• MultiBase
• The MultiWay technology
• The Easy-Tools family
• Trans: The application development environment
• CTL: The complete 4th generation language
• Training course
• Technical notes
• Technical Support Service

Contents of the MultiBase training course

• Databases:
  — Overview.
  — Types.
  — Diferences.
• Relational databases: Overview.
• Fourth Generation Languages:
  — May be a real language.
  — Development time, maintenance and documentation.
  — Structures, actions and non procedural statements.
  — Embedded 3GL.
  — Portability.
  — Coherent relation between non procedural and procedural statements.
  — Embedded SQL.
• MultiBase: Relational database with 4^th generation language and development environment:
  — Environment:
  - Databases maintenance.
  - Applications maintenance.
  - Source code generator.
  - Documentation generator.
• CTSQL: Database server.
• CTL: Fourth generation language.
• Translators:
  - trtrans source destination
  - trform source destination
  - trreport source destination
  - tr4gl source destination
  - trmenu source destination
• Debugger:
  - ctlcomp -g source
• Linker:
  - ctlink [-o link_file] module_list [-i]
• Office Automation:
  - Spreadsheet: TCALC.
  - Word processor: TWORD.
  - Accesories: Calendar, Notebook, Calculator.
• Utilities:
  - EasyReport.
  - EasySQL.
  - EasyOS.

CTSQL

Overview

• Introduction.
• Identifiers:
  - Databases.
  - Tables.
  - Columns.
  - Alias.
  - Indexes.
  - Primary keys.
  - Foreign keys.
  - Views.
  - Synonyms.
• Data types.
• Sublanguages: DDL, DCL, DML, QL.

Data Definition Language (DDL)

• Databases: Generate and delete.
  - Collating sequence.
  - SYSLOG transaction files.
• Tables: Generate, management and delete.
  - Assignation CTSQL attributes to columns.
• Primary keys and foreign keys: Generate and delete.
• Indexes: Generate and delete.
• Views: Generate and delete.
• Synonyms: Generate and delete.
• Exercises.

Data Control Language (DCL)

• Grant and revoke user privileges:
  - Databases.
  - Tables.
  - Columns.
• Lock and unlock tables.
• Exercises.

Data Management Language (DML)

• Open and close databases.
• Add rows to a table.
• Delete rows from a table.
• Modify rows.
• Exercises.

Query Language (QL)

• Data selection, columns, expressions, etc.
• Tables selection.
• Use of alias (tables and columns) and synonyms.
• Outer joins.
• Optimization rows:
  - Simple conditions.
  - Subqueries (UNION).
• Rows group.
• Groups optimization.
• Storage of results: Temporary tables.
• Exercises.

Data Integrity Statements (Transactions)

• Introduction.
• Generate and open a transactional database (CREATE, START).
• Transactions:
  - BEGIN WORK.
  - COMMIT WORK.
  - ROLLBACK WORK.
• Data recovery from backup (ROLLFORWARD DATABASE).
• Exercises.

CTL

Concepts

• Introduction.
• Host variables.
• CTSQL interface:
  - TSQL.
  - SELECT (INTO, USING).
  - Data import and data export.
  - Cursors.
• CTSQL dynamic statements: PREPARE, EXECUTE.
• Module without MAIN.
• Module with MAIN.
• Program (ctlink [-o program] modules [-i]).
• CTL modules structure (with and without MAIN).

CTL Objects

• VARIABLES:
  - Initial value of all variables.
  - Shared by different modules.
• PARAMETERS.
• ARRAYS.
• FORM: Only one Form per module.

1. Automatic generation:
   - Maintenance of tables without join.
   - Maintenance of tables with join: head-lines.
2. SCREEN section:
   - Definition and function.
   - Metacharacters.
   - Limits.
   - Use a help file as a screen.
   - Exercises.
3. TABLES section:
   - Definition and function.
   - On line maintenance.
   - Types of tables to maintain.
   - Exercises.
4. VARIABLES section:
   - Definition and function.
   - Definition of columns with CTL attributes (lines).
   - Vartables and displaytables.
   - Pseudo variables.
   - Untagged columns.
5. MENU section:
   - Definition and function.
   - Lotus or Down menus. Options.
   - Help files management.
   - Exercises.
6. CONTROL section:
   - Definition and function.
   - Non procedural statements.
   - Action depending on the select operation.
   - Action depending on the pressed key.
   - Action depending on the initiated action.
   - Exercises.
7. EDITING section:
   - Definition and function.
   - Non procedural statements.
   - Action depending on the select operation.
   - Action depending on the pressed key.
   - Action depending on the initiated action.
   - Exercises.
8. LAYOUT section:
   - Definition and function.
   - Appearance of the screen.
   - Exercises.
9. JOINS section:
   - Definition and funtion.
   - Head-lines join.
   - Multicolumn join (composite).
   - Request indexes for join.
   - Exercises.

• FRAME:

1. First mode of definition:
   - SCREEN (same as Form).
   - VARIABLES: Variables and attributes definition.
   - MENU (same as Form).
   - CONTROL: Non procedural statements (same as Form without control over DELETE).
   - EDITING: Non procedural statements (same as Form).
   - LAYOUT.
2. Second mode of definition:
   - FRAME name LIKE table.*
   - MENU (see previous structure).
   - CONTROL (see previous structure).
   - EDITING (see previous structure).
   - LAYOUT (see previous structure).

• MAIN:
  - MAIN module definition.
  - Function management.
• FUNCTION:
  - Definition and function.
  - Local variables and parameters definition.
  - Values return.
  - Call a function from MAIN.
  - From different modules.
  - Recursivity.
  - Exercises.
• PULLDOWN:
  - Automatic generation.
  - Structure and definition: pulldown, menus.
  - Exercises.
• MENU:
  - Definition and function.
  - Same as function in MAIN module.
  - Exercises.
• CURSORS:
  - Definition and function.
  - Dynamic cursors.
  - CONTROL section (special reports): Non procedural statements.
  - Open cursors (execute).
  - Reading a row.
  - Dynamic read (first, last, previous).
  - Sequential read from the first row to the last row.
  - Close cursor.
  - Exercises.
• STREAMS:
  - Automatic generation of reports.
  - Definition.
  - Format stream.
  - Open stream (options):
  - INPUT (INPUT FRAME or PROMPT FOR -read).
  - OUTPUT (PUT * -write)
  - Close stream.
  - Exercises.
• GLOBAL:
  - Definition and function.
  - Sections:
     - CONTROL: Non procedural statements.
     - OPTIONS: OPTIONS statement.
  - Using in a MAIN module.
  - Exercises.
• LOCAL:
  - Definition and function.
  - OPTIONS section: OPTIONS statement.
  - Using in a MAIN module.
  - Exercises.

Statements by Functional Groups

• Flow control statements.
• Input/Output and assignment statements.
• FORM and FRAME statements.
• STREAMS statements.
• CTSQL interface statements:
  - CURSOR maintenance.
  - Dynamic maintenance.
  - Direct execution.
• Exercises.

Debugger

• How to use.
• More common statements.
• Exercises.

Miscelaneous

• Internal functions.
• Internal variables.
• Environment variables.
• Using the terminal: termcap, tactions and tmapping files.
• Using the printer: tprinter and printcap (Tword) files.
• Syntax of the MultiBase commands.
• Systmenu file.
• Collating sequence file.

Transfer of Applications

• "*DBS" maintenance: Problems:
  - Assign DBA privilege to the database.
  - Corruption of indexes.
  - Empty space in "dat" and "idx" files.
• Make a program for database generation.
• DBSQL generation:
  - Import the "database.sql" file.
  - Import "*.unl" files with contents of the environment.
  - Generate a database.
  - Execute the "database.sql" file.
  - Import the dictionary with the "*.unl" files.

How to increase the MultiBase Operativity

• Termcap: terminal specifications.
• PATH: MultiBase path in the variable.
• CTSQL: Correct optimization with indexes.
• Kernel: optimization.
• CTL: Dynamic statements (PREPARE, EXECUTE).
• Reduce the receive variables.