tony@ingr.com (Tony Wood) (03/29/89)
RELATIONAL INTERFACE SYSTEM (RIS)
RIS, Intergraph's generic relational database interface
isolates applications from specific vendors' relational
database management systems (RDBMSs). RIS allows application
developers to concentrate on application development and not
be concerned about writing and supporting multiple versions
of code for every brand of RDBMS.
The RIS interface is based on the ANSI/ISO SQL Standard
and therefore will be compatible with all RDBMS packages
which are compatible with the Standard. RIS interprets the
unique extensions to SQL from each RDBMS to a common
interface.
RIS currently provides an interface to Informix and
Oracle. An interface to Ingres is under development. RIS is
designed so that interfaces to other relational database
management systems can be easily incorporated in the future.
RIS also provides networking capabilities to allow
applications to place their data on different network nodes
or to isolate all their data on one central node. The
application may run on one node while the database exists on
another node. This is especially useful in a networked
environment where the database is on a central server node
which is accessed by numerous applications running on
workstations which all need to access the same data. With
the central server node configuration only one copy of the
RBDMS is needed for the server node. Currently RIS supports
the XNS and TCP/IP communications protocols with future
support planned for DECnet and ISO/OSI.
RIS is fully supported on Intergraphs's CLIPPER-based
systems running Unix. That is, both the application using
RIS and the database(s) accessed by the application may
reside on CLIPPER-based systems.
RIS also supports VAX/VMS database servers. That is, the
application must still run on a CLIPPER-based system, but
the applications will be able to access supported databases
on remote VAX/VMS machines.
The RIS programming interface allows application
programs to use SQL statements in-line with C source code
and use C variables as input and output buffers.
To build a database-independent application, developers
just embed ANSI-standard SQL within C source code, run it
through the RIS preprocessor, compile and link.
RIS has also addressed the weakness of the currently
adopted SQL standard which allows only static SQL statements
(statements known only at program creation time). RIS has
incorporated features from the proposed revision to the SQL
Standard for dynamic SQL statements (statements not known
until program run time).
BENEFITS
RIS provides many benefits to the applications developer.
Among these are:
o Applications may be developed independent of the
relational database to be utilized. This means that
multiple copies of source code do not have to be
maintained for interfacing to different databases.
o Support of multiple databases on the network.
o Support of multiple communication protocols.
o Reduction in the number and cost of database runtime
licenses required.
o Provides protection of previous investments in
relational database management systems.
o Design flexibility allows for possible future
interfacing to other popular relational databases.
Intergraph and CLIPPER are registered trademarks of
Intergraph Corporation. Other brands and product names are
trademarks of their respective owners.
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Tony Wood | Intergraph Corporation
Clipper Systems Marketing | One Madison Ind. Park
uunet!ingr!tony!tony | Huntsville, AL 35807