OpenEdge Data Management: DataServer for Microsoft SQL Server

Adding extended ABL support
Adding extended ABL support
The DataServer provides support for arrays and the RECID/ROWID function when certain objects
exist in a data source. You can modify your data source to enable support for these extended
features. You can also add support when you create new tables.
The DataServer maintains the columns that you add to your data source tables to support the
RECID/ROWID function. If non-OpenEdge applications are updating those data source tables, the
applications must recognize the additional columns and update them appropriately. You can
enable tables either through the use of triggers or through the use of computed columns. The use
of computed columns is the preferred method as it offers greater efficiency and reliability,
however it is only available when using MS SQL Server 2005 or later versions.
The following sections describe how to modify an existing data source so that it supports arrays,
and OpenEdge record identifiers. See the “ROWID function” section on page 2–52 for alternate
ways to support this function.
Modifying tables to support arrays
The DataServer allows you to extend OpenEdge’s ability to support database arrays to your data
source. To have access to this functionality, you must make changes to your data source table.
To modify a table to support arrays:
1. Name the columns of a data source table that you want the DataServer to roll into an array
column##1, column##2, etc. The columns must be adjacent and in sequence.
2. Make sure that these columns are of the same data type and size. For example, if you want
the schema holder to include an array named MONTH with 12 elements, the data source table
must have 12 adjacent columns of the same data type named month##1, month##2,
month##3, and so forth. OpenEdge names the corresponding field in the schema holder
month. In your applications, refer to each element of the array as month[1], month[2],
month[3], and so forth.
3. If you have already created your schema holder, update it to reflect your changes to the
data source table.
Using triggers to enable PROGRESS_RECID support of
the ROWID function
If you want to use the ROWID function with a data source, you must select an index to associate
with this function. Adding a new integer column named PROGRESS_RECID and defining it as a
single-component index is the preferred method. This method can only be applied to a table that
does not currently have an identity column defined. If your table already has an identity column,
you can support ROWID by selecting an existing index. See the “Defining the ROWID” section
on page 7–35 for instructions on selecting an existing index. The following procedure describes
how to create the PROGRESS_RECID column to support ROWID. To use the ROWID function with a
MS SQL Server database, you must make changes to your data source table.
Note: Starting in OpenEdge Release 10.1B, the default PROGRESS_RECID recognizes an INT64
value for a MS SQL Server DataServer. The unique key value in the PROGRESS_RECID
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