RE: AW: sysibm.sysdummy1

Rob,

With 6.1 you can now do:

SELECT * FROM (VALUES('Constant1')) AS myTable(myColumn)

As you can see, it replaces the need for SYSIBM/SYSDUMMY1 reference in
interactive SQL and like. It also ought to perform better as no ODP is
required.

As for programmatic use of VALUES INTO, it is indeed be very useful and a
much better option than SYSDUMMY1.
I however prefer using the SET keyword, i.e.:

SET :myVar = CURRENT_DATE;

It just seems 'cleaner' on my eyes than VALUES INTO.

As for the OP (Original Poster), you can think of SYSIBM/SYSDUMMY1 as
Oracle's DUAL table. In SQL Server, you wouldn't even need a one-row
guaranteed table (TSQL doesn't require a FROM clause).
It's useful in interactive SQL environments for evaluating special registers
(i.e. CURRENT_TIMESTAMP) or UDFs (User Defined Functions).

Hth, Elvis

Celebrating 11-Years of SQL Performance Excellence on IBM i, i5/OS and
OS/400
www.centerfieldtechnology.com

-----Original Message-----
Subject: Re: AW: sysibm.sysdummy1

Birgitta,

VALUES and VALUES INTO has been around longer than 6.1.

What new feature are you talking about?

Rob Berendt