Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!samsung!emory!att!iuvax!bsu-cs!bsu-ucs!earlham!johnb
From: johnb@yang.earlham.edu
Newsgroups: comp.lang.icon
Subject: Icon and Oracle.  A great mix
Message-ID: <3145@yang.earlham.edu>
Date: 17 Oct 90 23:35:34 GMT
Organization: Earlham College, Richmond, Indiana
Lines: 27

For anyone who is interested.....

	At Earlham College (Heard of it?) we undertook a project of 
intergrating Icon with the Oralce Relational Database.  We are finished 
now, and the project seems to have alot of potential.  
	Our interface is a new built in function called 'oracle' which 
accepts any SQL statement (Not SQL*PLUS).  The information is returned 
through the list data type.  All DMLs, DDL, and queries supported as well 
as a new built in &OracleError code.
	We chose Icon because it is such a strong language for use with 
strings and text.  Our intergration, called OraConIt allows for 
sophisticated manipulation of the information returned.  It could be used 
as a SQL front end, or as a report writer, or for DBAs be able to 
intergote the Data Dictionary and be able to process the data in a 
high-level laguage.  Samples of code written in PRO*C and OraCon are very 
interesting to compare.  (Of course OraCon takes less code.)
	We have developed only a VAX/VMS version, but conversion to any 
other platform should be painless.  One needs the Oracle C run time 
library and the source code for that version of Icon.

If you are interested by this little bit of info, (there is alot more) 
drop me a 'line' here.  I would love to get some feedback on it.

			Thank you,
				The OraCon Group
						John Benjamin
						Johnb@yang.Earlham.Edu