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Status Delivered
Workspace IBM i
Categories Db2 for i
Created by Guest
Created on Feb 16, 2018

RELATED IDEAS

Retrieve spool file data (contents of spool file) through SQL Service

Spool files are a vital source of data for traditional IBM i businesses. Currently, for a program to access spool data (contents of a spool file), one must either use APIs, or commands that create temporary objects of some kind. Although such traditional approaches have worked well for compiled languages such as RPG and CL, for newer open-source dynamic languages such as PHP or Python, these older approaches are either difficult, unreliable, or create temporary objects that require detailed permissions and clean-up management. Therefore, an SQL view or table function (IBM i service in modern parlance) that provided spool file data would eliminate such problems for all languages on the system and provide access to this valuable data.


Use Case:

A state agency, serving a special-needs population, runs reports to provide data to administrators in the form of spool files. Their PHP-based administration application needs access to this spool data. For a PHP developer, the IBM i APIs for retrieving spool data are not practically accessed without adding RPG or CL programs or using methods that create temporary objects. To use catsplf from Qshell causes its own set of complications. An SQL wrapper (IBM i service) would be ideal, returning one spool record per Db2 "row." and a WHERE clause providing criteria for spool file selection, uniquely identifying the spool file.


Idea priority Medium
  • Guest
    Reply
    |     May 18, 2020

    IBM believes that the request described has been solved and is available with the SYSTOOLS.SPOOLED_FILE_DATA SQL table function delivered in IBM i 7.4 base release and IBM i 7.3 with DB PTF Group level 15.

  • Guest
    Reply
    |     Mar 20, 2018

    The CAAC has reviewed this requirement and recommends that IBM view this as a medium priority requirement that should be addressed. Open source or non-native programmers would not know how to do the circumvention -- they don't know how to do CL programs. It would be better to provide the SQL service similar to others that have been implemented -- it would remove an obstacle for the non-native and open source developers.

    Background: The COMMON Americas Advisory Council (CAAC) members have a broad range of experience in working with small and medium-sized IBM i customers. CAAC has a key role in working with IBM i development to help assess the value and impact of individual RFEs on the broader IBM i community, and has therefore reviewed your RFE.

    For more information about CAAC, see www.common.org/caac

    For more details about CAAC's role with RFEs, see http://www.ibmsystemsmag.com/Blogs/i-Can/May-2017/COMMON-Americas-Advisory-Council-%28CAAC%29-and-RFEs/

    Nancy Uthke-Schmucki - CAAC Program Manager

  • Guest
    Reply
    |     Feb 19, 2018

    The CEAC has reviewed this requirement and recommends that IBM view this as a “nice to have” low priority feature.

    Has the use of the CPYSPLF command to copy the spooled file to a database file been considered as a circumvention?

    Background: The COMMON Europe Advisory Council (CEAC) members have a broad range of experience in working with small and medium-sized IBM i customers. CEAC has a key role in working with IBM i development to help assess the value and impact of individual RFEs on the broader IBM i community, and has therefore reviewed your RFE.

    For more information about CEAC, see http://www.comeur.org/i4a/pages/index.cfm?pageid=3285

    Dawn May - CEAC Program Manager

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