Using a Hard-coded Database Names

Go Up to Using simple CONNECT Statements

In Single-database Programs

In a single-database program that omits SET DATABASE, CONNECT must contain a hard-coded, quoted file name in the following format:

EXEC SQL
CONNECT '[host[path]]filename';

<host> is required only if a program and a database file it uses reside on different nodes. Similarly, <path> is required only if the database file does not reside in the current working directory. For example, the following CONNECT statement contains a hard-coded file name that includes both a Unix host name and a path name:

EXEC SQL
CONNECT 'valdez:usr/interbase/examples/employee.ib';

Note:
Host syntax is specific to each server platform.

Important:
A program that accesses multiple databases cannot use this form of ­CONNECT.

in Multi-database Programs

A program that accesses multiple databases must declare handles for each of them in separate SET DATABASE statements. These handles must be used in subsequent CONNECT statements to identify specific databases to open:

. . .
EXEC SQL
SET DATABASE DB1 = 'employee.ib';
EXEC SQL
SET DATABASE DB2 = 'employee2.ib';
EXEC SQL
CONNECT DB1;
EXEC SQL
CONNECT DB2;
. . .

Later, when the program closes these databases, the database handles are no longer in use. These handles can be reassigned to other databases by hard-coding a file name in a subsequent CONNECT statement. For example,

. . .
EXEC SQL
DISCONNECT DB1, DB2;
EXEC SQL
CONNECT 'project.ib' AS DB1;
. . .

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• Additional CONNECT Syntax