Starting Interactive SQL

There are several ways you can start Interactive SQL: from a command prompt, from the Windows Start menu, and from within Sybase Central.

To start Interactive SQL (command line)

Run the following command:
dbisql
If you do not include the -c option, which specifies the connection parameters for the database, or if you supply insufficient connection parameters, the Connect window appears, where you can enter connection information for the database. See Connection parameters.

To start Interactive SQL and connect to the sample database, run the following command:
dbisql -c "UID=DBA;PWD=sql;DSN=SQL Anywhere 12 Demo"
For information about the supported options, see Interactive SQL utility (dbisql).

To start Interactive SQL (Windows)

From the Start menu, choose Programs » SQL Anywhere 12 » Administration Tools » Interactive SQL.
Enter the connection information for your database in the Connect window.

For example, to connect to the SQL Anywhere sample database:
1. In the Authentication field, choose Database.
2. From the Action dropdown menu list choose Connect With An ODBC Data Source.
3. Click ODBC Data Source Name, and then in the box below type SQL Anywhere 12 Demo.
Click Connect.

To start Interactive SQL (Sybase Central)

From the Tools menu, choose SQL Anywhere 12 » Open Interactive SQL.
Enter the connection information for your database in the Connect window.

For example, to connect to the SQL Anywhere sample database:
1. In the Authentication field, choose Database.
2. From the Action dropdown menu list choose Connect With An ODBC Data Source.
3. Click ODBC Data Source Name, and then in the box below type SQL Anywhere 12 Demo.
Click Connect.

Tip

You can also use one of the following methods to access Interactive SQL from Sybase Central:

Selecting a database, and choosing Open Interactive SQL from the File menu.
Right-clicking a database, and choosing Open Interactive SQL.
Right-clicking a stored procedure, and choosing Execute From Interactive SQL. Interactive SQL opens with a CALL to the procedure in the SQL Statements pane and executes the stored procedure.
Right-clicking a table or view and choosing View Data In Interactive SQL. Interactive SQL opens with a SELECT * FROM table-name and executes the query.

Starting Interactive SQL on Unix

Note

The following steps assume that you have already sourced the SQL Anywhere utilities. See Setting environment variables on Unix and Mac OS X.

To start Interactive SQL (Unix command line)

In a terminal session, run the following command:
dbisql
Enter the connection information for your database in the Connect window.
Click Connect.

To start Interactive SQL (Mac OS X)

In the Finder, double-click Interactive SQL in /Applications/SQLAnywhere12.
Enter the connection information for your database in the Connect window.
Click Connect.

The following steps can be used if you are using a version of Linux that supports the Linux desktop icons and if you chose to install them when you installed SQL Anywhere.

To start Interactive SQL (Linux desktop icons)

From the Applications menu, choose SQL Anywhere 12 » Administration Tools » Interactive SQL.
Enter the connection information for your database in the Connect window.
Click Connect.