• Home Page
• Support
• Product Knowledgebase
• USQL
• USQL FAQ
• USQL FAQ

U/SQL - Frequently Asked Questions

Can U/SQL be deployed in a Citrix environment?

U/SQL is currently deployed in a Citrix environment by a number of customers.

In order to deploy U/SQL successfully in Citrix, the following elements are required to be configured and licensed:

• Transoft U/SQL server, installed on the Citrix server and licensed with sufficient concurrent users to handle the number of client users.
• Transoft U/SQL client, installed on the Citrix server and licensed as a gateway client.

Each user is able to access U/SQL via a Citrix client, presenting them with a virtual desktop, and permitting multiple users to access the U/SQL client software.

Please contact Transoft Customer Services if you require further information or assistance with deployment of U/SQL in a Citrix environment.

Is U/SQL compatible with my operating system?

Transoft U/SQL is compatible with a multitude of operating systems, including:

• • Windows Server 2000, 2003 and 2008;
  • Windows 7, XP and VISTA.
• IBM AIX
• HP-UX PA RISC
• HP-UX Itanium
• Linux
• SCO Unix
• Solaris
• UnixWare

For specific Operating System version compatibility information, please refer to U/SQL Current Releases or contact Transoft Customer Services. Additional builds of U/SQL for other Operating Systems may also be available, or can be requested via Transoft Customer Services.

Information regarding 64-bit Windows Operating Systems

A 64-bit Transoft ODBC driver is available, and is installed automatically, together with the 32-bit Transoft ODBC driver, when the U/SQL Client software is installed on a 64-bit Windows operating system.

The administrative tools that are installed with the U/SQL client are currently all 32-bit applications and so they will only enable the administration of 32-bit DSNs. Currently, 64-bit DSNs must be administrated from the Windows ODBC Manager.

Is U/SQL compatible with my data source?

Transoft U/SQL supports the following Data Source types, across various operating systems:

• ACUCOBOL
• Micro Focus COBOL
• BB-ISAM
• C-ISAM
• PRO-ISAM
• U/FOS
• isCOBOL
• D-ISAM

For specific information about data source type availability on your platform, please refer to U/SQL Current Releases or contact Transoft Customer Services. If you have a requirement for U/SQL to be made available for a data source that is not listed above, please contact Transoft Customer Services.

The configuration process and product functionality can differ between each data source, so please refer to the U/SQL user guide for full details.

How do I create a new UDD for COBOL data?

U/SQL uses the data descriptions (metadata) in the Universal Data Dictionary (UDD) to provide relational access to non-relational data. The UDD is created using information in the Universal File Dictionary (UFD), which describes the physical structure of the non-relational data structures.

There are two methods for producing the UFD and UDD:

• For ACUCOBOL and Micro Focus COBOL users, the UFD and UDD can be produced automatically using COBOL File Definitions (FDs) and the U/SQL Manager
• For other data sources, the UFD must be created first and then the UDD is generated automatically.

Creating a UDD using the U/SQL Manager

Note that this section describes the basic steps required to create a UDD using the U/SQL Manager. Please refer to the sections; "Planning to Use U/SQL Manager", "Using U/SQL Manager to Create a UDD" and "Modifying a UDD" within the U/SQL user guide for full instructions.

Step 1 – Start the U/SQL Manager:

The U/SQL Manager can be loaded from the Windows "Start" menu under Programs > U/SQL Client. Once opened, select "New Data Dictionary" from the Main Menu:

Step 2 – Configure the UDD:

Two dialog boxes will follow, asking you to choose the data dictionary type, and a name for the dictionary. Once these have been completed, the 32-bit ODBC Setup window will appear, asking you to specify the name and port of the U/SQL Server:

Step 3 – Prepare to import FD(s):

A blank UDD will now have been created using the name you have specified. Use the "New" option on the right-hand side, or the FD Import icon at the top to open the COBOL FD Converter:

Step 4 – Browse for FD(s):

Clicking the "Name…" button will open a new browsing window, which you can use to navigate and select the COBOL FD file that you wish to add to the UDD;

Step 5 – Convert FD(s) to tables:

Once the FD is selected, click the "Convert" button – the U/SQL Manager will immediately show all files referenced in the selected FD, and show the table name that will be created for the UDD. You can modify this name by using the "Rename" button. Finally, to add one or many tables to the UDD, select them using the respective checkbox, and click "Write Chosen". These new tables will now be listed in the "Data Dictionary Maintenance" window:

How do I create a new UDD for non-COBOL data?

U/SQL uses the data descriptions (metadata) in the Universal Data Dictionary (UDD) to provide relational access to non-relational data. The UDD is created using information in the Universal File Dictionary (UFD), which describes the physical structure of the non-relational data structures.

To create the UDD for non-COBOL data sources, the UFD must be created first and then the UDD is generated automatically.

A UFD file is a plain text document which describes the file structures of your source data. This is used by U/SQL to generate a UDD. Examples and assistance for creating UFDs can be found within the U/SQL User Guide,refer to the section "Specific UDD Information".

Once you have created a UFD, follow the steps below to create a new UDD.

Step 1 - Create the UDD

Windows

In a Windows environment, UDDs are created using the Win U/SQLi utility, from the U/SQL Client program group. From the "File" menu, select "New UDD", and name the new dictionary. This will generate a blank UDD.
If you wish to prove that the UDD has been successfully created, run the query "select * from uddtables" from the WinU/SQLi interface, and a list of system tables should be returned:

UNIX or Linux:

From a command line interface, navigate to the U/SQL  "/bin" directory. Execute the following command to create a new blank UDD:

./usqli –c <name of udd>

This will create the new UDD with the name you specified:

Step 2 - Import the UFDs

Windows

Using Win U/SQLi, select "Import" from the "Table" menu. This opens a browse window. Locate the UFD you have created earlier and select it.

UNIX and Linux:

Using a command line interface, open the usqli utility, and connect to your new UDD. Run the following command within usqli:

Import <name of UFD>

This will automatically populate the UDD using the information contained within the UFD. Repeat this for all UFDs.

Step 3 - Update the UDD

Windows

Using Win U/SQLi, select "Update" from the "Table" menu.

UNIX and Linux:
The UDD update is executed from a command line by running the following:

./usqli –u <name of UDD>

Once completed, usqli will inform you that the UDD tables have been successfully updated:

Can I configure my DSN as a Linked Server (MS SQL Server)?

In order to established a Linked Server connection between Microsoft SQL Server and U/SQL, you must ensure that U/SQL is installed and configured, and that the DSN that you wish to connect to can be queried using other tools (such as Win U/SQLi).

The instructions provided below are based on Microsoft SQL Server 2005 (32-bit). The process for creating Linked Servers using other versions of Microsoft SQL Server is likely to be similar – please contact Transoft Customer Services for further assistance.

To create a new Linked Server from SQL Server Management Studio: Expand the "Server Objects" folder, right-click on "Linked Servers" and select "New Linked Server…":

The "New Linked Server" dialogue box will now open for you to configure the connection to an existing DSN. The following fields under the "General" page must be completed:

1. In the Linked server field, choose a name for the linked server, e.g. "TEST";

2. From the Provider drop-down list, select "Microsoft OLE DB Provider for ODBC Drivers";

3. In the Product name field, type "U/SQL";

4. In the Data source field, type the name of the target UDD (e.g. "books.udd);

5. In the Provider string field, type "DSN=<name of your DSN>" (e.g. "DSN=books.udd").

Click "OK" and SQL Server will attempt to connect to the data source. Any errors at this point will be immediately reported. If successful, the new Linked Server will appear as an object in the list of "Linked Servers".

To query the Linked Server via MS SQL Server, use the following syntax:

select * from openquery(<Linked Server Name>,’<SQL Query to be run’>’

For example:

select * from openquery(TEST,’select * from customer’)

How many concurrent user license slots do I need on my server?

The Transoft U/SQL Server licence specifies the number of U/SQL users that may be connected to the server at any one time. In order to calculate the number of concurrent users required, you need to consider:

• The total number of U/SQL Client machines that are to be licensed;
• The level of usage that will be made of the U/SQL product by client users, connected most of the time or occasionally;
• The availability requirements of the product, what are the consequences if users must wait for a free license slot?;
• The operating system that is used on the client machine, each connection from a server operating system (such as UNIX, Linux, Windows Server 2008) will be counted as a separate user.
• The type of application that is using U/SQL to access data. For example, each connection to U/SQL from a web application will be counted as a separate user.

It is possible to monitor the level of usage using the U/SQL Service Manager on Windows, or the licmon utility on UNIX or Linux. Please refer to the U/SQL documentation for full details on these tools.

A recent enhancement to U/SQL has been implemented to allow logging of concurrent user count so that the user count requirements can be accurately established. Please contact Transoft Customer Services for more information.

Is it possible to obtain an evaluation copy of U/SQL?

Transoft can provide evaluation copies of the U/SQL product, usually valid for one month. This can be made available to existing or new U/SQL customers, and are typically used to trial the following:

• A "proof of concept" activity to determine the value of the U/SQL product to your organisation;
• To trial a new configuration of U/SQL, such as a gateway server;
• To trial a new feature of U/SQL, for example the Enterprise Join Engine, U/SQL Manager or .NET compatibility;
• To trial U/SQL on a new platform (e.g. a 64-bit operating system);
• To extend the server concurrency for a period, and monitor the impact on performance.

To obtain an evaluation copy of U/SQL, please contact your Transoft account manager or Transoft Customer Services.