SQL Implicit Cast of Character Strings and Numeric Values
by Skip Marchesani

Awhile back I was teaching an SQL class in Fargo, North Dakota. During one of the afternoon lab sessions, one of the students asked if he could use the CONCAT function on two numbers, or two numeric columns, without first casting them to character values. READ MORE >

Forcing Keyword Parameters
by Ted Holt

Programming languages use two conventions for passing arguments (commonly referred to as parameters) to a called routine. Some languages use positional parameters. That is, the parameters must be passed to the routine in a certain order. The other (and less error-prone) method is to password parameters in keyword format. IBM i allows you to force callers to use keyword format--to a point--when they use your CL commands. Here's how. READ MORE >