Please Note : This HTML version of the mSQL 2.0 documentation is a rough approximation of the documentation. Some of the formatting of the original Postscript version of this document are lost during the translation to HTML. Please see the Postscript version of this manual, available with the mSQL 2.0 distribution, for a correct representation of the documentation. This file is provided as a convenience for on-line viewing, not as a replacement for the actual user guide.

 
 




Mini SQL 2.0

User Guide
















Release Version mSQL 2.0.1

Release Date 23 July 1997

Document Revision 2.0.1 v 1
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Copyright © 1997 Hughes Technologies Pty Ltd. All rights reserved.
 Intended Audience This document has been prepared as a manual for the use of the Mini SQL database system. It is not a general purpose tutorial or text for learning every aspect of the Structured Query Languages (SQL). The reader is expected to have at least an introductory knowledge of SQL and the concepts of a relational database system.

The mSQL API section of this document covers the programming interface provided by mSQL. It is described in the native language of the API library, C. It is assumed that the reader has a good understanding of programming in the C language and that s/he is familiar with the basic functionality provided by the standard C library.

The Lite section of the manual documents the Lite programming language. The syntax and semantics of the Lite language are similar to those of the C language. A working knowledge of C will aid the reader in understanding the Lite language.

Integration of mSQL and the World Wide Web is covered in the W3-mSQL section. It is assumed that the reader is familiar with the WWW, HTML, CGI scripts and the operation of a web server (http daemon).
 
 
 
 

 Document Conventions This manual has been designed to be printed on US Letter paper. While many parts of the world utilise the A4 paper size (Australia included), it is not possible to print A4 formatted documents on US Letter paper without loss of information. However, printing of US Letter formatted documents on A4 will result in a correct representation of the document with somewhat larger margins than normal.

Throughout this manual, parts of the text have been flagged with the symbol that appears in the margin opposite this paragraph. Such pieces of text are viewed as being important. The reader should ensure that paragraphs marked as important are read even if the entire manual section is only being skimmed. Important sections will include information such as areas in which mSQL may deviate from other SQL implementations, or tips on improving the performance of your database applications.
 
 
 
 

 Contact Information Further information about mSQL and its related software can be found on the Hughes Technologies World Wide Web site. The web site includes the latest version of mSQL, documentation, example software, references to customer sites, and much more. Our web site can be found at
 
  http://www.Hughes.com.au
  Product support and information are available over the Internet via electronic mail. For product support, please contact support@Hughes.com.au and for product information please use info@Hughes.com.au. More traditional ways to contact us are via postal mail or facsimile using the information below.
 
Postal Mail PO Box 432

Main Beach

Queensland 4217

Australia
Facsimile +61 7 5529 2299

 
 
 
 
 

Introduction

Mini SQL, or mSQL as is it often called, is a light weight relational database management system. It has been designed to provide rapid access to data sets with as little system overhead as possible. The system itself is comprised of a database server and various tools that allow a user or a client application to communicate with the server.

Although mSQL uses the Structured Query Language (SQL) as its query language, it does not provide a complete implementation of the ANSI standard SQL. Several features of SQL that are found in more recent versions of the ANSI standard and in more sophisticated database systems are not provided by mSQL. The incorporation of such features would be in conflict with the basic concept of mSQL (i.e. a Mini database system) and would also increase the load and system requirements needed to run the software.

The philosophy of mSQL has been to provide a database management system capable of rapidly handling simple tasks. It has not been developed for use in critical financial environments (banking applications for example). The software is capable of performing the supported operations with exceptional speed whilst utilising very few system resources. Some database systems require high-end hardware platforms and vast quantities of memory before they can provide rapid access to stored data. mSQL has been designed to provide exceptional data access performance on "small hardware" platforms (such as PC class hardware). Because of these characteristics, mSQL is well suited to the vast majority of data management tasks.

Although the mSQL software distribution is made available over the Internet (and other mechanisms) it is not public domain software or FreeWare. mSQL is a commercial, supported software package developed by Hughes Technologies Pty Ltd in Australia. Use of this software in any commercial environment requires the purchase of a commercial use license from Hughes Technologies. Free licenses are provided to organisations such as Universities, schools and registered charities in an attempt to maintain the ethos of the original Internet. For more information on purchasing a license or determining whether you qualify for a free license, please see the Hughes Technologies World Wide Web site at http://Hughes.com.au/.

Development of mSQL and its associated tools is an ongoing project. Current releases of the mSQL package and applications that use mSQL are always available from the Hughes Technologies web site. If you require product support, a new version of the software, or some ideas about using mSQL then please visit our web site.

 Mini SQL 2.0 Mini SQL 2.0 is the second generation of the mSQL database system. The main focus of the second generation development has been to extend the capabilities of the database engine and to provide new tools to simplify the development and delivery of mSQL based applications. The large acceptance of mSQL 1.x highlighted several shortcomings of the original product because it was being applied to applications beyond its original design intention. Applications managing databases with up to a million records were being reported and, naturally, the performance of the 1.x engine was not appropriate for the task.

The database engine in mSQL 2.0 has been designed to handle large data sets and to provide consistent and rapid access to large data sets in the million record size. In doing so it has in no way compromised the outstanding performance shown by the 1.x engine in handling small data sets. The performance increase for large applications has been achieved by the incorporation of flexible and powerful indexing to the database as well as sophisticated query execution optimisation. To learn more about the new indexing capabilities provided by mSQL 2.0, please see the mSQL Query Language section of this manual.

One of the major applications of mSQL has been as a back-end database for World-Wide Web sites. With this fact in mind, mSQL 2.0 includes the new W3-mSQL www interface package. Using W3-mSQL, web based applications can be rapidly developed by embedding mSQL and other programmatic constructs directly into the HTML code. This removes the need to write a multitude of small CGI scripts for every web page with dynamic content.

Also included in the 2.0 distribution is the Lite scripting language. Lite is a stand-alone version of the language used by W3-mSQL. By including Lite in the distribution, a developer has a consistent language that s/he can use to develop stand-alone or web based applications that utilise mSQL. Further information about Lite and W3-mSQL is provided in the following sections of this manual. Further information on the new features in mSQL 2.0 can be found in Appendix A.