At 09:40 AM 27/06/2004 +0000, you wrote:

>Thanks Helen for the interesting & useful information.
>
> > What kind of application are you planning to write?

>I think it would be described as a database application.

Why am I astonished to know that? <g>

That wasn't the answer to what I was asking, actually (I did go on to
suggest some of the *kinds of applications* people write.

>Of the methods you describe, two offer possiblities.
>PSQL & ESQL.
>
>I have written simple procedures so its just a matter reading up on
>Cursors, to see how to accomplish what I want.
>I think this approach would be the way to go when working in a single
>database. The FOR SELECT...INTO...DO construct sounds like the thing
>to use, (must read up on that one).
>
> >i.e. the client has to mediate.
>However, because of the need to sometimes access the same table in
>different databases, ESQL may be the simplest approach.
>i.e. select & store the data from DB1 then Insert/Update in DB2.

ESQL doesn't have any magic to do this "simply". It predates OO and
encapsulation and all that useful stuff of the modern age. One of the
things that distinguishes ESQL (embedded SQL) from more modern programming
interfaces is that the **SQL statements** embedded in the application code
are precompiled and become statically compiled with the application
code. This is in contrast with more recent application interface
techniques, that allow SQL statements to be submitted dynamically.

Anyway, I'll leave you to research the application side of things. The
least that can be said is, you're not stuck for choices.

/heLen