Comp-4150: Advanced and Practical Database Systems

• Ramez Elmasri , Shamkant B. Navathe(2016) Fundamentals of Database Systems (7th

Edition), Pearson, isbn 10: 0-13-397077-9; isbn-13:978-0-13-397077-7.

Chapter 10:

Introduction to SQL
Programming
Techniques

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Copyright © 2016 Ramez Elmasri and Shamkant B. Navathe
Chapter 10: Introduction to SQL Programming Techniques:
Outline

 1. Database Programming: Techniques and Issues

 2. Embedded SQL, Dynamic SQL, and SQLJ
 3. Database Programming with Function Calls: SQL/CLI and JDBC
 4. Database Stored Procedures and SQL/PSM
 5. Connecting to database server through a DBMS client desktop software
(E.g., SQL developer with Oracle) (discussed later in Part C)
 6. Building a Web database application program for access through a web
browser (e.g., with PHP scripting). (discussed in Chapter 11 and Part C)
 5. Comparing the First Three Approaches (Embedded SQL, Function Calls,
Stored Procedures)

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Introduction to SQL Programming Techniques

 1. Database applications: Techniques and Issues

 What are some of the techniques developed for accessing
databases from application programs?
 Most database access in practical applications (e.g., student
information system) is accomplished through software
programs that implement database applications through the
following three main approaches:
 2. Embedding Database Commands in a general-purpose
programming language called Host language such as:
 Java (embedded version is SQLJ), C/C++/C# (embedded

SQL with C is Pro*C), COBOL, or some other

programming language, (e.g., Dynamic SQL).
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Introduction to SQL Programming Techniques

 3. Database Programming with Function Calls and Class Libraries:

SQL/CLI (eg., ODBC), JDBC connectivity
 4. Database Stored Procedures and SQL/PSM
 SQL standards (e.g., Oracle PL/SQL, to be covered more in full in
Part B of Course with the text book `Oracle PL/SQL by Example, 5th
edition with authors Benjamin Rosenzweig and Elena Rakhimov).
 5. Connecting to database server through a DBMS client desktop
software (E.g., SQL developer with Oracle) (discussed later in Part C)
 6. Building a Web database application program for access through a
web browser (e.g., with PHP scripting). (discussed in Chapter 11 and
Part C)
 7. Comparing the Three Approaches of Embedded SQL, Function
Calls and Stored Procedures (e.g., Oracle PL/SQL).
Copyright © 2016 Ramez Elmasri and Shamkant B. Navathe
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10.1. Database Programming:
Techniques and Issues
 SQL standards are
 Continually evolving

 Each DBMS vendor may have some variations from

standard
 Interactive interface (e.g., through a query processor as Oracle
SQLPlus or through a DBMS desktop front-end tool such as MS
Access or SQL Developer, consists of
 SQL commands typed directly into a monitor

 To Execute a filename.sql of SQL commands, use:

 @filename.sql

 Application programs or database applications

 Used as canned transactions by the end users to access a

database and may have web interface.

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10.1.1 Three Approaches to Database
Programming (Discussed in Chapter 10)

 1. Embedding database commands in a general-purpose host programming

language such as C or Java.
 Here, Database statements are identified by a special
prefix. For example, in an embedded SQL program with C
host programming language, an embedded SQL statement
is prefixed with the keywords: EXEC SQL
 Precompiler or preprocessor scans the source program
code
 Identifies database statements and extracts them for

processing by the DBMS

 This first Approach is Called embedded SQL

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10.1.1 Three Approaches to Database
Programming (Discussed in Chapter 10)

 2. Using a library of database functions (API) provided by the host

language to connect to the DBMS.
 Library of functions available to the host programming

language (e.g. JDBC with Java)

 These functions in this second approach are called

Application programming interface (API)

 3. Designing a brand-new database programming language
 Database programming language designed from scratch

by adding programming constructs of decision, repetition,

functions and others to SQL.
 These are called stored procedures (eg. Oracle PL/SQL)

 The First two approaches are more commonly used.

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10.1.2 Impedance Mismatch

 Impedance mismatch discusses the problems that may occur when databases
are queried using any of the three database programming approaches (e.g.,
Oracle PL/SQL and programming language model of methods 1 and 2)
 1. Data model Binding for each host programming language with the data
model of the database can be challenging.
 Thus, each such embedded C language program specifies
for each attribute relational database (e.g., Varchar) type
the compatible programming language types (e.g., char[ ])
 2. Cursor or iterator variable has to be used to
 Loop over the tuples in a query result that are typically

presented as a relation in a relational database and these

operations can appear complex.

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10.1.3 Typical Sequence of Interaction in
Database Programming

 When writing a database application program, a common sequence of

interaction is:
 1. The program must first Open a connection to database server usually by
specifying the internet address (URL) of the machine where the server is
located, plus providing a login account name and password for the database
access.
 2. Once the connection is established, the program can Interact with database
by submitting queries, updates, and other database commands.
 3. When the program no longer needs access to a particular database, it
should terminate or close connection to the database

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10.2. Embedded SQL, Dynamic SQL, and SQLJ

 Examples are:
 1. Embedded SQL
 C language
 2. SQLJ
 Java language
 Programming language called host language

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10.2.1. Retrieving Single Tuples with Embedded
SQL

 EXEC SQL
 Prefix
 Preprocessor separates embedded SQL
statements from host language code
 Terminated by a matching END-EXEC
 Or by a semicolon (;)
 Shared variables
 Used in both the C program and the embedded
SQL statements
 Prefixed by a colon (:) in SQL statement

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Figure 10.1 C program variables used in the embedded SQL
examples E1 and E2.

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10.2.1. Retrieving Single Tuples with Embedded
SQL (cont’d.)

 Connecting to the database

CONNECT TO <server name>AS <connection name>
AUTHORIZATION <user account name and password> ;
 Change connection
SET CONNECTION <connection name> ;
 Terminate connection
DISCONNECT <connection name> ;

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10.2.1 Retrieving Single Tuples with Embedded
SQL (cont’d.)

 SQLCODE and SQLSTATE communication variables

 Used by DBMS to communicate exception or error
conditions
 SQLCODE variable
 0 = statement executed successfully
 100 = no more data available in query result
 < 0 = indicates some error has occurred

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Copyright © 2016 Ramez Elmasri and Shamkant B. Navathe
10.2.1. Retrieving Single Tuples with Embedded
SQL (cont’d.)

 SQLSTATE
 String of five characters
 ‘00000’ = no error or exception
 Other values indicate various errors or exceptions
 For example, ‘02000’ indicates ‘no more data’
when using SQLSTATE
 Example 10.1: Given the Company Database example
table Employee already in your database, write an
embedded SQL program in C/C++ that will accept as
input a social security number of an employee and
prints some information from the Employee record.

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Figure 10.2 Program segment E1, a C program segment with
embedded SQL.

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10.2.2. Retrieving Multiple Tuples with
Embedded SQL Using Cursors

 Cursor
 Points to a single tuple (row) from result of query
 OPEN CURSOR command
 Fetches query result and sets cursor to a position
before first row in result
 Becomes current row for cursor
 FETCH commands
 Moves cursor to next row in result of query

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Figure 10.3 Program segment E2, a C program segment that uses cursors with
embedded SQL for update purposes.

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10.2.2. Retrieving Multiple Tuples with Embedded
SQL Using Cursors (cont’d.)

 FOR UPDATE OF
 List the names of any attributes that will be
updated by the program
 Fetch orientation
 Added using value: NEXT, PRIOR, FIRST, LAST,
ABSOLUTE i, and RELATIVE i

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10.2.3. Specifying Queries at Runtime Using
Dynamic SQL

 Dynamic SQL
 Execute different SQL queries or updates
dynamically at runtime
 Dynamic update
 Dynamic query

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Figure 10.4 Program segment E3, a C program segment that uses dynamic SQL
for updating a table.

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10.2.4. SQLJ: Embedding SQL Commands in
Java

 Standard adopted by several vendors for embedding SQL in Java

 Import several class libraries
 Default context
 Uses exceptions for error handling
 SQLException is used to return errors or
exception conditions

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Figure 10.5 Importing classes needed for including SQLJ in Java programs in
Oracle, and establishing a connection and default context.

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Figure 10.6 Java program variables used in SQLJ examples J1 and J2.

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Figure 10.7 Program segment J1, a Java program segment with SQLJ.

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10.2.5. Retrieving Multiple Tuples in SQLJ
Using Iterators

 Iterator
 Object associated with a collection (set or multiset)
of records in a query result
 Named iterator
 Associated with a query result by listing attribute
names and types in query result
 Positional iterator
 Lists only attribute types in query result

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Figure 10.8 Program segment J2A, a Java program segment that uses a named
iterator to print employee information in a particular department.

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Figure 10.9 Program segment J2B, a Java program segment that uses a
positional iterator to print employee information in a particular department.

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10.3. Database Programming with Function Calls:
SQL/CLI & JDBC
 Use of function calls
 Dynamic approach for database programming
 Library of functions
 Also known as application programming
interface (API)
 Used to access database
 SQL Call Level Interface (SQL/CLI)
 Part of SQL standard

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Copyright © 2016 Ramez Elmasri and Shamkant B. Navathe
10.3.1. SQL/CLI: Using C as the Host Language

 Environment record
 Track one or more database connections
 Set environment information
 Connection record
 Keeps track of information needed for a particular
database connection
 Statement record
 Keeps track of the information needed for one
SQL statement

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10.3.1. SQL/CLI: Using C as the Host Language
(cont’d.)

 Description record
 Keeps track of information about tuples or
parameters
 Handle to the record
 C pointer variable makes record accessible to
program

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Figure 10.10 Program segment CLI1, a C program segment with SQL/CLI.

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Figure 10.11 Program segment CLI2, a C program segment that uses SQL/CLI for a query with
a collection of tuples in its result.

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10.3.2. JDBC: SQL Function Calls for Java
Programming

 JDBC
 Java function libraries
 Single Java program can connect to several different databases
 Called data sources accessed by the Java
program
 Class.forName("oracle.jdbc.driver.OracleDriver")
 Load a JDBC driver explicitly

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10.3.2. JDBC: SQL Function Calls for Java
Programming

 Connection object
 Statement object has two subclasses:
 PreparedStatement and
CallableStatement
 Question mark (?) symbol
 Represents a statement parameter
 Determined at runtime
 ResultSet object
 Holds results of query

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Figure 10.12 Program segment JDBC1, a Java program segment with JDBC.

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Figure 10.13 Program segment JDBC2, a Java program segment that uses JDBC
for a query with a collection of tuples in its result.

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10.4. Database Stored Procedures and SQL/PSM (More
Discussion of Oracle PL/SQL in Part B)

 Stored procedures
 Program modules stored by the DBMS at the
database server
 Can be functions or procedures
 SQL/PSM (SQL/Persistent Stored Modules)
 Extensions to SQL
 Include general-purpose programming constructs
in SQL

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10.4. Database Stored Procedures
and SQL/PSM
 Persistent stored modules
 Stored persistently by the DBMS
 Useful:
 When database program is needed by several
applications
 To reduce data transfer and communication cost
between client and server in certain situations
 To enhance modeling power provided by views

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10.4. Database Stored Procedures
and SQL/PSM
 Declaring stored procedures:
CREATE PROCEDURE <procedure name> (<parameters>)
<local declarations>
<procedure body> ;
declaring a function, a return type is necessary,
so the declaration form is
CREATE FUNCTION <function name> (<parameters>)
RETURNS <return type>
<local declarations>
<function body> ;

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10.4. Database Stored Procedures
and SQL/PSM
 Each parameter has parameter type
 Parameter type: one of the SQL data types
 Parameter mode: IN, OUT, or INOUT
 Calling a stored procedure:
CALL <procedure or function name>
(<argument list>) ;

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SQL/PSM: Extending SQL for
Specifying Persistent
Stored Modules

 Conditional branching statement:

IF <condition> THEN <statement list>
ELSEIF <condition> THEN <statement list>
...
ELSEIF <condition> THEN <statement list>
ELSE <statement list>
END IF ;

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SQL/PSM (cont’d.)
 Constructs for looping

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Figure 10.14 Declaring a function in SQL/PSM.

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Comparing the Three Approaches
 Embedded SQL Approach
 Query text checked for syntax errors and validated
against database schema at compile time
 For complex applications where queries have to
be generated at runtime
 Function call approach more suitable

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Comparing the Three Approaches
(cont’d.)
 Library of Function Calls Approach
 More flexibility
 More complex programming
 No checking of syntax done at compile time
 Database Programming Language Approach
 Does not suffer from the impedance mismatch
problem
 Programmers must learn a new language

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Summary
 Techniques for database programming
 Embedded SQL
 SQLJ
 Function call libraries
 SQL/CLI standard
 JDBC class library
 Stored procedures
 SQL/PSM

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Copyright © 2016 Ramez Elmasri and Shamkant B. Navathe