SQL

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:

Database Studio (GUI)
SQLCLI (command line)

SQL Syntax

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

More information:

Introduction to the SAP MaxDB SQL syntax: SQL Tutorial
Complete SQL syntax description: SQL Syntax
SQL Reference Manual, SQL Statements: Overview
SQL Reference Manual, Restrictions for SQL Statements

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