This topic describes the solidDB ADMIN COMMAND syntax. This command set is not part of ANSI SQL; it is an extension that is specific to the solidDB product.
ADMIN COMMAND syntax
ADMIN COMMAND '{ [ local ] | global } command_name'
local can be used in a grid environment (see solidDB Grid overview) to specify that the command runs on only the leader node for the grid and that the leader does not route the command to other nodes in the grid.
global can be used in a grid environment to specify that the command runs consecutively on each node in the grid. The option is not valid for all commands.
The ADMIN COMMAND is an SQL extension specific to solidDB server. You use the command to execute administrative operations.
Using ADMIN COMMAND with solidDB SQL Editor (solsql)
When used with the solidDB SQL Editor (solsql), the command_name must be given with single quotation marks. For example:
ADMIN COMMAND 'backup'
If you use double quotation marks, the command_name is not recognized and the command fails.
Using ADMIN COMMAND with solidDB Remote Control (solcon)
When used with the solidDB Remote Control (solcon), the ADMIN COMMAND syntax includes the command_name only, without the quotation marks. For example:
backup
Abbreviations
Abbreviations for ADMIN COMMANDs are also available. For example:
ADMIN COMMAND 'bak'
To access a list of commands and their abbreviations, execute the following command:
ADMIN COMMAND 'help'
Return values
The result set contains two columns: RC and TEXT:
▪ The RC (return code) column is a command return code. If the execution of the command was successful, value 0 is returned.
▪ The TEXT column is the command reply.
Help
To access a list of commands and their purposes, execute the following command:
ADMIN COMMAND 'help'
To access the options and syntax description for a specific command, execute the following command:
ADMIN COMMAND 'command_name help'
Important
▪ The ADMIN COMMAND statement is not transactional and cannot be rolled back.
▪ An ADMIN COMMAND statement starts a new transaction if one is not already open (but does not commit or roll back any open transaction).
This effect is usually insignificant. However, it can affect the "start time" of a transaction, and that might occasionally have unexpected effects. The concurrency control in solidDB is based on a versioning system; you see a database as it was at the time that your transaction started.
For example, if you run an ADMIN COMMAND statement without another commit and then leave for an hour; when you return, your next SQL command might see the database as it was an hour ago, that is, when you first started the transaction with the ADMIN COMMAND statement.
▪ An ADMIN COMMAND statement returns an error only if the command syntax or parameter values are incorrect.
If the requested operation can be started, the command returns SQLSUCCESS (0). The outcome of the operation itself is written into a result set. The result set has two columns: RC and TEXT. The RC (return code) column contains the return code of the operation: it is "0" for success, and different numeric values for errors. It is thus necessary to check both the codes of the ADMIN COMMAND statement and of the operation.
Option syntax
For the syntax for each option, see the following topics: