ADABAS to RDBMS UsingNatQuery

The following session will provide a high-level overview of NatQuerys ability to automatically extract ADABAS data from a LINUX – Red Hat platform and load this data into an SQL Server environment. For a more comprehensive review or to set up a free thirty day trial, please contact your NatWorks representative or send an to NatWorks at

Starting from NatQuerys open desk top, our user will demonstrate the steps needed to download SAGs example EMPLOYEE file (using the Read All Records selection logic option of NatQuery) into a SQL Server table on a remote server. This process will be the same for queries using more specific selection logic against your production Files. New queries always begin by using the new query icon. For a walk through of a basic query submission please refer to the slide show Building an End-User Query, found on the Slide Show page of our web site

Clicking the New Query icon allows the user to chose a File. In our example the user has chosen the EMPLOYEE file. The user may select one or more Fields for retrieval. In this example the user wishes to retrieve all the fields in the File EMPLOYEES. By clicking the Add All button all the Fields will populate the Selected Fields to Retrieve frame.

A relationship between EMPLOYEES and VEHICLES was previously defined to NatQuery by an Administrator. NatQuery now makes it available to the user. However, in building an RDBMS extract NatQuery allows only one File at a time to be used. Knowing this the user will click the Continue button.

Because the user wishes to extract all of the records, they will click the Read All Records option and then click the OK button. This action will enable the Send to Server icon, which the user will click to begin the submission process.

NatQuery requires a Program name and a Short Description in order to continue with the Send to Server process. With any new query, default description information is provided, but the user may change this information as needed/desired. Filling in the Long description option will aid the user in quickly finding this query from the Open Query window. Checking the Favorite box will be helpful if this query is used often.

The user is now presented with the Send to Server Options window. From the Extract Type frame the user has chosen the RDBMS Loading option. This extract type allows specific options such as Save JCL as PC File or it may be Scheduled for repeat submissions at specific date/times intervals.

Currently there are two RDBMS options for the user to chose from; SQL Server and Oracle. The DB Name options are supplied by the Administrator and the user must choose one to continue. The extraction / loading process being described here is essentially the same for the Oracle environment as it is for the SQL Server environment.

The other frames on the Send to Server window may be utilized as the informational needs of the user dictate. Clicking OK at this time will result in several more screens having to do with the optional editing of field information and verification of the users ID and password for the submission process. Ultimately the user will advance to the RDBMS Data Modeling screen.

NatQuery will select a default primary key for loading the SQL Server tables. In some cases there may be more suitable keys available or the user may want or need to use more then one primary key, or no key at all.

The Data Model – Select Primary Key window allows the user up to four options. For a full description of these options please consult NatQuery Help.

This partial screen shows the SQL data model of the EMPLOYEE File based on the Primary Key(s). Child table relationships are wholly visible using the slide on the left side. The Data Model window allows the user to modify primary key names, table names, specific field options (Null/Not Null and Unique/Not Unique), and the field order and/or location for concatenated fields.

Double clicking on the line that joins two tables will bring up an Edit Relationship window for those tables. This window is primarily used for referencing the two tables relationship. The initial information is automatically generated, and in most cases it is not recommended to perform any modifications. Go to End

Using the Edit menu and the Integration Setup option found there, the user has many options for manipulating their extracted data results.

The Query Information tab allows the user to manipulate how the data will be viewed and which reports may or may not be generated. The Debug option generates a Command report which is an Administrative review tool. Note that for sites where NatCDC is installed other options will be available. On the tab marked Integration Setup the user may review and edit the administrative information regarding NatQuerys interface with the SQL Server.

If the user is satisfied with the Integration Setup options and the layout of the data, they can proceed to the Continue option.

This presentation will skip past the next few interactive screens that NatQuery would normally present during the Send to Server submission process. Here we see NatQuery asking the user to supply their FTP password prior to the submission to the ADABAS server.

Having clicked the Check Server for Update button we see the request is Done. Notice that the Target is reported as being SQL Server. By hovering the mouse over the slot information we will see a report regarding the retrieved query's results.

After clicking Retrieve Request Output, NatQuery will prompt the user to make very important data migration choices. Clicking Yes will have NatQuery bring the data to the users workstation before copying it to the SQL Server. Clicking No assumes that NatQuery already has a specific SQL Loading JCL/Script written which has copied the data to the SQL server and that the data will not be needed on the users workstation. Without this JCL/Script in place NatQuery will create the tables in the RDBMS, but will be unable to load the extracted data.

Prior to this automatic loading prompt, NatQuery may bring up several screens asking the user for their specific SQL and Network user IDs and passwords, depending on how the integration is to be accomplished. Similar to other ID and Password requests NatQuery will retain the supplied information only for the duration of the users session.

A series of screens will be seen as NatQuery connects and loads the extracted data into the SQL Server.

When the loading activity ceases NatQuery will return the user to the Check Server window. The user will need to log into their SQL environment to verify the information was extracted successfully.

Note that the table names include EMP00001_STAGING, this is an optional inclusion and could have been dropped after the loading process. Our user chose not to include an error reporting table as a part of this data loading process. These and other SQL loading options were available to the user during Integration Setup process in the Data Model / Integration Setup screens. See the screen.See the screen

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