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Open Client DB-Library/C Reference Manual

About This Book

About This Book

This document, the Open Client DB-Library/C Reference Manual, contains reference information for the C version of Open Client^TM DB-Library^TM.

Audience

This book is intended to serve as a reference manual for programmers who are writing DB-Library applications. It is written for application programmers familiar with the C programming language.

How to Use This Book

When writing a DB-Library application, use the DB-Library Reference Manual as a source of reference information.

Chapter 1, "Introducing DB-Library," contains a brief introduction to DB-Library.

Chapter 2, "Routines," contains specific information about each DB-Library routine, such as what parameters the routine takes and what it returns.

Chapter 3, "Bulk Copy," contains an introduction to bulk copy and specific information about each bulk copy routine.

Chapter 4, "Two-Phase Commit Service," contains a brief description of two-phase commit service and specific information about each two-phase commit service routine.

Appendix A, "Cursors," introduces DB-Library's cursor routines.

DB-Library and Open Client Release 11.x

Open Client release 11.x includes DB-Library release 10.0.x. This release of DB-Library includes no new functionality but does include bug fixes made since the previous release.

Sybase(R) includes DB-Library with Open Client to provide source-code compatibility for existing applications that are coded in DB-Library. Sybase recommends that you develop new applications with Client-Library^TM instead of DB-Library. DB-Library does not support the new features added to Client-Library 11.x releases and will not support new features added in subsequent releases.

For information on new features in the latest Client-Library release, see the Open Client Client-Library/C Reference Manual.

The Open Client Client-Library Migration Guide contains instructions for converting DB-Library code to Client-Library code. Developers who are familiar with DB-Library will find this document a useful introduction to Client-Library.

Related Documents

The Open Client/Server Programmer's Supplement contains platform-specific material for Open Client/Server^TM developers. This document includes information about:

• Compiling and linking an application
• The example programs that are included online with Open Client/Server products
• Routines that have platform-specific behaviors

The Open Client/Server Configuration Guide contains platform-specific material about configuring the environment for Open Client/Server applications. This document includes information about:

• The interfaces file
• Environment variables used at application run time by DB-Library routines

The Open Client/Server Release Bulletin contains information about DB-Library compatibility with Sybase SQL Server^TM and Open Server^TM releases, as well as important last-minute information for DB-Library developers.

Other Sources of Information

Sybase documents include a wide range of user guides and reference manuals that describe all aspects of the Sybase relational database management system. Because application development can draw on a number of different parts of the Sybase system, you may encounter most of the Sybase document set at some time or another. A few manuals, however, will prove to be particularly useful:

• The SQL Server Reference Manual describes the Transact-SQL(R) database language, which an application uses to create and manipulate SQL Server database objects.
• The Open Client Client-Library Reference Manual describes Client-Library. Like DB-Library, Client-Library is a collection of routines for use in writing client applications.
• The Open Server Server-Library Reference Manual contains reference information for Server-Library, a collection of routines for use in writing Open Server applications.
• The Open Client and Open Server Common-Libraries Reference Manual contains reference information for the functions in CS-Library and Bulk Library. CS-Library is a collection of routines which are called in both Client-Library and Server-Library applications. Bulk Library is a collection of routines for performing bulk-copy operations from Client-Library or Server-Library applications.

Conventions

DB-Library routine syntax is shown in a bold, monospace font:

   DBPROCESS    *dbopen(login, server)

   LOGINREC     *login;
   char         *server;

Program text and computer output are shown in regular monospace font:

dbproc = dbopen(login, SERVERNAME)

Routine names and Transact-SQL keywords are written in a narrow, bold font:

dbopen, the select statement

If You Need Help

Help is available for your Sybase software in the form of documentation, online help, and Sybase Technical Support.

Online Help

If you have access to SQL Server 10.0 or later, you can use sp_syntax, a Sybase system procedure, to retrieve the syntax of DB-Library routines.

For information on how to install sp_syntax, see the System Administration Guide Supplement for your platform. For information on how to run sp_syntax, see its reference page in the SQL Server Reference Manual.

Technical Support

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 information in the Sybase documentation, ask the designated person to contact Sybase Technical Support.