Informix Stored Procedure Tips and Tricks

Stored Procedure Tips and Tricks

Peter Wages EDS peter.wages@eds.com Bob Carts Senior Data Engineer, SAIC robert.carts@saic.com Warren Donovan Senior DBA, SAIC warren.donovan@saic.com
6/5/2002
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Introduction

     

Certified Informix DBAs WAIUG Board of Directors Work for EDS and SAIC NT and UNIX (Solaris, IBM AIX, HP-UX) IDS 7.31, 9.21, 9.3 and XPS 8.3 Data Warehouse and OLTP Applications

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Introduction
General Comments Stored Procedure Basics Beyond the Basics Summary

   

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When to use stored procedures



Use them for Systems Administration functions, such as changing passwords Use them for common database code that will be executed often, making development and tuning easier Use them for security to hide the code Use them to place processing on the database server versus a client machine Use them with Java, 4GL, ESQL/c or other tools

 

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When NOT to use stored procedures



Stored procedures for Informix, Oracle and Sybase are proprietary and cannot be migrated easily Does anyone know about DB2 procedure and Informix procedure compatibility/migratability? With queries that are frequently changed and updated

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Stored Procedure Basics

       

What is a Stored Procedure? Creating a Stored Procedure using DBAccess Parts of the Stored Procedure Compile Time Errors and Warnings Running a procedure in DBAccess Returning multiple sets of values Permissions on a Stored Procedure Other SPL commands

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What is a Stored Procedure?

Pre-parsed Stored within the System tables Cached in Memory after initial execution Importance of update statistics When is a procedure re-parsed?
 Update  The

    

Statistics flags it to be re-parsed.

procedure is also parsed at first execution if a table in SQL is not available at compile time.

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Parts of a Simple Stored Procedure



Procedure Definition:

CREATE PROCEDURE warren_proc ( id_num CHAR(4)) --accept one argument RETURNING CHAR(4), INTEGER, DECIMAL(9,2); -- 3 items


Define Variables

-- you can define any # of variables -- of any data type, -- including system level variables!

DEFINE p_dmis_id CHAR(4); DEFINE p_fy INTEGER;

DEFINE p_cap_rate DECIMAL(9,2);



SQL Statement - Note the INTO / RETURN clauses!

SELECT dmis_id, fy, AVG(cap_rate) INTO p_dmis_id, p_fy, p_cap_rate FROM cap_rate WHERE dmis_id=id_num GROUP BY 1,2 ; RETURN p_dmis_id, p_fy, p_cap_rate;


Dont Forget to end the Procedure!

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END PROCEDURE

Running a Simple Stored Procedure

To Run in DBAccess:
 EXECUTE

PROCEDURE warren_proc (0252');

This returns the following line:

(expression) (expression) (expression) 0252




1998

1899.21

But what if there are multiple Store IDs?

ERROR:

284: A subquery has returned not exactly one row.

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FOREACH: Returning Multiple Rows

Use the FOREACH clause to return multiple values:

CREATE PROCEDURE warren_proc ( id_num CHAR(4)) --accept one argument RETURNING CHAR(4), INTEGER, DECIMAL(9,2); -- 3 items DEFINE p_dmis_id CHAR(4); DEFINE p_fy INTEGER; DEFINE p_cap_rate DECIMAL(9,2);

FOREACH
SELECT dmis_id, fy, AVG(cap_rate) INTO p_dmis_id, p_fy, p_cap_rate FROM cap_rate WHERE dmis_id=id_num GROUP BY 1,2 ;

RETURN p_dmis_id, p_fy, p_cap_rate WITH RESUME; --or it will return only the first row END FOREACH -- without this, the procedure will fail to compile with a syntax error END PROCEDURE
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FOREACH: Returning Multiple Rows

Now Run the query: EXECUTE PROCEDURE warren_proc ('0001'); Which will return: 2002 1999 2000 2001 1998 1656.84 2157.99 1157.51 1263.12 2623.42

  

0001 0001 0001 0001 0001

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Permissions and Stored Procedures

To Create a Stored Procedure:

 To

create a DBA-privileged procedure, must have DBA  To create an owner-privileged procedure, must have Resource


To Execute a Stored Procedure:

A

user must have been granted execute on the procedure.  A user does not necessarily have to be granted access to all the tables in the stored procedure.


Run-Time Stored Procedure Privileges

 The

privileges depend on the type of procedure being run  2 Types: Owner-Privileged and DBA-Priviliged
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Owner-Privileged Stored Procedures

When an Owner-Privileged Stored Procedure is executed, the server checks the existence of any referenced objects, and that the user has access to all the tables If the user has all necessary privileges, no problem If the user does not have all the necessary privileges, but the OWNER of the stored procedure does, no problem If neither has the necessary privileges, the query will fail

 

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DBA-Privileged Stored Procedures

When a DBA-Privileged SP is executed, the user assumes DBA privileges for the duration of the procedure. When a DBA-Privileged SP calls a User-Privileged SP, the called User-Privileged procedure does NOT act like a DBA-Privileged Stored Procedure. Likewise, if a DBA-Privileged SP is called by a UserPrivileged SP, it retains its privileges for the duration of its run, returns to the calling SP, which maintains its privileges.

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Other Stored Procedure Language Commands



LOOPS  The FOREACH loop- used to select and manipulate more than one row of data  The FOR Loop - uses expressions or range operators to establish a finite number of iterations for a loop  The WHILE Loop - indefinite loop while a given criterion holds true. Terminates when not true (beware of nulls!)

 CALL -

use a call to execute a procedure from within a procedure  IF, ELSE, ELIF - used to create branches within a procedure  LET- used to assign values to variables  CONTINUE - starts the next iteration of the innermost loop  EXIT- stops the execution of a loop
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Stored Procedures: Beyond the Basics

               

Raising Exceptions Returning diagnostic/error information Stored Procedure Maintenance DBINFO function Calling a Stored Procedure from a Stored Procedure Create Your Own Exceptions Tracing and Debugging The Value of Current (current date-time) Commands You Cant Use Stored Procedure in a Select Statement Stored Procedures in Java Web Reporting Stored Procedures in 4GL Blocking Statements A Very Special XPS Stored Procedure Using the system command
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On Exception

       

ON EXCEPTION set sql_code,isam_code,sql_message return null, null, null, null,sql_code, isam_code, sql_message; END EXCEPTION If the stored procedure gets an exception , (e.g 206 table does not exist ) What will be returned is (expression) -206 (expression) -111 (expression) The specified table does not exist

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Returning diagnostics and Error Information

CREATE PROCEDURE "informix".sp_state_lookup( p_state_name char(20) ) RETURNING char(2),int,int,char(70); DEFINE v_state_code char(2); DEFINE nrows int; DEFINE sql_code int; DEFINE isam_error int; DEFINE sql_message char(70);

ON EXCEPTION set sql_code,isam_error,sql_message RETURN " ",sql_code,isam_error,sql_message; END EXCEPTION

SET LOCK MODE TO WAIT 20; LET v_state_code = " "; SELECT state_code INTO v_state_code FROM state_codes WHERE state_name = upper(p_state_name); LET nrows = dbinfo("sqlca.sqlerrd2"); IF nrows = 0 then LET v_state_code = null; END IF RETURN v_state_code,10,0,"State Code Retrieved"; END PROCEDURE;
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Stored Procedure Maintenance

Since stored procedures are cached in memory you may be executing the old version of the procedure after you drop and recreate the procedure. This is true for older releases (i.e. 5.0) If a table structure that a stored procedure uses is altered, you are NOT notified that the procedure may fail. You will only find out when it is executed! When update statistics is run, procedures are flagged to be re-parsed. They are re-parsed when first executed after that point.

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DBINFO Function

 

Informix functions can be used in stored procedures Use DBINFO(sqlca.sqlerrd2) to determine if any rows were selected. You cant access SQLCODE unless there is an exception./error condition. When you insert a record with a serial field , you can get the value of the serial with the following: DBINFO("sqlca.sqlerrd1"); DBINFO(sessionid) produces the informix session

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Calling a stored procedure from a stored procedure and Raising Exceptions.

Create procedure -----ON EXCEPTION etc... END EXCEPTION . .EXECUTE PROCEDURE sp_state_lookup ( p_state ) INTO v_state_code,sscode,sisamcode,smsg; IF sscode < 0 THEN RAISE EXCEPTION sscode,sisamcode,smsg; END IF . End procedure
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Create Your Own Exceptions

You can create your own exception conditions IF user = WARREN THEN RAISE EXCEPTION -746, 0, Deny Warren access END IF
  

Informixs Special SQLCODE -746 > finderr -746 -746 message-string You supply message-string for this message. You can apply this message to error conditions that you specify in a stored procedure. The corrective action for this error depends on the condition that caused it. You, the user, define both the condition and the message text.

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TRACE and SET DEBUG FILE TO

The trace command and set debug file to Use the session_id to get independent simultaneous traces let v_session_id = dbinfo('sessionid'); set debug file to "/tmp/wfsp"||v_session_id||".log"; trace on; trace variable_name;

 

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Conditionally setting debug

create procedure get_orders (pfname char(20),plname char(30),p_debug_flag char(1) default "N") : if p_debug_flag = "Y" then set "debug file to /tmp/debuglog"; set trace on; else set trace off; end if

     

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Trace file
Sample Trace File trace expression :21:45 START TIME iteration of cursory procedure sp_wf_cam_b_t1 select cursor iteration. select cursor returns G94440 , 52 , WASHINGTON TECH procedure sp_wf_cam_b_t1 returns G94440 , 52 , WASHINGTON TECH , 2 , NULL. , Success trace expression :21:45 END TIME

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Why is the start time the same as the end time?  Why does CURRENT always return the same value in SPL?  It is a requirement of ANSI SQL that a stored procedure return a constant value for CURRENT throughout its lifetime. This is the way that Informix implemented CURRENT in SPL to meet the standard

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Commands You Cant Use

     

CLOSE CLOSE DATABASE CONNECT CREATE DATABASE CREATE PROCEDURE CREATE PROCEDURE FROM DATABASE DECLARE DESCRIBE EXECUTE EXECUTE IMMEDIATE

           

FETCH FLUSH FREE GET DESCRIPTOR INFO LOAD/UNLOAD OPEN OUTPUT PREPARE PUT SET DESCRIPTOR WHENEVER
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Using a Stored Procedure in a Select

 Select Customer_no, Cust_code_proc(customer_no) from Customer  Restricts what commands you can use in the procedure

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Manipulation Restricted Commands

         

ALTER FRAGMENT ALTER INDEX ALTER TABLE BEGIN WORK COMMIT WORK CREATE TRIGGER DELETE DROP DATABASE DROP INDEX DROP SYNONYM

       

DROP TABLE DROP TRIGGER DROP VIEW INSERT RENAME COLUMN RENAME TABLE ROLLBACK WORK UPDATE

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JAVA
try { callableStatement = oConnection.prepareCall ("{call sp_get_insert_sbs()}"); rs = callableStatement.executeQuery(); if (rs.next()) { setBatchSerialId((rs.getString(1)),session_id); sqlcode = rs.getInt(2); isam_code = rs.getInt(3); if ( sqlcode < 0 ) { } } } catch (Exception e) { }
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Using Stored Procedures For Web Reports



At EDS, we had to produce a web report of statistical data using IBIs Web Focus report utility The report had to run On_DEMAND and produce REAL-TIME data The report had to get data from some major tables in the database including a table with 20 million records What we did was write a stored procedure

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Using Stored Procedures For Web Reports

     

Calling a Stored Procedure From Web Focus Case Statement Setting PDQPRIORITY Using Temp Tables Optimizer Directives Returning multiple rows for reporting

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Calling a stored procedure from WEBFOCUS



EX sp_wf_cam_b_sum "&PROGYR", "&REGION", "&SCH_CODE" ,"&CAM", "&STATE", "&DTE_TODAY", "&END_PREVMO", "&LST_FRIDAY", "&DTE_30PREV", "&DTE_90PREV", "&DTE_365", "&DTE_30PR_365", "&DTE_90PR_365";

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Using Stored Procedures For Web Reports The CASE Statement

SELECT school_no, activity_code, CASE WHEN (booked_date > "12/31/1989" and booked_date <= v_end_date ) THEN "B" WHEN (booked_date is null or booked_date > v_end_date ) THEN "U" WHEN booked_date = "12/31/1989 ELSE "B" END booked_ind, sum(actual_gross_adj - actual_fee_adj + nvl(actual_rebate_adj,0)) net_amt FROM disburse_activity WHERE school_no in ( select school_no from school_sum ) AND prog_year_codes_id = p_py_code AND action_status_date <= v_end_date GROUP by 1,2,3 INTO TEMP temp_disb_cnts with no log;
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THEN "A"

Using Stored Procedures For Web Reports PDQPRIORITY



Set pdqpriority 40;

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Using Stored Procedures For Web Reports

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Using Stored Procedures in 4GL

If only one set of values are returned: PREPARE p_exec FROM "EXECUTE PROCEDURE procname(?,?,?)" EXECUTE p_exec USING value01, value02, value03

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Using Stored Procedures in 4GL

If multiple sets of values are returned:

PREPARE p_exec FROM "EXECUTE PROCEDURE procname(?,?,?)" DECLARE c_exec CURSOR FOR p_exec OPEN c_exec USING value01, value02, value03 WHILE STATUS = 0 FETCH c_exec INTO return01, return02, return03, return04 IF STATUS != 0 THEN EXIT WHILE END IF ... END WHILE CLOSE c_exec
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Blocking Statements
create procedure block3 ( ) returning int; define error_num int; define c int; define cmd char(30); BEGIN on exception in ( -206,-217 ) set error_num if error_num = -206 then create table t ( c int ) ; insert into t values ( 10 ); elif error_num = -217 then alter table t add (d int ); let c = ( select d from t ); else return error_num; END IF END EXCEPTION WITH RESUME insert into t values (10); let c = ( select d from t ); END BEGIN let c = ( select e from t ); END return c; end procedure 6/5/2002
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Blocking Statements Scope

 

Scope of Control of an ON EXCEPTION Statement An ON EXCEPTION statement is valid for the statement block that follows the ON EXCEPTION statement, all the statement blocks nested within that following statement block, and all the statement blocks that follow the ON EXCEPTION statement. It is not valid in the statement block that contains the ON EXCEPTION statement. Example does not agree with statement above It is not valid in the statement block that DOES NOT contain the ON EXCEPTION statement

 

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Blocking Statements The Informix Example

CREATE PROCEDURE scope() DEFINE i INT; BEGIN -- begin statement block A . ON EXCEPTION IN (201) -- do action a201 END EXCEPTION BEGIN -- statement block aa -- do action, a201 valid here END BEGIN -- statement block bb -- do action, a201 valid here END WHILE i < 10 -- do something, a201 is valid here END WHILE END BEGIN -- begin statement block B -- do something -- a201 is NOT valid here END END PROCEDURE 6/5/2002
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Using Resume with Exception

create procedure pop_me(_in_proc_id char(6))returning int; begin work; foreach j_cursor for select... into... from holding_table ON EXCEPTION... set sqlerr, isamerr, etc ..... insert into error_table ... let _result = 1; if _in_proc_id <> 'FULL' then return _result; end if; END EXCEPTION WITH RESUME if data is bad then raise exception -746 update holding_table set status = _status where current of j_cursor end foreach commit work;
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Using Resume with Exception

put a commit work in the exception block

ON EXCEPTION... set sqlerr, isamerr, etc ..... insert into error_table ... let _result = 1; if _in_proc_id <> 'FULL' then commit work; return _result; end if; END EXCEPTION WITH RESUME

exception block was being executed both for unexpected errors and bad records. A stored procedure may not be the best tool to migrate data from a legacy system.

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XPS - A Stored Procedure You Need to Know

This procedure sets IMPLICIT PDQ on. It allows the engine to estimate how much PDQ memory your query will need, and allocate on that much, up the maximum allowable set by MAX_PDQPRIORITY:

CREATE PROCEDURE public.sysdbopen () SET ENVIRONMENT IMPLICIT_PDQ ON; SET ENVIRONMENT BOUND_IMPL_PDQ ON; END PROCEDURE;
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Using the system Command

The system command permits calling operating system commands and scripts from a stored Procedure There is no easy way to determine if the system call completed successfully There can be a major performance impact when using many system calls. Informix explained that this is due to reauthentication each time a system command is used

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Using the System Command

create PROCEDURE "informix".sp_chg_pwd(newpwd CHAR(100)) RETURNING INT; DEFINE retval INT; LET retval = 0; SYSTEM newpwd; LET retval = 1; RETURN retval; END PROCEDURE;

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Stored Procedure Resources

  

Informix Guide to SQL Tutorial Informix Guide to SQL Syntax Informix Stored Procedure Programming Michael L. Gonzales (Prentice-Hall Publisher ) 1996 ISBN 0-13-206723-4

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INFORMIX FAQ
www.iiug.org/ver1/resources/informix_faq.html

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Suggestions

Submit your tips (peter.wages@eds.com, robert.m.carts@saic.com, warren.donovan@saic.com )

Will be placed on WAIUG site

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