RE: generate DDS from SQL table?

[Vernon Hamberg <vhamberg@xxxxxxxxx>]

As Barry Kline says, you can put column headings and text on columns in SQL
tables. There are some things in DDS that make life easier than does SQL.
Most have some equivalent or can be worked around. SELECT/OMIT, which can
be done with WHERE clauses. Having key fields can be done with a constraint
-- although only unique or primary. Non-unique require a separate index in
SQL and would not be readable in RPG, say. JOIN logicals can be emulated
with UNION SELECT by including, say, some kind of ID for each SELECT - like
record IDs in RPG, eh?

There's probably a programmatic way to do almost any of the special
features of DDS. Other platforms have got along without it for years. But
there are lots of conveniences afforded by it.

Building SQL tables is best accomplished with a script (RUNSQLSTM) or a
series of QMQRYs, IMO. The script is sort of like a DDS source member,
RUNSQLSTM the compiler. QMQRYs can be combined in a QMPROC.

At 07:02 AM 4/25/02 -0400, you wrote:
>In my (limited) experience, SQL tables look like DDS PF's with a couple
>significant drawbacks.  JDEdwards World product (the older green screen
>version) uses PFs.  The newer OneWorld product (client server) uses SQL
>tables.  In  many cases, the files are identical in terms of fields, etc.
>RPG programs can be built over either type of file, and Query can be used,
>also.  But... the SQL tables are missing such nice-to-have attributes as
>field descriptions, predefined column headings, etc.  So, building a query
>over an SQL table is often less intuitive than it might be over a properly
>created DDS based PF.
>
>Maybe it's just JDE's implementation of SQL tables?  Perhaps someone knows
>more about this...
>
>Any other opinions??