The Adaptive Server Reference Manual includes four guides to Sybase® Adaptive Server® Enterprise and the Transact-SQL® language:
Building Blocks describes the “parts” of Transact-SQL: datatypes, built-in functions, global variables, expressions and identifiers, reserved words, and SQLSTATE errors. Before you can use Transact-SQL sucessfully, you need to understand what these building blocks do and how they affect the results of Transact-SQL statements.
Commands provides reference information about the Transact-SQL commands, which you use to create statements.
Procedures provides reference information about system procedures, catalog stored procedures, extended stored procedures, and dbcc stored procedures. All procedures are created using Transact-SQL statements.
Tables provides reference information about the system tables, which store information about your server, databases, users, and other details of your server. It also provides information about the tables in the dbccdb and dbccalt databases.
The Adaptive Server Reference Manual is intended as a reference tool for Transact-SQL users of all levels.
Chapter 1, “Commands,” lists the Adaptive Server commands in a table that provides the name and a brief description. Click on a command name in Table 1-1 to go directly to the command.
Complex commands, such as select, are divided into subsections. For example, there are reference pages on the compute clause and on the group by and having clauses of the select command.
The Sybase Adaptive Server Enterprise documentation set consists of the following:
The release bulletin for your platform – contains last-minute information that was too late to be included in the books.
A more recent version of the release bulletin may be available on the World Wide Web. To check for critical product or document information that was added after the release of the product CD, use the Sybase Technical Library.
The Installation Guide for your platform – describes installation, upgrade, and configuration procedures for all Adaptive Server and related Sybase products.
What’s New in Adaptive Server Enterprise? – describes the new features in Adaptive Server version 12.5.1, the system changes added to support those features, and the changes that may affect your existing applications.
ASE Replicator User’s Guide – describes how to use the ASE Replicator feature of Adaptive Server to implement basic replication from a primary server to one or more remote Adaptive Servers.
Component Integration Services User’s Guide – explains how to use the Adaptive Server Component Integration Services feature to connect remote Sybase and non-Sybase databases.
Configuring Adaptive Server Enterprise for your platform – provides instructions for performing specific configuration tasks for Adaptive Server.
EJB Server User’s Guide – explains how to use EJB Server to deploy and execute Enterprise JavaBeans in Adaptive Server.
Error Messages and Troubleshooting Guide – explains how to resolve frequently occurring error messages and describes solutions to system problems frequently encountered by users.
Full-Text Search Specialty Data Store User’s Guide – describes how to use the Full-Text Search feature with Verity to search Adaptive Server Enterprise data.
Glossary – defines technical terms used in the Adaptive Server documentation.
Historical Server User’s Guide – describes how to use Historical Server to obtain performance information for SQL Server® and Adaptive Server.
Java in Adaptive Server Enterprise – describes how to install and use Java classes as data types, functions, and stored procedures in the Adaptive Server database.
Job Scheduler User's Guide – provides instructions on how to install and configure, and create and schedule jobs on a local or remote Adaptive Server using the command line or a graphical user interface (GUI).
Monitor Client Library Programmer’s Guide – describes how to write Monitor Client Library applications that access Adaptive Server performance data.
Monitor Server User’s Guide – describes how to use Monitor Server to obtain performance statistics from SQL Server and Adaptive Server.
Performance and Tuning Guide – is a series of four books that explains how to tune Adaptive Server for maximum performance:
Basics – the basics for understanding and investigating performance questions in Adaptive Server.
Locking – describes how the various locking schemas can be used for improving performance in Adaptive Server.
Optimizer and Abstract Plans – describes how the optimizer processes queries and how abstract plans can be used to change some of the optimizer plans.
Monitoring and Analyzing – explains how statistics are obtained and used for monitoring and optimizing performance.
Quick Reference Guide – provides a comprehensive listing of the names and syntax for commands, functions, system procedures, extended system procedures, datatypes, and utilities in a pocket-sized book.
Reference Manual – is a series of four books that contains the following detailed Transact-SQL® information:
Building Blocks – Transact-SQL datatypes, functions, global variables, expressions, identifiers and wildcards, and reserved words.
Commands – Transact-SQL commands.
Procedures – Transact-SQL system procedures, catalog stored procedures, system extended stored procedures, and dbcc stored procedures.
Tables – Transact-SQL system tables and dbcc tables.
System Administration Guide – provides in-depth information about administering servers and databases. This manual includes instructions and guidelines for managing physical resources, security, user and system databases, and specifying character conversion, international language, and sort order settings.
System Tables Diagram – illustrates system tables and their entity relationships in a poster format. Available only in print version.
Transact-SQL User’s Guide – documents Transact-SQL, Sybase’s enhanced version of the relational database language. This manual serves as a textbook for beginning users of the database management system. This manual also contains descriptions of the pubs2 and pubs3 sample databases.
Using Adaptive Server Distributed Transaction Management Features – explains how to configure, use, and troubleshoot Adaptive Server DTM features in distributed transaction processing environments.
Using Sybase Failover in a High Availability System – provides instructions for using Sybase’s Failover to configure an Adaptive Server as a companion server in a high availability system.
Utility Guide – documents the Adaptive Server utility programs, such as isql and bcp, which are executed at the operating system level.
Web Services User’s Guide – explains how to configure, use, and troubleshoot Web Services for Adaptive Server.
XA Interface Integration Guide for CICS, Encina, and TUXEDO – provides instructions for using the Sybase DTM XA interface with X/Open XA transaction managers.
XML Services in Adaptive Server Enterprise – describes the Sybase native XML processor and the Sybase Java-based XML support, introduces XML in the database, and documents the query and mapping functions that comprise XML Services.
Use the Sybase Getting Started CD, the Sybase Technical Library CD and the Technical Library Product Manuals Web site to learn more about your product:
The Getting Started CD contains release bulletins and installation guides in PDF format, and may also contain other documents or updated information not included on the Technical Library CD. It is included with your software. To read or print documents on the Getting Started CD you need Adobe Acrobat Reader (downloadable at no charge from the Adobe Web site, using a link provided on the CD).
The Technical Library CD contains product manuals and is included with your software. The DynaText reader (included on the Technical Library CD) allows you to access technical information about your product in an easy-to-use format.
Refer to the Technical Library Installation Guide in your documentation package for instructions on installing and starting the Technical Library.
The Technical Library Product Manuals Web site is an HTML version of the Technical Library CD that you can access using a standard Web browser. In addition to product manuals, you will find links to EBFs/Updates, Technical Documents, Case Management, Solved Cases, newsgroups, and the Sybase Developer Network.
To access the Technical Library Product Manuals Web site, go to Product Manuals.
Technical documentation at the Sybase Web site is updated frequently.
Finding the latest information on product certifications
Point your Web browser to Technical Documents.
Select Products from the navigation bar on the left.
Select a product name from the product list and click Go.
Select the Certification Report filter, specify a time frame, and click Go.
Click a Certification Report title to display the report.
Creating a personalized view of the Sybase Web
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Set up a MySybase profile. MySybase is a free service that allows you to create a personalized view of Sybase Web pages.
Point your Web browser to Technical Documents.
Click MySybase and create a MySybase profile.
Finding the latest information on EBFs and software
maintenance
Point your Web browser to the Sybase Support Page.
Select EBFs/Maintenance. Enter user name and password information, if prompted (for existing Web accounts) or create a new account (a free service).
Select a product.
Specify a time frame and click Go.
Click the Info icon to display the EBF/Maintenance report, or click the product description to download the software.
The following sections describe conventions used in this manual.
SQL is a free-form language. There are no rules about the number of words you can put on a line or where you must break a line. However, for readability, all examples and most syntax statements in this manual are formatted so that each clause of a statement begins on a new line. Clauses that have more than one part extend to additional lines, which are indented. Complex commands are formatted using modified Backus Naur Form (BNF) notation.
Table 1 shows the conventions for syntax statements that appear in this manual:
Element |
Example |
|---|---|
Command names, command options, utility names, utility options, and other keywords are in “command” font (Arial, 8 point). |
select sp_configure |
Database names, datatypes, file names and path names are in “database object” font (Arial, 8 point). |
master database |
Book names, file names, variables, and path names are in italics. |
System Administration Guide sql.ini file column_name $SYBASE/ASE directory |
Variables, or words that stand for values that you fill in, are in “variable” font (Italics). |
select column_name from table_name where search_conditions |
Type parentheses as part of the command. |
compute row_aggregate (column_name) |
Double colon, equals sign indicates that the syntax is written in BNF notation. Do not type this symbol. Indicates “is defined as”. |
::= |
Curly braces mean that you must choose at least one of the enclosed options. Do not type the braces. |
{cash, check, credit}
|
Brackets mean that to choose one or more of the enclosed options is optional. Do not type the brackets. |
[cash | check | credit] |
The comma means you may choose as many of the options shown as you want. Separate your choices with commas as part of the command. |
cash, check, credit |
The pipe or vertical bar (|) means you may select only one of the options shown. |
cash | check | credit |
An ellipsis (...) means that you can repeat the last unit as many times as you like. |
buy thing = price [cash | check | credit] [, thing = price [cash | check | credit] ]... You must buy at least one thing and give its price. You may choose a method of payment: one of the items enclosed in square brackets. You may also choose to buy additional things: as many of them as you like. For each thing you buy, give its name, its price, and (optionally) a method of payment. |
Syntax statements (displaying the syntax and all options for a command) appear as follows:
sp_dropdevice [device_name]
or, for a command with more options:
select column_name
from table_name
where search_conditions
In syntax statements, keywords (commands) are in normal font and identifiers are in lowercase. Italic font shows user-supplied words.
Examples showing the use of Transact-SQL commands are printed like this:
select * from publishers
Examples of output from the computer appear as follows:
pub_id pub_name city state ------- --------------------- ----------- ----- 0736 New Age Books Boston MA 0877 Binnet & Hardley Washington DC 1389 Algodata Infosystems Berkeley CA (3 rows affected)
In this manual, most of the examples are in lowercase. However, you can disregard case when typing Transact-SQL keywords. For example, SELECT, Select, and select are the same.
Adaptive Server’s sensitivity to the case of database objects, such as table names, depends on the sort order installed on Adaptive Server. You can change case sensitivity for single-byte character sets by reconfiguring the Adaptive Server sort order. For more information, see the System Administration Guide.
Each Sybase installation that has purchased a support contract has one or more designated people who are authorized to contact Sybase Technical Support. If you cannot resolve a problem using the manuals or online help, please have the designated person contact Sybase Technical Support or the Sybase subsidiary in your area.
