Routine calling options
You can set the following SQL behavioral options for a
routine:
| Option | Description |
|---|---|
| Accepts null values | If a routine that does not accept null values gets passed a null value, the database server returns a null value without calling the routine. |
| Variant | Variant functions can return different values or have varying side effects, given the same arguments. For example, a function that returns the current date or time is a variant function. However, a function that appears nonvariant can also have varying side effects, such as updating a table or external file. |
| Parallelizable | Parallelizable routines can be executed within a parallel database query (PDQ) statement. PDQ statements allow the HCL Informix® database server to distribute the execution of one query among several processors by dividing the query into subqueries. |
| DBA routine | A DBA routine can only be created or executed by a user with database administrator permissions. |
| Cannot be called from SQL | If a routine cannot be called from SQL, it is an internal routine that can only be called directly by the database server: for example, primary access method support routines. |
| Iterator routine | Iterator routines return a set of values, one value at a time. |
For more information, see the Informix DataBlade® Developers Kit User's Guide.