Reader Directives

The suffixes listed are prefixed by the current <ReaderKeyword> in a mapping file. By default, the <ReaderKeyword> for the DB2 reader is DB2.

DATASET

Required/Optional: Required

This is the data source name similar to ODBC data source name.

Example:

DB2_DATASET sample

Workbench Parameter: Source IBM DB2 Non-spatial Dataset

USER_NAME

Required/Optional: Optional

The name of the user who will access the database. By default, USER_NAME will be considered the same as the schema name. e.g. any table name which explicitly does not have the schema name prefixed will be considered as a table from the schema for that user.

Example:

DB2_USER_NAME bond007

Workbench Parameter: User Name

PASSWORD

Required/Optional: Optional

The password to access the database.

Example:

DB2_PASSWORD moneypenny

Workbench Parameter: Password

DEF

Required/Optional

Optional

Each database table must be defined before it can be read. There are two forms that the definition may take.

The syntax of the first form is:

DB2_DEF <tableName> \
    [SQL_WHERE_CLAUSE  <whereClause>]	\
    [<fieldName>       <fieldType>] +

In this form, the fields and their types are listed. The <fieldType> of each field must be given, but it is not verified against the database definition for the field. In effect, it is ignored.

The <tableName> must match a table in the database. This will be used as the feature type of all the features read from the table.

If no <whereClause> is specified, all rows in the table will be read and returned as individual features, unless limited by a global directive:

<ReaderKeyword>_WHERE_CLAUSE

If a <whereClause> is specified, only those rows that are selected by the clause will be read. Note that the <whereClause> does not include the word “WHERE.”

In this example, the all records whose ID is less than 5 will be read from the supplier table:

DB2_DEF supplier \
    SQL_WHERE_CLAUSE "id < 5"	\
    ID  integer \
    NAME char(100) \
    CITY char(50) 

The syntax of the second form is:

DB2_DEF <tableName> \
    SQL_STATEMENT <sqlStatement>

In this form, an arbitrary complete <sqlStatement> will be executed. The statement is passed untouched to the database (and therefore may include non-portable database constructions). The results of the statement will be returned, one row at a time, as features to FME. This form allows the results of complex joins to be returned to FME.

Note: If the table has a column of type BIGINT then use the DB2’s CHAR() function to convert it to a string. This also applies when an arbitrary SQL statement is passed to FME using @SQL() function or the SQLExecutor transformer in Workbench. For example,
SELECT CHAR(myBigIntColumn), myID FROM myTable
All features will be given the feature type <tableName>, even though they may not necessarily have come from that particular table. Indeed, with this form, the <tableName> need not exist as a separate table in the database.

In this example, the results of joining the employee and city tables are returned. All attributes from the two tables will be present on each returned feature. The feature type will be set to complex.

DB2_DEF complex	\
	SQL_STATEMENT \
		"SELECT * FROM EMPLOYEE, CITY WHERE EMPLOYEE.CITY = CITY.NAME"

WHERE_CLAUSE

Required/Optional

Optional

This optional specification is used to limit the rows read by the reader from each table. If a given table has no SQL_WHERE_CLAUSE or SQL_STATEMENT specified in its DEF line, the global <ReaderKeyword>_WHERE_CLAUSE value, if present, will be applied as the WHERE specifier of the query used to generate the results. If a table’s DEF line does contain its own SQL_WHERE_CLAUSE or SQL_STATEMENT, it will override the global WHERE clause.

The syntax for this clause is:

DB2_WHERE_CLAUSE <whereClause>

Note: The <whereClause> does not include the word “WHERE.”

The example below selects only the features whose lengths are more than 2000:

DB2_WHERE_CLAUSE LENGTH > 2000

Workbench Parameter

WHERE Clause

IDs

Required/Optional: Optional

This optional specification is used to limit the available and defined database table files that will be read. If no IDs are specified, then all defined and available tables are read. The syntax of the IDs keyword is:

DB2_IDs <featureType1> 	\
<featureType2> … \
<featureTypeN> 

The feature types must match those used in DEF lines.

The example below selects only the HISTORY table for input during a translation:

DB2_IDs HISTORY

Workbench Parameter: Feature Types to Read

RETRIEVE_ALL_SCHEMAS

This parameter is applicable only when generating a mapping file, generating a workspace, or when retrieving schemas in an FME Objects application.

When set to yes, schemas for all of the tables and feature classes in the database are returned.

When set to no (or missing), and if RETRIEVE_ALL_TABLE_NAMES is similarly set to no (or missing), only schemas requested by the IDs parameter are returned.

Required/Optional

Optional

Values

YES | NO (default)

NO: The reader will return the schemas for the feature types specified in the IDs. If no features are specified in IDs, then:

  • for Enterprise Geodatabases, FME will not return any schema features;
  • for Personal and File Geodatabases, FME returns the schema features for all the tables.

If this value is not specified, then it is assumed to be No.

YES: Indicates to the reader to return all the schemas of the tables in the database.

Mapping File Syntax

Not applicable.

FME Objects applications would include RETRIEVE_ALL_SCHEMAS followed by “YES” in the parameters array passed to IFMEUniversalReader::open().

Workbench Parameter

Not applicable

RETRIEVE_ALL_TABLE_NAMES

This parameter is only applicable when generating a mapping file, generating a workspace or when retrieving schemas in an FME Objects application.

When set to yes, and if RETRIEVE_ALL_SCHEMAS is set to no (or missing), names for all of the tables and feature classes in the database are returned. When set to no (or missing), and if RETRIEVE_ALL_SCHEMAS is similarly set to no (or missing), the schemas requested by the IDs directive are returned.

Note: If RETRIEVE_ALL_SCHEMAS is also set to Yes, then RETRIEVE_ALL_SCHEMAS takes precedence.

Required/Optional

Optional

Values

YES | NO (default)

Mapping File Syntax

Not applicable.

FME Objects applications would include RETRIEVE_ALL_TABLE_NAMES followed by “YES” in the parameters array passed to IFMEUniversalReader::open().

Workbench Parameter

Not applicable (used when you browse a Table List)

PERSISTENT_CONNECTION

A user may want to keep a connection to a database for reuse during a particular FME session. For example, when running a batch of 100 mapping files on the same database connection, it may be desirable to keep a connection open and save the processing time required to make and break a database connection.

A database connection will be determined to be the same when the database name, the username, the password, and the transaction interval are the same.

Values: YES | NO

Default value: NO

Example:

DB2_PERSISTENT_CONNECTION YES

Workbench Parameter: Persistent Connection

EXPOSED_ATTRS

This directive allows the selection of format attributes to be explicitly added to the reader feature type.

This is similar to exposing format attributes on a reader feature type once it has been generated; however, it is even more powerful because it enables schema-driven applications other than Workbench to access and leverage these attributes as if they were explicitly on the schema as user attributes.

The result of picking a list of attributes is a comma-separated list of attribute names and types that will be added to the schema features. Currently all reader feature types will receive the same set of additional schema attributes for a given instance of the reader.

Required/Optional

Optional

Mapping File Syntax

Not applicable.

While it is possible for FME Objects applications to invoke this directive, the required format is not documented.

This directive is intended for use in our GUI applications (for example, Workbench) only.

Workbench Parameter

Additional Attributes to Expose