Working with Stored Procedures in the Recital Database Server

In this article Barry Mavin, CEO and Chief Software Architect for Recital, details Working with Stored Procedures in the Recital Database Server.

Overview

Stored procedures and user-defined functions are collections of SQL statements and optional control-of-flow statements written in the Recital 4GL (compatible with VFP) stored under a name and saved in a Database. Both stored procedures and user-defined functions are just-in-time compiled by the Recital database engine. Using the Database Administrator in Recital Enterprise Studio, you can easily create, view, modify, and test Stored Procedures, Triggers, and user-defined functions

Creating and Editing Stored Procedures

To create a new Stored Procedure, right-click the Procedures node in the Databases tree of the Project Explorer and choose Create. To modify an existing stored procedure select the Stored Procedure in the Databases Tree in the Project Explorer by double-clicking on it or selecting Modify from the context menu . By convertion we recommend that you name your Stored Procedures beginning with "sp_xxx_", user-defined functions with "f_xxx_", and Triggers with "dt_xxx_", where xxx is the name of the table that they are associated with.

Testing the Procedure

To test run the Stored Procedure, select the Stored Procedure in the Databases Tree in the Project Explorer by double-clicking on it. Once the Database Administrator is displayed, click the Run button to run the procedure.

Getting return values

Example Stored Procedure called "sp_myproc":

parameter arg1, arg2
return arg1 + arg2

Example calling the Stored Procedure from C# .NET:

////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
// include the references below
using System.Data;
using Recital.Data;

////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
// sample code to call a Stored Procedure that adds to numeric values together
public int CallStoredProcedure()
{
	RecitalConnection conn = new 
		RecitalConnection("Data Source=localhost;Database=southwind;uid=?;pwd=?");
	RecitalCommand cmd = new RecitalCommand();
	cmd.Connection = conn;
	cmd.CommandText = "sp_myproc(@arg1, @arg2)";
	cmd.CommandType = CommandType.StoredProcedure;
	cmd.Parameters["@arg1"].Value = 10;
	cmd.Parameters["@arg2"].Value = 20;
	conn.Open();
	cmd.ExecuteNonQuery();
	int result = (int)(cmd.Parameters["retvalue"].Value);    // get the return value from the sp
	conn.Close();
	return result;
	}

Writing Stored Procedures that return a Resultset

If you want to write a Stored Procedure that returns a ResultSet, you use the SETRESULTSET() function of the 4GL. Using the Universal .NET Data Provider, you can then execute the 4GL Stored Procedure and return the ResultSet to the client application for processing. ResultSets that are returned from Stored Procedures are read-only.

Example Stored Procedure called "sp_myproc":

parameter query
select * from customers &query into cursor "mydata"
return setresultset("mydata")

Example calling the Stored Procedure from C# .NET:

////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
// include the references below
using System.Data;
using Recital.Data;

////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
// sample code to call a stored procedure that returns a ResultSet
public void CallStoredProcedure()
{
	RecitalConnection conn = new 
		RecitalConnection("Data Source=localhost;Database=southwind;uid=?;pwd=?");
	RecitalCommand cmd = new RecitalCommand();
	cmd.Connection = conn;
	cmd.CommandText = "sp_myproc(@query)";
	cmd.CommandType = CommandType.StoredProcedure;
	cmd.Parameters["@query"].Value = "where not deleted()";
	conn.Open();
	RecitalDataReader dreader = cmd.ExecuteReader();
	int sqlcnt = (int)(cmd.Parameters["sqlcnt"].Value);    // returns number of affected rows
	while (dreader.Read())
	{
		// read and process the data
	}
	dreader.Close();
	conn.Close();
}

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Using the Recital FOREACH statement

Recital 10 introduced a FOREACH command, much like PHP and some other languages. This simply gives an easy way to iterate over arrays. foreach works on arrays and objects, and will issue an error when you try to use it on a variable with a different data type or an uninitialized variable. There are two syntaxes; the second is a minor but useful extension of the first:

FOREACH array_expression AS value
    statements...
ENDFOR

FOREACH array_expression AS key => value
    statements...
ENDFOR

The first form loops over the array given by array_expression. On each loop, the value of the current element is assigned to value and the internal array pointer is advanced by one (so on the next loop, you'll be looking at the next element).
The second form does the same thing, except that the current element's key will be assigned to the variable key on each loop. This form works only on associative arrays and objects.

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Recital 10 Express Edition Linux x86

Recital 10 Express Edition Linux x86 Free Download.

Recital 10 introduces the free single-user developer edition called Recital Express that can be used to develop and test multi-user Recital, Recital Server and Recital Web applications. Once the applications are ready for deployment a commercial license must be purchased. Recital Express, Recital Server Express and Recital Web Express can be used unlicensed for non-commercial purposes only.

What does this download include:

Recital 10

A powerful scripting language with an embedded database used for developing desktop database applications on Linux and Unix. Recital has a high degree of compatibility with Microsoft FoxPRO enhanced with many additional enterprise class extensions.

Recital 10 Web

A server-side scripting language with an embedded database for creating web 2.0 applications. Includes plugins for apache and IIS. Coming soon! Recital Web Framework, a comprehensive OO framework built on YUI for building RIA (Rich Internet Applications) in Recital Web.

Recital 10 Server

A cross-platform SQL database and application server which includes client drivers for ODBC, JDBC and .NET enabling Recital data to be accessed client/server from Windows, Linux and Mac.

Recital 10 Replication

A comprehensive replication product that addresses urgent data movement and synchronization needs to help support disaster recovery and business continuity for Recital applications.

Recital 10 Quick Start:

Graphical Installation

Note: The installation must be run as root. For systems with a hidden root account, please use ’Run as Root’.

Download the distribution file into a temporary directory
Check that the distribution file has the execute permission set
Run the distribution file
Follow the on screen instructions:
1. License agreement
2. Select components
3. Installation directory and shortcuts
4. Linking to /usr/bin
5. ODBC Installation type (Recital Server / Recital Client Drivers)
6. Java Virtual Machine selection (Recital Server / Recital Client Drivers)
7. TomCat Installation type (Recital Server / Recital Client Drivers)
8. Apache Firecat Plugin Installation (Recital Web Developer)
9. Replication Service Type (Recital Replication Server)
10. Install license file

Text Installation

Note: The installation must be run as root. For systems with a hidden root account, please precede commands with ’sudo’.

Download the distribution file into a temporary directory
Check that the distribution file has the execute permission set
Run the distribution file
Follow the on screen instructions:
1. License agreement
2. Select components
3. Installation directory and shortcuts
4. Linking to /usr/bin
5. ODBC Installation type (Recital Server / Recital Client Drivers)
6. Java Virtual Machine selection (Recital Server / Recital Client Drivers)
7. TomCat Installation type (Recital Server / Recital Client Drivers)
8. Apache Firecat Plugin Installation (Recital Web Developer)
9. Replication Service Type (Recital Replication Server)
10. Install license file

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What is Recital?

Recital is a dynamic programming language with an embedded high performance database engine particularly well suited for the development and deployment of high transaction throughput applications.

The Recital database engine is not a standalone process with which the application program communicates. Instead, the Recital database is an integral part of any applications developed in Recital.

Recital implements most of the SQL-99 standard for SQL, but also provides lower level navigational data access for performing high transaction throughput. It is the choice of the application developer whether to use SQL, navigational data access, or a combination of both depending upon the type of application being developed.

The Recital database engine, although operating as an embedded database in the user process, multiple users and other background processes may access the same data concurrently. Read accesses are satisfied in parallel. Recital uses automatic record level locking when performing database updates. This provides for a high degree of database concurrency and superior application performance and differentiates the Recital database from other embeddable databases such as sqlite that locks the entire database file during writing.

Key features of the Recital scripting language include:

High performance database application scripting language
Modern object-oriented language features
Easy to learn, easy to use
Fast, just-in-time compiled
Loosely-typed
Garbage collected
Static arrays, Associative arrays and objects
Develop desktop or web applications
Cross-platform support
Extensive built-in functions
Superb built-in SQL command integration
Navigational data access for the most demanding applications
Scripting language is upward compatible with FoxPRO

Key features of the Recital database include:

A broad subset of ANSI SQL 99, as well as extensions
Cross-platform support
Stored procedures
Triggers
Cursors
Updatable Views
System Tables
Query caching
Sub-SELECTs (i.e. nested SELECTs)
Embedded database library
Fault tolerant clustering support
Chronological data versioning with database timelines
Optional DES3 encrypted data
Hot backup
Client drivers for ODBC, JDBC and .NET

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Is there a way in linux to see if someone has a file in use by recital?

In Linux you can run lsof and pipe it though grep for the files you are interested in, for example;

$ lsof | grep db.exe | grep accounts
db.exe    16897      john    6uw     REG      253,0    20012    3413872 /usr/recital100/qa/accounts.dbf
db.exe    16897      john    7u      REG      253,0     4176    3413885 /usr/recital100/qa/accounts.dbx

If you want to check for locks you can use lslk, for example;

$ lslk | grep db.exe | grep accounts
db.exe    16897 253,0 3413872 20012  w 0  0  0 12319   0 /usr/recital100/qa/accounts.dbf

If you don't have lslk installed you can install it with one of the updaters, for example on redhat linux:

$ yum update lslk

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Using the Recital DIE() function

Recital 10 introduced the DIE( )and EXIT( ) functions. These functions operates in the same way as the PHP DIE( ) and EXIT( ) functions. They output a message and terminate the current session in both Recital and Recital Web.

try
  open database southwind
catch
  die("Cannot open database, please try later.")
endtry

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HOWTO: Setup a Linux HA cluster for Recital

In this article Barry Mavin explains step by step how to setup a Linux HA (High Availability) cluster for the running of Recital applications on Redhat/Centos 5.3 although the general configuration should work for other linux versions with a few minor changes.

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Tagged under

CLUSTER

Announcing Recital 10

After an extended period of intense software development, we are pleased to announce the release of Recital 10 which is a milestone in our development efforts.

Recital 10 is comprised of major new versions of all of our products (which are all now Cluster Ready) as well as some new products, and a collection of open source technologies fully supported by ourselves to our customer base.

The Recital 10 release notes can be found here.

Recital
A powerful scripting language with an embedded database used for developing desktop database applications on Linux and Unix.
Recital Server
A cross-platform SQL database and application server.
Recital Web
A server-side scripting language with an embedded SQL database for creating web 2.0 web applications.

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Can I use the Recital scripting language with MySQL, Oracle, DB2 or Postgres?

Yes. This article explains how.

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The Recital Solution for Universal Data Integration

In this article Barry Mavin, CEO and Chief Software Architect for Recital provides details on how the Recital Database Server can be used to provide a solution for Universal Data Integration.

Overview

The Recital Database Server handles universal cross-platform data access to a wide range of data sources. The database server natively handles full remote SQL data access to Recital, Visual FoxPro, FoxPro, FoxBASE, Clipper and older dBase data. Using Bridges, it handles full remote SQL data access to C-ISAM and OpenVMS RMS. Using gateway connections, it handles full remote SQL data access to Oracle, MySQL, PostgreSQL, SQL Server, server-side ODBC, server-side JDBC and server-side OLE DB data sources. With its ability to access data using server-side ODBC, JDBC and OLE DB drivers from clients on all supported operating systems (Windows, Linux, Unix, OpenVMS), the Recital Database Server is an ideal Data Integration Solution for applications of all sizes and complexity.

Universal Data Integration Solutions

There are several ways in which data may be accessed by the Database Server.

Table 1:

Client Universal Data Access solutions for accessing local or remote data.

Client	Solution
Recital	Use remote gateway connections
Visual FoxPro	Use the Universal ODBC Driver
Java (all platforms)	Use the Universal JDBC Driver
.NET Framework	Use the Universal .NET Data Provider
Microsoft Office	Use the Universal ODBC Driver
Windows Mobile	Use the Universal Compact Framework .NET Data Provider
PHP on Linux	Use the Universal ODBC Driver for Linux
Mono on Linux	Use the Universal .NET Data Provider
Others	If the data source you want to access is not in the list above, then you can use a remote ODBC, JDBC or OLE DB gateway. You can find examples of connection strings for most ODBC and OLE DB data sources by clicking here.

Table 2:

Windows Server Universal Data Access solutions accessible from any remote client running on Windows, Linux, Unix or OpenVMS:

Data Source	Solution
Recital	Native support (See table 1)
Visual FoxPro	Native support (See table 1)
FoxPro	Native support (See table 1)
FoxBASE	Native support (See table 1)
Clipper	Native support (See table 1)
dBase	Native support (See table 1)
C-ISAM	Use a bridge (See table 1)
Access	Use a gateway connection gateway="oledb:Provider=Microsoft.Jet.OLEDB.4.0;Data Source=\somepath\mydb.mdb;User Id=admin;Password=;"
Exchange	Use a gateway connection gateway="oledb:Provider=ExOLEDB.DataSource;Data Source=http://servername/publicstore"
Excel	Use a gateway connection gateway="oledb:Provider=Microsoft.Jet.OLEDB.4.0;Data Source=C:\MyExcel.xls;"
Oracle	Use a gateway connection gateway="oledb:Provider=msdaora;Data Source=TheOracleDB;User Id=xxxxx;Password=xxxxx;"
SQL Server	Use a gateway connection gateway="oledb:Provider=sqloledb;Data Source=Aron1;Initial Catalog=pubs;User Id=sa;Password=asdasd;"
MySQL	Use a gateway connection gateway="oledb:Provider=MySQLProv;Data Source=mydb;User Id=xxxxx;Password=xxxxx;"
IBM DB2	Use a gateway connection gateway="oledb:Provider=DB2OLEDB;Network Transport Library=TCPIP;Network Address=XXX.XXX.XXX.XXX;Initial Catalog=MyCtlg;Package Collection=MyPkgCol;Default Schema=Schema;User ID=MyUser;Password=MyPW"
Sybase ASA	Use a gateway connection gateway="oledb:Provider=ASAProv;Data source=myASA"
Sybase ASE	Use a gateway connection gateway="oledb:Provider=Sybase.ASEOLEDBProvider;Srvr=myASEserver,5000;Catalog=myDBname;User Id=username;Password=password"
IBM Informix	Use a gateway connection gateway="oledb:Provider=Ifxoledbc.2;password=myPw;User ID=myUser;Data Source=dbName@serverName;Persist Security Info=true"
Ingres	Use a gateway connection gateway="odbc:dsn=data_source_name"
Firebird	Use a gateway connection gateway="odbc:dsn=data_source_name"
IBM AS400 iSeries	Use a gateway connection gateway="oledb:PROVIDER=IBMDA400; DATA SOURCE=MY_SYSTEM_NAME;USER ID=myUserName;PASSWORD=myPwd"
Interbase	Use a gateway connection gateway="oledb:provider=sibprovider;location=localhost:;data source=c:\databases\gdbs\mygdb.gdb;user id=xxxxx;password=xxxxx"
Others	If the data source you want to access is not in the list above, then you can use server-side ODBC, JDBC or OLE DB. You can find examples of connection strings for most ODBC and OLE DB data sources by clicking here. Full details on using server-side JDBC drivers can be found here. Full details on using server-side ODBC drivers can be found here. Full details on using server-side OLE DB drivers can be found here.

Table 3:

Linux and Unix Server Universal Data Access solutions accessible from any remote client running on Windows, Linux, Unix or OpenVMS:

Data Source	Solution
Recital	Native support (See table 1)
Visual FoxPro	Native support (See table 1)
FoxPro	Native support (See table 1)
FoxBASE	Native support (See table 1)
Clipper	Native support (See table 1)
dBase	Native support (See table 1)
C-ISAM	Use a bridge (See table 1)
Oracle	Use a gateway connection gateway="oracle:Connection_String"
MySQL	Use a gateway connection gateway="mysql:Connection_String"
IBM DB2	Use a gateway connection gateway="db2:Connection_String"
PostgreSQL	Use a gateway connection gateway="postgres:Connection_String"
Others	If the data source you want to access is not in the list above, then you can use a server-side JDBC driver. Full details on using server-side JDBC drivers can be found here.

Table 4:

OpenVMS Server Universal Data Access solutions accessible from any remote client running on Windows, Linux, Unix or OpenVMS:

Data Source	Solution
Recital	Native support (See table 1)
Visual FoxPro	Native support (See table 1)
FoxPro	Native support (See table 1)
FoxBASE	Native support (See table 1)
Clipper	Native support (See table 1)
dBase	Native support (See table 1)
RMS	Use a bridge (See table 1)
Others	If the data source you want to access is not in the list above, then you can use a server-side JDBC driver.

Supported Data Sources

Native Data Access

The Recital Database Server has native built-in support for the following data sources:

Recital
Visual FoxPro
FoxPro
FoxBASE
Clipper
dBase

You can setup tables to work with using the Database Administration Tool in Recital Enterprise Studio.

Bridges

Using Bridges, you can access the following data sources as if they were standard Recital/FoxPro tables:

CISAM
OpenVMS RMS

You can setup bridges using the Database Administration Tool in Recital Enterprise Studio.

Gateways/Connections

Using Gateways, you can transparently access the following local or remote data sources:

Recital
Oracle
ODBC (Server-side ODBC data sources)
JDBC (Server-side JDBC data sources)
OLEDB Use this to connect to SQL Server and other Windows OLE DB data sources)
MySQL
PostgreSQL

Remote Data Object functions

Recital 10 includes a complete and robust set of data source independent functions for accession MySQL, Oracle, DB2 and Postgres. This article explains how to use them.

Client Data Access drivers

Included with the Recital Database Server are three Client drivers. These Client drivers can access any data sources supported by the Recital Database Server. They are not restricted to accessing only Recital data. They can be used to access server-side ODBC, JDBC and OLE DB data sources also.

Recital Universal .NET Data Provider

Use this client driver when building .NET applications with Visual Studio .NET. A data provider in the .NET Framework serves as a bridge between an application and a data source. A data provider is used to retrieve data from a data source and to reconcile changes to that data back to the data source.

Key features of the Recital Universal .NET Data Provider:

Fully Internet enabled
The Recital Universal .NET Data Provider works across the internet providing access to a wide range of data sources located on remote servers running Windows, Linux, Unix and OpenVMS.
SQL Server compatible
The Recital Universal .NET Data Provider is plug compatible with the .NET Framework SQL Server Data Provider.
Cross-platform Data Integration
Using the Recital Universal .NET Data Provider, you can connect to remote Windows, Linux, Unix or OpenVMS servers and access any data source supported by the Recital Database Server.
Managed code
The Recital Universal .NET Data Adaptor written in C# is 100% .NET Framework managed code.
Runs on Windows Mobile
The Recital Universal .NET Data Adaptor runs under the .NET Compact Framework on Windows Mobile.

Recital Universal JDBC Driver

The JDBC API is the industry standard for database-independent connectivity between the Java programming language and a wide range of databases. The JDBC API provides a call-level API for SQL-based database access. JDBC technology allows you to use the Java programming language to exploit "Write Once, Run Anywhere" capabilities for applications that require access to enterprise data.

Key features of the Recital Universal JDBC Driver:

Fully Internet enabled
The Recital Universal JDBC driver works across the internet providing access to a wide range of data sources located on remote servers running Windows, Linux, Unix and OpenVMS.
JDBC 3.0 API
The Recital Universal JDBC driver supports the JDBC 3.0 API.
Pure Java Type 3 Driver
The Recital Universal JDBC driver is a 100% pure Java Type 3 driver.
Full Access to Metadata
The JDBC API provides metadata access that enables the development of sophisticated applications that need to understand the underlying facilities and capabilities of a specific database connection.
Cross-platform Data Integration
Using the Recital Universal JDBC driver, you can connect to remote Windows, Linux, Unix or OpenVMS servers and access any data source supported by the Recital Database Server.
No Installation
A pure JDBC technology-based driver does not require special installation; it is automatically downloaded as part of the applet that makes the JDBC calls. The Recital Universal JDBC Driver is 100% java.

Recital Universal ODBC Driver

Connect to remote data from Microsoft Office or other applications that support ODBC data access. The Recital Universal ODBC Driver is also available for Linux and Unix.

Key features of the Recital Universal ODBC Driver:

Fully Internet enabled
The Recital Universal ODBC driver works across the internet providing access to a wide range of data sources located on remote servers running Windows, Linux, Unix and OpenVMS.
Works with Crystal Reports
The Recital Universal ODBC driver supports the SQL syntax generated by Crystal Reports.
Works with Microsoft Office
The Recital Universal ODBC driver works with Microsoft Office products.
Works with PHP on Linux
The Recital Universal ODBC driver is available for Linux and works with PHP.

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Overview

Creating and Editing Stored Procedures

Testing the Procedure

Getting return values

Example Stored Procedure called "sp_myproc":

Example calling the Stored Procedure from C# .NET:

Writing Stored Procedures that return a Resultset

Example Stored Procedure called "sp_myproc":

Example calling the Stored Procedure from C# .NET:

Recital 10 Express Edition Linux x86 Free Download.

Graphical Installation

Text Installation

Key features of the Recital scripting language include:

Key features of the Recital database include:

Overview

Universal Data Integration Solutions

Table 1:

Table 2:

Table 3:

Table 4:

Supported Data Sources

Native Data Access

Bridges

Gateways/Connections

Client Data Access drivers

Recital Universal .NET Data Provider

Recital Universal JDBC Driver

Recital Universal ODBC Driver

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