Values are specified in SESAM/SQL statements for the following purpose:
insert or update column values (INSERT, MERGE, UPDATE)
perform calculations and comparisons (e.g. SELECT column selection, HAVING, ON and WHERE search conditions)
SESAM/SQL makes a distinction between NULL values and non-NULL values. Non-NULL values are grouped according to data type.
Therefore, there are the following groups of values:
NULL values (see section “NULL value”)
alphanumeric values (see section “Strings”)
national values (see section “Strings”)
numeric values (see section “Numeric values”)
time values (see section “Time values”)
REF values, which occur in conjunction with BLOBs (Binary Large Objects), are special alphanumeric values used to reference BLOBs in base tables. Information on defining REF values in base tables can be found in the section “Column definitions”. Information on their structure and how to use them can be found in the chapter “SESAM-CLI” and in the “ Core manual”.