IBM AS/400e, User Handbook Manual, Page: 582 / 834

IBM Licensed Programs: Database Products
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AS/400e System Handbook
productivity. Building upon the fifteen-plus year history of the QMF family's development in
parallel with DB2, QMF for Windows allows you to bring the same standards of performance,
security, and reliability to Windows and the Web that you might have traditionally expected
only from entirely host-based technologies.
32-bit Windows users (Windows 95, Windows 98, and Windows NT) may explore data within
the point-and-click QMF for Windows query interface, build robust reports, automate even the
most complex tasks with procedures, and automatically store the resulting QMF “objects” in a
common object space shared by other QMF users across the enterprise. Alternatively, the
QMF application programming interface (API) allows the user to stay entirely within their
favorite Windows applications (such as Lotus 1-2-3, Microsoft Excel, or Microsoft Access) as
they execute QMF objects, query multiple DB2 databases, and merge the resulting data into
the spreadsheet, database, or other desktop application of choice. The user can quickly
convert an unlimited number of existing QMF reports for publishing to the Web server of
choice and schedule unattended refreshes, rapidly creating “warehouses” of business reports
accessible to all through a Web browser.
These robust data distribution and integration capabilities are packaged with advanced
administrative controls, accessible only to authorized database administrators, that prevent
waste or abuse of database server resources. Administrators have a wealth of options
available, from closing access to a database server altogether, restricting groups of users to a
“read only” status (disallowing ad hoc query access), to finely-tuned limits on rows fetched
and re-use of connections to the database. Database access techniques such as static
structured query language (SQL), uncommitted read, and DB2 stored procedures are
supported to minimize contention for database resources and maximize the value obtained
from any given database server. In addition, detailed object use tracking helps locate heavily
used (or unused) queries and forms and identify every object ever executed by a user,
including how often.
A summary of benefits to users, application developers, database administrators, and the
enterprise follows.
User benefits:
• Run queries directly to DB2 from Windows applications
• Integrate QMF objects (queries, forms, and procedures) and commands into Windows
applications
• Run ad hoc queries or stored queries
• Save new queries to a local drive, network drive, or as shared QMF queries
• Select existing QMF for Windows objects from drop-down lists
• Run more than one query at a time in the foreground or background
• Query more than one DB2 for AS/400 database server at a time
• Limit size of the query results
• View resource limits in effect