IBM Database Views

You can use the IBM^® Database Add-Ins to create database views that provide an alternative way of looking at the data in one or more database tables.

A view is a named specification of a result table. The specification is a SELECT statement that is run whenever the view is referred to in an SQL statement. Thus, a view has columns and rows like a base table. For retrieval, all views can be used just like base tables. A view can be used in an INSERT, UPDATE, or DELETE operation.

You use a view to customize how you see the contents of a table. You can select to view certain elements of a table by creating a SELECT statement that specifies the rows, columns, and other conditions for the returned result set. A view can show an existing table in a customized table format; you do not need to create a new table.

You can use the Server Explorer to see the current views that are in the IBM^® database.

The IBM Database Add-Ins for Visual Studio provide three approaches for creating an IBM database view in Visual Studio:

The IBM View Designer, where you can define the information for the view, including triggers and access privileges, check the syntax of the SQL statement, and then create the view in the database.
The Visual Studio Code Editor, where you can manually write the script for the view.

To develop an IBM database view in Visual Studio:

Create a view by using one of the following tools:
- IBM View Designer
- Visual Studio Code Editor
If you used the editor to create the view from the Solution Explorer, build the view on a database server.
Retrieve data from the view to view a sample of the contents.
Change the view definition or edit the source code of the view, as appropriate.
If you edited the source code of the view, rebuild the view on the database server.
Retrieve data from the view again.

See Also