Do you remember

this bookcover?

How about this magazine cover?

Anyone less then 50 years old should not know what this is and

You should be wondering WHY am I showing you this old stuff?

What does this have to do with modern SQL database access?

• Write a simple RPG II program that accessed a remote file by reading a record and doing something with it, such as;

• Performing some local business logic based on the remote information.

• Writing the records (rows) back to a local file (table); performing a simple file transfer to you local DASD.

• Writing the rows to yet another remote table on a completely different system; never storing it locally – just moving data around the network.

• Crazy but true, 30 years ago, with APPC/APPN and the appropriate Network Resource Directory (NRD) entries you could navigate, access and manage data across a complex network topology.

So back in 1985ish (30 years ago today) you could:

Technology Refresh 4 for IBMi 7.1 happened.

SQL can finally perform a simple data transfer from a remote table to a local table in ONE statement - just like your 1985ish S/36 RPG II program did!

IF, in 2012, this was deemed “exciting news … [one of the] more interesting DB2 for i enhancements”!

THEN what do you call that APPC/APPN/DDM/NRD thing back in the 80’s?

• It can best be portrayed by the Paul Tuohy’s signature stance - “smoking some really good stuff”!

ELSE end

27 years later – circa 2012

User Defined Table Functions

UDTF should be all the rage!

Albeit a few decades late but still some crazy good stuff!

Where are we Today with database access?