Sculptor SQL engine

Since Sculptor version

6.0.0

The SQL engine has been implemented in kfserver server and kfservnt service. This engine, permits to access Sculptor keyed files using standard SQL queries.

The Sculptor SQL engine has been optmised to use existing indexes and to create and use temporary indexes when necessary. With most queries, for example those that use joins, it is much faster than the old Sculptor 2 SQL. Only the result set is transmitted back (over the network in case of a remote access), which further improves performance.

Because the new SQL follows the SQL-92 standard it is not fully compatible with the Sculptor 2 SQL program. This can still be used if needed but modifying queries to use the new SQL should be the preferred option.

Demo programs are in Sculptordemosql.

To access the Sculptor keyed files using standard SQL two parts are needed:

  1. The server side, which is the SQL engine itself and has been implemented on the Sculptor server programs (kfserver and kfservnt). So this server or service must be running on the machine that contains the keyed files you want to access.

  2. A client program that connects to the SQL Engine server, right now there are two implemented clients:

    1. The new sql command that permits the connection to local or remote Scultpor SQL Engines, making possible to execute interactive SQL commands on the SQL Engine or execute sql scripts

    2. Using the native Sculptor ODBC implementation (scodbc), that permits any program connect the Sculptor SQL Engine through ODBC (on Windows and through unixODBC on unix and linux platforms)

      As well as providing access to Sculptor files from other applications, it allows the embedded Sculptor sql command in the Sculptor language to be used with Sculptor files as well as other SQL databases.

      The driver has been tested with Crystal Reports, with client programs coded in C# using .NET development tools or client programs implemented in C/C++ ODBC client. ODBC is a substantial and complex API and many features are optional. Please send a report if you find that this driver does not work with a particular ODBC client.

      To install the driver on a client PC or on a server, use the batch file Sculptorbininstall_scodbc.bat. On Windows Vista onwards it is necessary to use “Run as Administrator” with this script.

See Getting Started with Sculptor 6 SQL for an introduction and setup information. See Sculptor SQL Engine Features for full details of implemented features.

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