Generate spreadsheet with SQL in batch job

When I wrote about the Db2 for i, or SQL, scalar function to create a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet in the IFS my example program ran interactively. I recently received a message asking the following: "good stuff even though I started to use it, it has some limitations so far: doesn't work with QTEMP files. Am I right?"

I submitted my example program to batch and found that the expected spreadsheet was not generated. Looking in the job's job log I could see several messages related to files I created in QTEMP not being found. It would appear that the Java called by the GENERATE_SPREADSHEET submits a job to batch with the type BATCHI.

If I should not use files in QTEMP then I need a Standard Output file, STDOUT, in another library. I chose to create it in QGPL, but it could be in any library that is in the users' library list. As STDOUT is a source file I create it with the following:

CRTSRCPF FILE(QGPL/STDOUT) RCDLEN(266) + TEXT('Standard output file')

End to free format directive

What I call totally free RPG and what IBM calls modern RPG has been around for nine years. This type of RPG always needs the **FREE directive starting in the first position of the source line. And what follows is the free form RPG, where the source line can start in any position.

...+... 1 ...+... 2 ...+... 3 ...+... 4 ...+... 5 ...+... 6 ...+... 7 ...+... 8 01 **free 02 dcl-s Statement1 varchar(100) inz('Entered in free format RPG') ;

Marc Raynor informed me of another directive that "ends" the free format RPG, **END-FREE. After that directive all valid RPG must be entered in the sixth position for fixed format code, and later for the not completely free format code.

Having been told this I had to try it:

ACS 1.1.9.5 out now

I want to thank Shaker Steven for bringing to my attention this morning that the Spring 2024 update for Access Client Solutions, ACS, is now available. When I opened my ACS the following window popped up informing me the new update was available.

Using Select Into with Execute Immediate

The idea for this post came from a question I was asked about using the Execute Immediate SQL statement. The questioner asked why he was unable to execute a Select Into statement using Execute Immediate. His RPG source code compiled, but when called the program would error with a SQL code of -312, or message id SQL0312:

Variable RESULT not defined or not usable for reason code 8. 8 -- The host variable is specified in dynamic SQL. Host variables are not valid in dynamic SQL. Parameter markers must be used instead.

I found a solution for him. I could resist playing with what I found and created a far more complicated scenario that I am sharing with you in this post.

Patron saint of IT's day

In the western Christian calendar today is a special day for everyone working in information Technology, as it is Saint Isidore of Seville saint's day.

St Isidore of Seville is special to the IT community as in 1997 he was made patron saint of all things related to computers and IT by Pope John Paul II. You can learn more about Isidore here.

Happy St Isidore of Seville day, and let's hope for a little divine intervention so all of our IT projects in the next year complete successfully, on time, and on budget.

"Looking at his example it looks so easy. Gratias tibi RPGPGM.COM!"

Send email with SQL in batch job

When I wrote about the Db2 for i, or SQL, scalar function to create a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet in the IFS my example program ran interactively. I recently received a message asking the following: "good stuff even though I started to use it, it has some limitations so far: doesn't work with QTEMP files. Am I right?"

I submitted my example program to batch and found that the expected spreadsheet was not generated. Looking in the job's job log I could see several messages related to files I created in QTEMP not being found. It would appear that the Java called by the GENERATE_SPREADSHEET submits a job to batch with the type BATCHI.

If I should not use files in QTEMP then I need a Standard Output file, STDOUT, in another library. I chose to create it in QGPL, but it could be in any library that is in the users' library list. As STDOUT is a source file I create it with the following:

Send email with SQL

We have been able to send email from our IBM i partitions for several releases, using IBM commands and various third party tools. I use the Send SMTP Email command, SNDSMTPEMM, that comes within the IBM i operating system. Within the latest round of Technology Refreshes, IBM i 7.5 TR3 and 7.4 TR9, comes another way, with SQL.

A new scalar function was added to the SYSTOOLS library called SEND_EMAIL. It has four parameters:

1. TO_EMAIL:  Recipients email address. Mandatory
2. SUBJECT:  Email's subject line. Mandatory
3. BODY:  Email's body. Mandatory
4. ATTACHMENT: IFS path name of the file to be sent as an attachment. Optional, if omitted no attachment is sent

For example:

Using three part name when the user profile or passwords are different

This post is to take care of an oversight that was brought to my attention. I have written several posts about using the SQL three part name, all of the examples assumed that the user name and password were the same on all of the partitions. What happens if they are not? This post will explain what to do.

For these examples I am using three partitions:

1. DEV740: This partition is running IBM i 7.4, and is the "local" partition, the one I am performing all the calls from
2. DEV730: Runs IBM i 7.3. When the connection was configured on DEV740 to DEV730 the serial number was used, therefore, DEV730 is known as G102A08R.
3. DEV720: This is the oldest partition with IBM i 7.2. My using it proves that the three part name has been around for longer than just the last few releases

I am not going to do anything too fancy for these examples. I have a file, called WHERE_AM_I, on all of these partitions. It has just one field, FLD001 that contains a unique message in each file. All I am going to do is to access these files, and show the contents on DEV740.

Capturing SQL results into a data area

The idea for this post came from a Facebook thread. The question was: "Does anyone know of a way to insert the result of an SQL SELECT into a CL Variable? I can make an SQL select into a table and read (RCVF) the file of course... But can it be done in a more "direct" way?" One of the replies to the question piqued my interest.

Before I start showing examples of code I needed a SQL statement that anyone with a recent release of IBM i could execute in their partitions. I came up with retrieving the record length for the SYSDUMMY1 table. I find the easiest way to get that information is to use the SYSFILES SQL View.

01 SELECT MAXIMUM_RECORD_LENGTH 02 FROM QSYS2.SYSFILES 03 WHERE SYSTEM_TABLE_SCHEMA = 'SYSIBM' 04 AND SYSTEM_TABLE_NAME = 'SYSDUMMY1'

Changes to the SQL View for System Values

There are times when IBM updates a SQL View to add information to it that makes more useful and easier to use than it was before. In the last round of Technology Refreshes, IBM i 7.5 TR3 and 7.4 TR9, came the addition of columns to the View that we can use to retrieve information about system values. The added rows doubled the number of columns in the View, by all means it previously had just a few rows.

The SYSTEM_VALUE_INFO View was introduced as part of IBM i 7.2 and 7.1. I have primarily used it for comparing the system values in different partitions that is an audit requirement. I could get the information from multiple partitions and display it in the same "report". The "report" is a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet.

The original version of the View contained just three columns:

1. System value name
2. Numeric value, contains system value if it is a number
3. Character value, contains systems value if it is character data

I combined the numeric and character values into one column for my "report". But I was missing one piece of information I knew would be really useful: what was the default value of the system value when the partition was created? These two are new columns in the changed View. All of the new columns are: