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 must understand what these building blocks do and how they affect the results of Transact-SQL statements.
Commands (this book) 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 is 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. Each command name is listed in Table 1-1.
Chapter 2, “Interactive SQL Commands” describes Interactive SQL commands, which are entered in top pane of the Interactive SQL display. These commands are intended only for Interactive SQL and are not sent to Adaptive Server for execution.
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 Adaptive Server® Enterprise documentation set consists of:
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. To check for critical product or document information that was added after the release of the product CD, use the Sybase® Product Manuals Web site.
The installation guide for your platform – describes installation, upgrading, and some configuration procedures for all Adaptive Server and related Sybase products.
New Feature Summary – describes the new features in Adaptive Server, the system changes added to support those features, and changes that may affect your existing applications.
Active Messaging Users Guide – describes how to use the Active Messaging feature to capture transactions (data changes) in an Adaptive Server Enterprise database, and deliver them as events to external applications in real time.
Component Integration Services Users Guide – explains how to use Component Integration Services to connect remote Sybase and non-Sybase databases.
The Configuration Guide for your platform – provides instructions for performing specific configuration tasks.
Glossary – defines technical terms used in the Adaptive Server documentation.
Historical Server Users Guide – describes how to use Historical Server to obtain performance information from Adaptive Server.
Java in Adaptive Server Enterprise – describes how to install and use Java classes as datatypes, functions, and stored procedures in the Adaptive Server database.
Job Scheduler Users 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).
Migration Technology Guide – describes strategies and tools for migrating to a different version of Adaptive Server.
Monitor Client Library Programmers Guide – describes how to write Monitor Client Library applications that access Adaptive Server performance data.
Monitor Server Users Guide – describes how to use Monitor Server to obtain performance statistics from Adaptive Server.
Monitoring Tables Diagram – illustrates monitor tables and their entity relationships in a poster format. Full-size available only in print version; a compact version is available in PDF format.
Performance and Tuning Series – is a series of books that explain how to tune Adaptive Server for maximum performance:
Basics – contains the basics for understanding and investigating performance questions in Adaptive Server.
Improving Performance with Statistical Analysis – describes how Adaptive Server stores and displays statistics, and how to use the set statistics command to analyze server statistics.
Locking and Concurrency Control – describes how to use locking schemes to improve performance, and how to select indexes to minimize concurrency.
Monitoring Adaptive Server with sp_sysmon – discusses how to use sp_sysmon to monitor performance.
Monitoring Tables – describes how to query Adaptive Server monitoring tables for statistical and diagnostic information.
Physical Database Tuning – describes how to manage physical data placement, space allocated for data, and the temporary databases.
Query Processing and Abstract Plans – explains how the optimizer processes queries, and how to use abstract plans to change some of the optimizer plans.
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 (regular size when viewed in PDF format).
Reference Manual – is a series of books that contains detailed Transact-SQL® information:
Building Blocks – discusses datatypes, functions, global variables, expressions, identifiers and wildcards, and reserved words.
Commands – documents commands.
Procedures – describes system procedures, catalog stored procedures, system extended stored procedures, and dbcc stored procedures.
Tables – discusses system tables, monitor tables, and dbcc tables.
System Administration Guide –
Volume 1 – provides an introduction to the basics of system administration, including a description of configuration parameters, resource issues, character sets, sort orders, and instructions for diagnosing system problems. The second part of Volume 1 is an in-depth discussion about security administration.
Volume 2 – includes instructions and guidelines for managing physical resources, mirroring devices, configuring memory and data caches, managing multiprocessor servers and user databases, mounting and unmounting databases, creating and using segments, using the reorg command, and checking database consistency. The second half of Volume 2 describes how to back up and restore system and user databases.
System Tables Diagram – illustrates system tables and their entity relationships in a poster format. Full-size available only in print version; a compact version is available in PDF format.
Transact-SQL Users Guide – documents Transact-SQL, the Sybase-enhanced version of the relational database language. This guide serves as a textbook for beginning users of the database management system, and also contains detailed descriptions of the pubs2 and pubs3 sample databases.
Troubleshooting: Error Messages Advanced Resolutions – contains troubleshooting procedures for problems you may encounter. The problems discussed here are the ones the Sybase Technical Support staff hear about most often.
Encrypted Columns Users Guide – describes how to configure and use encrypted columns with Adaptive Server.
In-Memory Database Users Guide – describes how to configure and use in-memory 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 Backup Server with IBM® Tivoli® Storage Manager – describes how to set up and use the IBM Tivoli Storage Manager to create Adaptive Server backups.
Using Sybase Failover in a High Availability System – provides instructions for using Sybase Failover to configure an Adaptive Server as a companion server in a high availability system.
Unified Agent and Agent Management Console – describes the Unified Agent, which provides runtime services to manage, monitor, and control distributed Sybase resources.
Utility Guide – documents the Adaptive Server utility programs, such as isql and bcp, which are executed at the operating system level.
Web Services Users 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 are available in XML services.
Use the Sybase Getting Started CD, the SyBooks™ CD, and the Sybase 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 SyBooks CD. It is included with your software. To read or print documents on the Getting Started CD, you need Adobe Acrobat Reader, which you can download at no charge from the Adobe Web site using a link provided on the CD.
The SyBooks CD contains product manuals and is included with your software. The Eclipse-based SyBooks browser allows you to access the manuals in an easy-to-use, HTML-based format.
Some documentation may be provided in PDF format, which you can access through the PDF directory on the SyBooks CD. To read or print the PDF files, you need Adobe Acrobat Reader.
Refer to the SyBooks Installation Guide on the Getting Started CD, or the README.txt file on the SyBooks CD for instructions on installing and starting SyBooks.
The Sybase Product Manuals Web site is an online version of the SyBooks CD that you can access using a standard Web browser. In addition to product manuals, you will find links to EBFs/Maintenance, Technical Documents, Case Management, Solved Cases, newsgroups, and the Sybase Developer Network.
To access the Sybase 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.
Click Certification Report.
In the Certification Report filter select a product, platform, and timeframe and then click Go.
Click a Certification Report title to display the report.
Finding the latest information on component certifications
Point your Web browser to Availability and Certification Reports.
Either select the product family and product under Search by Base Product; or select the platform and product under Search by Platform.
Select Search to display the availability and certification report for the selection.
Creating a personalized view of the Sybase Web
site (including support pages)
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. If prompted, enter your MySybase user name and password.
Select a product.
Specify a time frame and click Go. A list of EBF/Maintenance releases is displayed.
Padlock icons indicate that you do not have download authorization for certain EBF/Maintenance releases because you are not registered as a Technical Support Contact. If you have not registered, but have valid information provided by your Sybase representative or through your support contract, click Edit Roles to add the “Technical Support Contact” role to your MySybase profile.
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,procedure names, utility names, and other keywords display in sans serif font. |
select sp_configure |
Database names and datatypes are in sans serif font. |
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—when they are part of a query or statement, are in italics in Courier font. |
|
Type parentheses as part of the command. |
|
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. |
|
Brackets mean that to choose one or more of the enclosed options is optional. Do not type the brackets. |
|
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. |
|
The pipe or vertical bar ( | ) means you may select only one of the options shown. |
|
An ellipsis (...) means that you can repeat the last unit as many times as you like. |
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]
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 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.
This document is available in an HTML version that is specialized for accessibility. You can navigate the HTML with an adaptive technology such as a screen reader, or view it with a screen enlarger.
Adaptive Server HTML documentation has been tested for compliance with U.S. government Section 508 Accessibility requirements. Documents that comply with Section 508 generally also meet non-U.S. accessibility guidelines, such as the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) guidelines for Web sites.
You might need to configure your accessibility tool
for optimal use. Some screen readers pronounce text based on its
case; for example, they pronounce ALL UPPERCASE TEXT as initials,
and MixedCase Text as words. You might find it helpful to configure
your tool to announce syntax conventions. Consult the documentation
for your tool.
For information about how Sybase supports accessibility, see Sybase Accessibility. The Sybase Accessibility site includes links to information on Section 508 and W3C standards.
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.
