Sybase® IQ is a high-performance decision support server designed specifically for data warehouses and data marts. This book, Sybase IQ Reference Manual, provides reference material for many aspects of Sybase IQ, including SQL statements, language elements, data types, functions, system procedures, and system tables. Other manuals provide more context on how to carry out particular tasks. This reference manual is the place to look for information such as available SQL syntax, parameters, and options. (For command-line utility startup parameters, see Sybase IQ Utility Guide.)
This manual is a reference for all users of Sybase IQ.
This book provides comprehensive descriptions of the IQ features. However, it does not describe why you may want to use each feature. This manual is designed to be used as a reference together with the other books in the Sybase IQ documentation set.
The Windows information in this book applies to all
supported Windows platforms, unless noted otherwise. For supported
Windows platforms, see the Release Bulletin Sybase IQ for
Windows.
Documentation for Sybase IQ:
Introduction to Sybase IQ
Read and try the hands-on exercises if you are unfamiliar with Sybase IQ, with the Sybase Central™ database management tool.
New Features in Sybase IQ 12.6
Read just before or after purchasing Sybase IQ for a list of new features.
Sybase IQ Performance and Tuning Guide
Read to understand query optimization, design, and tuning issues for very large databases.
Sybase IQ System Administration Guide
Read to manage the IQ Store.
Sybase IQ Troubleshooting and Error Messages Guide
Read to solve problems, perform system recovery and database repair, and understand both IQ error messages which are referenced by SQLCode, SQLState and message text, and SQL preprocessor errors and warnings.
Sybase IQ Utility Guide
Read for Sybase IQ utility program reference material, such as available syntax, parameters, and options.
Large Objects Management in Sybase IQ
Read to understand storage and retrieval of Binary Large Objects (BLOBs) and Character Large Objects (CLOBs) within the Sybase IQ data repository. You need a separate license to install this product option.
Sybase IQ Installation and Configuration Guide
Read the edition for your platform before and while installing Sybase IQ, when migrating to a new version of Sybase IQ, or when configuring Sybase IQ for a particular platform.
Sybase IQ Release Bulletin
Read just before or after purchasing Sybase IQ for last minute changes to the product and documentation. Read for help if you encounter a problem.
Because Sybase IQ is
an extension of Adaptive Server® Anywhere, a component
of SQL Anywhere® Studio, IQ supports many of the same features as
Adaptive Server Anywhere. The IQ documentation set refers you to
SQL Anywhere Studio documentation where appropriate.
Documentation for Adaptive Server Anywhere:
Adaptive Server Anywhere Programming Guide
Intended for application developers writing programs that directly access the ODBC, Embedded SQL™, or Open Client™ interfaces, this book describes how to develop applications for Adaptive Server Anywhere.
Adaptive Server Anywhere Database Administration Guide
Intended for all users, this book covers material related to running, managing, and configuring databases and database servers.
Adaptive Server Anywhere Error Messages
This book lists all Adaptive Server Anywhere error messages with diagnostic information.
Adaptive Server Anywhere SQL Reference Manual
Intended for all users, this book provides a complete reference for the SQL language used by Adaptive Server Anywhere. It also describes the Adaptive Server Anywhere system tables and procedures.
You can also refer to the Adaptive Server Anywhere documentation in the SQL Anywhere Studio 9.0.1 collection on the Sybase Product Manuals Web site. To access this site, go to Product Manuals.
Use the Sybase Getting Started CD, the SyBooks CD, and the Sybase Product Manuals Web site to learn more about your product:
The Getting Started CD contains release bulletins and installation guides in PDF format, and may also contain other documents or updated information not included on the SyBooks CD. It is included with your software. To read or print documents on the Getting Started CD, you need Adobe Acrobat Reader, which you can download at no charge from the Adobe Web site using a link provided on the CD.
The SyBooks CD contains product manuals and is included with your software. The Eclipse-based SyBooks browser allows you to access the manuals in an easy-to-use, HTML-based format.
Some documentation may be provided in PDF format, which you can access through the PDF directory on the SyBooks CD. To read or print the PDF files, you need Adobe Acrobat Reader.
Refer to the SyBooks Installation Guide on the Getting Started CD, or the README.txt file on the SyBooks CD for instructions on installing and starting SyBooks.
The Sybase Product Manuals Web site is an online version of the SyBooks CD that you can access using a standard Web browser. In addition to product manuals, you will find links to EBFs/Maintenance, Technical Documents, Case Management, Solved Cases, newsgroups, and the Sybase Developer Network.
To access the Sybase Product Manuals Web site, go to Product Manuals.
Technical documentation at the Sybase Web site is updated frequently.
Finding the latest information on product certifications
Point your Web browser to Technical Documents.
Select Products from the navigation bar on the left.
Select a product name from the product list and click Go.
Select the Certification Report filter, specify a time frame, and click Go.
Click a Certification Report title to display the report.
Creating a personalized view of the Sybase Web
site (including support pages)
Set up a MySybase profile. MySybase is a free service that allows you to create a personalized view of Sybase Web pages.
Point your Web browser to Technical Documents.
Click MySybase and create a MySybase profile.
Finding the latest information on EBFs and software
maintenance
Point your Web browser to the Sybase Support Page.
Select EBFs/Maintenance. If prompted, enter your MySybase user name and password.
Select a product.
Specify a time frame and click Go. A list of EBF/Maintenance releases is displayed.
Padlock icons indicate that you do not have download authorization for certain EBF/Maintenance releases because you are not registered as a Technical Support Contact. If you have not registered, but have valid information provided by your Sybase representative or through your support contract, click Edit Roles to add the “Technical Support Contact” role to your MySybase profile.
Click the Info icon to display the EBF/Maintenance report, or click the product description to download the software.
This documentation uses the following syntax conventions in syntax descriptions:
Keywords SQL keywords are shown in UPPER CASE. However, SQL keywords are case insensitive, so you can enter keywords in any case you wish; SELECT is the same as Select which is the same as select.
Placeholders Items that must be replaced with appropriate identifiers or expressions are shown in italics.
Continuation Lines beginning with ... are a continuation of the statements from the previous line.
Repeating items Lists of repeating items are shown with an element of the list followed by an ellipsis (three dots). One or more list elements are allowed. If more than one is specified, they must be separated by commas.
Optional portions Optional portions of a statement are enclosed by square brackets. For example:
RELEASE SAVEPOINT [ savepoint-name ]
It indicates that the savepoint-name is optional. The square brackets should not be typed.
Options When none or only one of a list of items must be chosen, the items are separated by vertical bars and the list enclosed in square brackets. For example:
[ ASC | DESC ]
It indicates that you can choose one of ASC, DESC, or neither. The square brackets should not be typed.
Alternatives When precisely one of the options must be chosen, the alternatives are enclosed in curly braces. For example:
QUOTES { ON | OFF }
It indicates that exactly one of ON or OFF must be provided. The braces should not be typed.
Table 1 lists the typographic conventions used in this documentation.
Item |
Description |
|---|---|
|
SQL and program code is displayed in a mono-spaced (fixed-width) font. |
|
Text entered by the user is shown in bold serif type. |
emphasis |
Emphasized words are shown in italic. |
file names |
File names are shown in italic. |
database objects |
Names of database objects, such as tables and procedures, are shown in bold, san-serif type in print, and in italic online. |
Sybase IQ includes a sample database, which many of the examples in the IQ documentation use.
The sample database represents a small company. It contains internal information about the company (employees, departments, and financial data), as well as product information (products), sales information (sales orders, customers, and contacts), and financial information (fin_code, fin_data).
The sample database is held in a file named asiqdemo.db, located in the directory $ASDIR/demo on UNIX systems and %ASDIR%\demo on Windows systems.
This document is available in an HTML version that is specialized for accessibility. You can navigate the HTML with an adaptive technology such as a screen reader, or view it with a screen enlarger.
Sybase IQ 12.6 and the HTML documentation have been tested for compliance with U.S. government Section 508 Accessibility requirements. Documents that comply with Section 508 generally also meet non-U.S. accessibility guidelines, such as the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) guidelines for Web sites.
For information about accessibility support in the Sybase IQ plug-in for Sybase Central, see “Using accessibility features” in Introduction to Sybase IQ. The online help for this product, which you can navigate using a screen reader, also describes accessibility features, including Sybase Central keyboard shortcuts.
You might need to configure your accessibility tool
for optimal use. Some screen readers pronounce text based on its
case; for example, they pronounce ALL UPPERCASE TEXT as initials,
and MixedCase Text as words. You might find it helpful to configure
your tool to announce syntax conventions. Consult the documentation
for your tool and see “Using
screen readers” in Introduction to Sybase IQ.
For information about how Sybase supports accessibility, see Sybase Accessibility. The Sybase Accessibility site includes links to information on Section 508 and W3C standards.
For a Section 508 compliance statement for Sybase IQ, go to Sybase Accessibility.
Each Sybase installation that has purchased a support contract has one or more designated people who are authorized to contact Sybase Technical Support. If you cannot resolve a problem using the manuals or online help, please have the designated person contact Sybase Technical Support or the Sybase subsidiary in your area.
