Introducing the SQL Reference Guide

The SQL Reference Guide provides the following information:

Detailed descriptions of all SQL statements
Examples of the correct use of SQL statements and features
Detailed discussion on performing transactions and handling errors
Detailed descriptions about database procedures, sessions, and events

Audience

This guide is intended for programmers and users who have an understanding of the SQL language, and a basic understanding of Ingres^® and relational database systems. In addition, you must have a basic understanding of your operating system. This guide is also intended as a reference for the database administrator.

Enterprise Access Compatibility

If your installation includes one or more Enterprise Access products, check your OpenSQL documentation for information about syntax that differs from the syntax described in this guide. Areas that differ include:

Varchar data type length
Legal row size
Command usage
Name length
Table size

System-specific Text in This Guide

Generally, Ingres operates the same on all systems. When necessary, however, this guide provides information specific to your operating system. For example:

UNIX: Information is specific to the UNIX environment.

VMS: Information is specific to VMS environment.

Windows: Information is specific to the Windows environment.

When necessary for clarity, the symbol is used to indicate the end of system-specific text.

For sections that pertain to one system only, the system is indicated in the section title.

Terminology Used in This Guide

This guide uses the following terminology:

command
A command is an operation that you execute at the operating system level. An extended operation invoked by a command is often referred to as a utility.
statement
A statement is an operation that you embed within a program or execute interactively from a terminal monitor.

Note: A statement can be written in Ingres 4GL, a host programming language (such as C), or a database query language (SQL or QUEL).

Syntax Conventions Used in This Guide

This guide uses the following conventions to describe command and statement syntax:

Convention	Usage
Regular fixed font	Indicates keywords, symbols, or punctuation that you must enter as shown.
Italics	Represent a variable name for which you must supply a value. This convention is used in explanatory test, as well as syntax.
[ ] brackets	Indicate an optional item.
{ } braces	Indicate an optional item that you can repeat as many times as appropriate.
\| (vertical bar)	Indicates a list of mutually exclusive items (that is, you can select only one item from the list).