The AT keyword is used with both CREATE TABLE and CREATE EXISTING TABLE to define the location of an existing object. This location string has four components that are separated by either a period or a semicolon. Semicolons allow filenames and extensions to be used in the database and owner fields.
... AT 'server.database.owner.tablename'
The field server is the name by which the server is known in the current database, as specified in the CREATE SERVER statement. This field is mandatory for all remote data sources.
The meaning of the database field depends on the data source. In some cases this field does not apply and should be left empty. The periods are still required, however.
Adaptive Server Enterprise Specifies the database where the table exists, for example, master or pubs2.
Sybase IQ or Adaptive Server Anywhere This field does not apply; leave it empty.
The database name for an Sybase IQ or Adaptive Server Anywhere ODBC data source should be specified when the data source name is defined in the ODBC Administrator.
For jConnect-based connections, the database should be specified in the USING clause of the CREATE SERVER statement.
For both ODBC and JDBC based connections to Sybase IQ or Adaptive Server Anywhere, you need a separate CREATE SERVER statement for each Sybase IQ or Anywhere database being accessed.
Excel, Lotus Notes, Access For these file-based data sources, the database name is the name of the file containing the table. Since file names can contain a period, a semicolon should be used as the delimiter between server, database, owner, and table.
If the database supports the concept of ownership, the owner field represents the owner name. This field is only required when several owners have tables with the same name.
The field tablename specifies the name of the table. In the case of an Excel spreadsheet, this is the name of the “sheet” in the workbook. If the table name is left empty, the remote table name is assumed to be the same as the local proxy table name. Tables used with Component Integration Services (CIS) cannot have names longer than 30 characters.
The following examples illustrate the use of location strings:
Sybase IQ:
'testasiq..DBA.employee'
Adaptive Server Enterprise:
'ASEServer.pubs2.dbo.publishers'
Excel:
'excel;d:\pcdb\quarter3.xls;;sheet1$'
Access
'access;\\server1\production\inventory.mdb;;parts'
