[Openroad-users] Enterprise Access

[Chris Clark]

James Higson wrote:
> ....Do you need to use ANSI OpenSQL, or can EA manipulate any SQL you 
> throw at it?

Pedantic nitpick :-) It isn't ANSI OpenSQL, it is just OpenSQL. OpenSQL 
isn't backed by ANSI, OpenSQL is a subset of SQL that we've found common 
in most relational databases (or that EA can translate into the host 
specific syntax).

Back to the real question, you _should_ use OpenSQL so that the SQL can 
be translated by EA. You can in certain circumstances use native syntax 
but that defeats one of the aims of EA; write one application that runs 
against multiple database servers :-)

Some good resource are the OpenSQL manual and the EA 2.6 Developing 
Portable Applications Guide from 
http://www.ingres.com/downloads/prod-download-documents.php

> DB2 is obviously a moving target; are there backward or foreward 
> compatibility issues to be considered?

The main advantage of EA is that if you write your application to work 
with EA, it should work with the later release of EA. So if your OpenSQL 
application works with EA 2.1 to UDB version X and you need UDB version 
Y that only EA 2.6 supports; the application should work the same with 
EA 2.6 and the later release of UDB. The caveat is "OpenSQL 
application", if you take advantage of host specific features EA can't 
protect you.

Chris