RE: Can I run an SQL statement inside a CL?

From: Dave Odom

Dale,

I"m sure by now you've probably already gone the old CL route for this,
but I suggest you thoroughly investigate and use a more robust alternative
that works well with SQL statements and you have all the capabilities of
the SQL language at your command. This would be use the IBM cross-
platform SAA language REXX in to which you put SQL. It will do all that
CL can do and MUCH more and more easily and without the compiling. And
the way you program SQL in REXX is much like any HLL without the hassle of
compiling.

I have to second this. I think REXX is a completely under-utilized
language. With the explosion of interest in scripting languages like PHP
and Ruby, System i developers ought to really look into REXX.

On the System i, it's really easy to execute a system command to an outfile
(such as DSPOBJD or DSPFD *MBRLIST), then process the outfile using an SQL
statement, and then execute system commands using the results of the SQL
statement. For administration tasks, it's really powerful. I even wrote a
little ditty about it a couple of years ago:

http://www.mcpressonline.com/sql/techtip-calling-sql-from-rexx.html

Joe