Important Terminology

The following important terminology was used in this chapter:

• SQL
  Structured Query Language (SQL) is a database programming language used to enhance your modeling process when you have requirements graphical views cannot fulfill.
• SQLScript
  SQLScript exposes many of the memory features of SAP HANA to SQL developers. This includes working with column tables, parameterized information views, delta buffers, working with multiple result sets in parallel, built-in currency conversions at the database level, fuzzy text searching, spatial data types, and predictive analysis libraries. The only way to make this functionality available via SQL queries, even from other applications, is to provide it via SQL extensions.
• User-defined functions (UDF)
  UDFs are custom read-only functions in SAP HANA.
• Procedures (stored procedures)
  A procedure is a subroutine consisting of SQL statements. Procedures can be called or invoked by applications that access the database.
• Imperative logic
  Occasionally, you might prefer to receive the answers to a query one record at a time. This is most often the case when running SQL queries from application servers. In these cases, you will use imperative logic, meaning you’ll “loop” through the results one at a time
• Dynamic SQL
  Dynamic SQL is when you build up SQL strings on the fly using code, and then execute them.