DSXchange

Hi guyz, I am new to DataStage, cross platformed from the legacy systems to the ETL.

I am using the 7x and all my jobs are server, I guess this is due to the fact that the client shop do not have more than 1 node.

Now, what is Basic code in DataStage and what is the need to this.
I heard some people telling me that we don't need Basic anymore due to the flexibility of the sequencers and stuff.

Please guide me further, thanks guys, this is a gr8 forum.

Your Server job design is translated into DS BASIC and then compiled. All supporting Routines, Functions, Transforms, constraints, key expressions, and derivations are DS BASIC. You can't get away from it, you will use it.

The only question is whether you want to do more. If you wish to write some fancy Functions or Routines, go for it. If you don't like the Sequencer, use the same API's as the Sequencer and write your own job control.

So, this is more of like a machine level language, that means, DS runs on the BASIC compiler?

also, from what I got from ue lines, the string manipulations, and all kinds of transformations we do in DS are indirectly BASIC code, right?

thanks for ur reply

No, not 'machine level language', more like pop or intermediate code. BASIC is interpreted by the various flavors of the runtime engine in place per O/S.

All such transformations, derivations, etc are directly BASIC code, compiled right in with everything generated by the other objects on the canvas.

thanks chulet.

so I have been using the basic code in my transformations without really knowing that it is BASIC.

Read all about it in on-line help (a good start point is the BASIC Tasks topic) or in the DataStage BASIC manual (basic.pdf).

Ray, can you please point me to the on-line help link.
Thanks a ton

Shree,
Online help doesnt really mean something "online" per se.
It is stored in your client pc, go to Start->Programs->Ascential Datastage-> Online Manuals.
There you have all kinds of manuals necessary to develope Datastage Server/Paralell jobs along with the DS-BASIC Manual.
Though I would suggest you go through the Server first if you are developing server jobs.
HTH

Bring up the online help from inside Designer (Help/Help Topics) switch to the Index tab, type 'BASIC Tasks' and press enter.

I can see where Shree's confusion arose. I meant "online" as "immediately available". I grew up (and was educated) before the invention of the World Wide Web, even before ARPAnet. No terminals for us - it was all punched cards and batch runs, and spoolers and despoolers were real hardware that used paper tape! (Let's close the nostalgia kick right now!) I shall try to avoid "online" as a term in future posts.

Ray,

You are perfectly fine by using the term online. Even IBM uses this term in the folder path to install support documents:-)

Ascential DataStage --> Online Manuals -->DataStage Documentation