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To define, query, insert, change, and delete data in an SAP MaxDB database, you use the Structured Query Language (SQL).

To program a database application, you can embed SQL statements in a programming language and send them to the database via one of the SAP MaxDB interfaces. Users of the database application then only implicitly enter SQL statements. More information: Database Administration, Developing Database Applications

For development and tests you can explicitly enter SQL statements using the following database tools:

SQL Syntax

The SQL statements are divided into the following groups: data definition, authorization, data manipulation, data query, transactions, and statistics.

More information:

SQL Properties of SAP MaxDB (Selection)

Property

More information

Schema

SQL Tutorial, Schemas

SQL Reference Manual, CREATE SCHEMA Statement (create_schema_statement)

Foreign Keys

(referential integrity)

SQL Tutorial, Foreign Key Dependencies Between Tables

SQL Reference Manual, Referential CONSTRAINT Definition (referential_constraint_definition)

Explicit and implicit locks on rows, tables and the database catalog

SQL Reference Manual, Transactions

LOCK Statement (lock_statement)

LOCK Option (lock_option)

Updatable view table

SQL Tutorial, View Tables

SQL Reference Manual, CREATE VIEW Statement (create_view_statement)

Temporary table

SQL Reference Manual, CREATE TABLE Statement (create_table_statement)

Domain definition

SQL Tutorial, Domains

SQL Reference Manual, CREATE DOMAIN Statement (create_domain_statement)

Join

SQL Tutorial, Joins: Information From Several Tables

SQL Reference Manual, JOIN Predicate (join_predicate)

Subquery

SQL Tutorial, Subquery: Inner Queries

SQL Reference Manual, Subquery (subquery)

Subtransaction

SQL Reference Manual, SUBTRANS Statement (subtrans_statement)

Number generator (auto-increment column)

SQL Tutorial, Number Generators for Tables

SQL Reference Manual, CREATE SEQUENCE Statement (create_sequence_statement)

Database procedure (stored procedures)

SQL Tutorial, Database Procedures

SQL Reference Manual, CREATE DBPROC[EDURE] Statement (create_dbproc_statement)

Database function (user-defined function)

SQL Tutorial, Database Functions

SQL Reference Manual, CREATE FUNCTION Statement (create_function_statement)

Triggers

SQL Tutorial, Database Triggers

SQL Reference Manual,

CREATE TRIGGER Statement (create_trigger_statement)

CREATE SYSTEM TRIGGER Statement (create_system_trigger_statement)

Server-side cursor

SQL Reference Manual, DECLARE CURSOR Statement (declare_cursor_statement)

Shared SQL (re-use of execution plans)

Special Database Parameters UseSharedSQL

Optimization

SQL Optimizer

Data Types
SAP MaxDB Data Types

Data Type

Description in SQL Reference Manual

BOOLEAN

BOOLEAN

CHAR[ACTER] [ASCII | BYTE | UNICODE]

CHAR[ACTER]

DATE

DATE (date value)

FIXED

FIXED

FLOAT

FLOAT

INT[EGER]

INT[EGER]

CLOB [ASCII]

CLOB UNICODE

BLOB

LOB Column

In earlier database versions, this data type was known as LONG.

SMALLINT

SMALLINT

TIME

TIME (time value)

TIMESTAMP

TIMESTAMP (time stamp value)

VARCHAR [ASCII | BYTE | UNICODE]

VARCHAR

More information: SQL Reference Manual, Data Type (data_type)

Compatibility

You can choose between two SQL modes: INTERNAL and ORACLE.

More information: SQL Mode ORACLE

More Information

Transactions

Locks