Terms and Definitions


Term	Explanation
API	Application Programming Interface.
BSQL	Batch SQL, a program used to execute SQL statements which are read from a command file or entered interactively.
CLD	A Command Language Definition (CLD) file that contains definitions for new DCL commands.
Data source	ODBC term for a database.
Databank	Databank is the Mimer SQL term for the physical file in which one or more Mimer SQL tables are stored. A databank corresponds to one file in the operating system. A database may contain several databanks.
Database	A database is a collection of databanks, tables, shadows, etc., all defined as objects in the data dictionary. A computer may have several databases operating simultaneously, but no information is shared between them. Each database has a unique name, registered in the SQLHOSTS file.
Database home directory	The directory where the SYSDB databank file is located, also recorded in the SQLHOSTS file.
DCL	Digital Command Language.
DCL$PATH	A logical name used by DCL to find executable programs. By including the MIMEXE8 directory in the definition of this logical name, all Mimer SQL programs can be started by typing their names directly. Some of the programs also accept UNIX-style command options when started in this fashion.
Dynamic SQL	SQL statements constructed at runtime and passed to the database management system for execution.
Embedded SQL	The term used for SQL statements when they are embedded in a traditional host language.
ESQL	The preprocessor for embedded SQL.
Java	A platform independent language invented by Sun. See http://java.sun.com.
JDBC	Java DataBase Connectivity. A set of Java interfaces for accessing relational databases. See: http://java.sun.com/jdbc.
MIMER8	The general term used in this document for version 8 of Mimer SQL.
MIMERxxxxx	Symbolic name for the distribution directory tree, unique for each Mimer SQL release, where "xxxxx" stands for the current version number, e.g. "822A".
ODBC	Microsoft's Open Database Connectivity, a specification for a database API in the C language, independent of any specific DBMS or operating system.
PSM	Persistent Stored Modules, the term used by ISO/ANSI for Stored Procedures.
Shadow	A shadow is a copy of the original (master) databank and is continuously updated by Mimer SQL. A Mimer SQL databank may have one or more shadows. If the databank is shadowed, there will be one file for each shadow. If the master databank is lost, it is possible to continue operations from the shadow databank without stopping the database server. A databank must have the TRANS or LOG option to be shadowed. For more information, see the Mimer SQL System Management Handbook.
SQL	Structured Query Language, standardized language for database manipulation.
SQLHOSTS	A file containing lookup information for all accessible Mimer SQL databases, relative to the current node.
Table	Tables (or relations) hold all the information in a relational database. A table is stored in a databank. It may not be split across databanks, but a databank may contain several tables.