   2                      :PartName   :PartNameInd,

   3                      :SalesPrice :SalesPriceInd)

Remember that when you do include column names but do not name all the columns in the target table, ALLBASE/SQL attempts to insert a null value into each unnamed column. If an unnamed column was defined as NOT NULL, the INSERT command fails.

To copy one or more rows from one or more tables to another table, you use the following form of the INSERT command:

    INSERT  INTO  TableName

                 (ColumnName)

          SELECT  SelectList

            FROM  TableNames 

           WHERE  SearchCondition1

        GROUP BY  ColumnName

          HAVING  SearchCondition2

Note that the SELECT command embedded in the INSERT command cannot contain an INTO or ORDER BY clause. In addition, any host variables used must be within the WHERE or HAVING clauses:

    This program makes a copy of historical data for filled

    orders into the PurchDB.OldOrders table, then deletes

    rows for these orders from PurchDB.Orders,

    keeping that table minimal in size.  The following

    INSERT command copies rows from PurchDB.Orders

    to PurchDB.OldOrders:



    EXEC SQL INSERT  INTO  PurchDB.OldOrders

   1                       (OldOrder,OldVendor,OldDate)

   2               SELECT  OrderNumber, VendorNumber, OrderDate

   3                 FROM  PurchDB.Orders

   4                WHERE  OrderNumber = :OrderNumber

Then the DELETE command deletes rows from PurchDB.Orders:

    EXEC SQL DELETE FROM  PurchDB.OldOrders

   1               WHERE  OrderNumber = :OrderNumber

The DELETE Command

In simple data manipulation, you use the DELETE command to delete one or more rows from a table:

    DELETE FROM TableName

          WHERE SearchCondition

The WHERE clause specifies a SearchCondition that all rows satisfying to be deleted:

    EXEC SQL DELETE FROM PurchDB.Orders

   1               WHERE OrderDate < :OrderDate

If the WHERE clause is omitted, all rows in the table are deleted.

The UPDATE Command

In simple data manipulation, you use the UPDATE command to change data in one or more columns:

    UPDATE TableName

       SET Columname = :ColumnValue :ColumnValueInd

            [,...]

     WHERE SearchCondition

As in the case of the DELETE command, if you omit the WHERE clause, the value of any column specified is changed in all rows of the table.

If the WHERE clause is specified, all rows satisfying the search condition are changed:

    EXEC SQL UPDATE PurchDB.Vendors

   1            SET VendorStreet  = :VendorStreet,

   2                VendorCity    = :VendorCity,

   3                VendorState   = :VendorState,

   4                VendorZipCode = :VendorZipCode

   5          WHERE VendorNumber  = :VendorNumber

In this example, all target columns were defined NOT NULL. If the UPDATE command is used to change the value of a column that allows NULL values, you use a null indicator variable directly following the variable holding the value of the column to be updated. The values that get updated at runtime depend on whether or not the program user wants to assign a null value to a column when the UPDATE command is executed:

    If this program does allow the user to put a null

    value into column ContactName, the following UPDATE

    command is executed:



    EXEC SQL UPDATE PurchDB.Vendors

   1            SET ContactName  = :ContactName :ContactNameInd

   2          WHERE VendorNumber = :VendorNumber



    If this program does not allow the user to put a null

    value into the column, the following command is executed

    instead:



    EXEC SQL UPDATE PurchDB.Vendors

   1            SET ContactName  = :ContactName

   2          WHERE VendorNumber = :VendorNumber

In the following application, the row is selected before the user enters the column data to be updated. You can achieve the same effect by using the DELETE and INSERT commands:

   First retrieve all columns from the row to be updated.



    EXEC SQL SELECT  PartNumber,

   1                 PartName,

   2                 SalesPrice

   3           INTO :PartNumber,

   4                :PartName   :PartNameInd,

   5                :SalesPrice :SalesPriceInd

   6           FROM :PurchDB.Parts

   7          WHERE  PartNumber = :PartNumber
      Prompt the user for new values.  If the user wants to

      set a column to null, set the indicator variable for

      that column to -1.



        WRITE (*,*) 'Enter new PartName (or 0 for NULL)> '

        READ(6,100) PartName

   100  FORMAT (A30)

        IF (PartName .EQ. '0') THEN

          PartNameInd = -1

        ELSE

          PartNameInd = 0

        ENDIF

   C

        WRITE (*,*) 'Enter new SalesPrice (or 0 for NULL)> '

        READ(6,101) SalesPrice

   101  FORMAT (F10.2)

        IF (SalesPrice .EQ. 0) THEN

          SalesPriceInd = -1

        ELSE

          SalesPriceInd = 0

        ENDIF



     After accepting new data values from the user,

     UPDATE the existing row.



       EXEC SQL UPDATE FROM PurchDB.Parts

      1                SET  PartNumber = :PartNumber,

      2                     PartName   = :PartName :PartNameInd,

      3                     SalesPrice = :SalesPrice :SalesPriceInd



     When an indicator variable contains a value less than 0,

     ALLBASE/SQL assigns a null value to that column.  When the

     indicator variable contains a value of 0, ALLBASE/SQL assigns

     the data entered by the user to the column.

The following combination of DELETE and INSERT commands would have accomplished the same result, as long as all columns in the table were in the INSERT command:

    EXEC SQL DELETE FROM  PurchDB.Parts

                   WHERE  PartNumber = :PartNumber



    EXEC SQL INSERT INTO   PurchDB.Parts

   1                      (PartNumber,

   2                       PartName,

   3                       SalesPrice)

   4              VALUES (:PartNumber,

   5                      :PartName   :PartNameInd,

   6                      :SalesPrice :SalesPriceInd)
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