AutoSQL

One of the core fundamentals of Data Abstract's method of implementing data access are schemas, which, along with other information, contain the abstract and database-agnostic definition of the data tables published by a DA middle-tier server.

In versions 4.0 and below of Data Abstract, a schema had to contain one or more statements of SQL code (which could be plain SELECT statements, or more complex custom queries), that defined how data was obtained from the back-end database. The column mapping and the field definition within the schema then described how this data was presented to the clients.

Starting with version 5, data tables no longer need to define hard-coded SQL statements to define data access (although they still can do so, if required), instead, they rely on Data Abstract to generate the appropriate SELECT statements on the fly when needed. This not only saves a lot of work and maintenance in keeping SQL statements up to date as databases evolve and data tables change; it also allows Data Abstract to generate more precise code for a number of different scenarios, including the Dynamic Select, Dynamic Where and Union features also provided.

The AutoSQL feature can be turned on/off by setting the value for the property StatementType on the table's statement.

The AutoSQL Statement Type is the default mode for all new tables generated in Schema Modeler™ using the already familiar wizard or drag and drop operations, but it is important to note that it is merely a new option. Full backward compatibility with version 4.0 is provided, and statements based data access are still actively supported, which makes sense in many advanced scenarios.