# OTL 4.0, Example 430 (OTL/ODBC, accessing the system data dictionary via ODBC functions, Sybase SQL Server)

This example demonstrates how to access the database system data dictionary via ODBC functions, OTL/ODBC, Sybase SQL Server. In theory, any ODBC driver that implements the necessary ODBC functions can be used with OTL/ODBC.

## Source Code

##

    #include <iostream>
    #include <stdio.h>
    using namespace std;

    #define OTL_ODBC_UNIX // Compile OTL 4.0/ODBC
    #include <otlv4.h> // include the OTL 4.0 header file

    otl_connect db; // connect object

    void select()
    {
     otl_stream s;

     s.set_all_column_types(otl_all_num2str|otl_all_date2str);
        // map all numeric and date/time output columns to strings for simplicity.

     db.auto_commit_on(); // setting database connect auto-commit to ON

     s.open(100, // buffer size
             "$SQLColumns $1:'sybsql' $2:'scott' $3:'test_tab'",
             //  get a list of all columns of table
             // "test_tab" that belongs to schema "dbo",
             // catalog "sybsql"
             db // connect object
            );

     otl_column_desc* desc;
     int desc_len;
     desc=s.describe_select(desc_len);
        // describe the structure of the output columns of the result set.

     int rpc=0;
     while(!s.eof()){
       ++rpc;
       char str[512];
       cout<<"ROW#"<<rpc<<" ";
       for(int col_num=0;col_num<desc_len;++col_num){
         s>>str;
         if(s.is_null())
           cout<<desc[col_num].name<<"=NULL ";
         else
           cout<<desc[col_num].name<<"="<<str<<" ";
       }
       cout<<endl;
     }

    }

    int main()
    {
     otl_connect::otl_initialize(); // initialize ODBC environment
     try{

      db.rlogon("scott/tigger@sybsql"); // connect to ODBC

      select(); // query the system data dictionary via ODBC functions.

     }

     catch(otl_exception& p){ // intercept OTL exceptions
      cerr<<p.msg<<endl; // print out error message
      cerr<<p.stm_text<<endl; // print out SQL that caused the error
      cerr<<p.sqlstate<<endl; // print out SQLSTATE message
      cerr<<p.var_info<<endl; // print out the variable that caused the error
     }

     db.logoff(); // disconnect from ODBC

     return 0;

    }
     Output

    ROW#1 TABLE_CAT=sybsql TABLE_SCHEM=scott TABLE_NAME=test_tab COLUMN_NAME=f1 DATA_TYPE=4 TYPE_NAME=int COLUMN_SIZE=10 BUFFER_LENGTH=4 DECIMAL_DIGITS=0 NUM_PREC_RADIX=10 NULLABLE=1 REMARKS=NULL COLUMN_DEF=NULL SQL_DATA_TYPE=4 SQL_DATETIME_SUB=NULL CHAR_OCTET_LENGTH=0 ORDINAL_POSITION=1 IS_NULLABLE=YES
    ROW#2 TABLE_CAT=sybsql TABLE_SCHEM=scott TABLE_NAME=test_tab COLUMN_NAME=f2 DATA_TYPE=-1 TYPE_NAME=text COLUMN_SIZE=2147483647 BUFFER_LENGTH=16 DECIMAL_DIGITS=NULL NUM_PREC_RADIX=NULL NULLABLE=1 REMARKS=NULL COLUMN_DEF=NULL SQL_DATA_TYPE=-1 SQL_DATETIME_SUB=NULL CHAR_OCTET_LENGTH=2147483647 ORDINAL_POSITION=2 IS_NULLABLE=YES

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    Copyright © 1996, 2007, Sergei Kuchin, email: skuchin@ispwest.com, skuchin@gmail.com

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    for any purpose is hereby granted without fee, provided that the above
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