2 Release Information

2.3.1.1 Advanced Network Option, Bug Number 661051

ANO encryption is not supported with this release of Oracle Transparent Gateway for iWay.

2.3.1.2 Number of Rows Updated

After an UPDATE, iWay Server returns a negative one (-1) as the number of rows updated.

2.3.1.3 Interrupting Queries

Canceling queries from Oracle clients discontinues retrieval to the Oracle client from the gateway. The gateway notifies the iWay Server to discontinue the query, but different releases have different levels of support for this feature. For more information regarding the level of support for your specific iWay Server installation, refer to the Information Builders Incorporated (IBI) manual for iWay Server.

If the gateway is communicating with an iWay Server release 3.2 or above, then ensure the SLIM parameter is set appropriately in the iWay Server configuration. For more information about setting the SLIM parameter, refer to the IBI documentation listed in the Preface of this guide.

You can also govern resource usage of SQL requests by using the iWay SmartMode Governing Services. For more information about SmartMode Governing Services, refer to the IBI documentation listed in "Related Documents".

2.3.2.1 Encrypted Format Logon

The DBLINK_ENCRYPT_LOGIN parameter is not supported by the gateway.

2.3.2.2 iWay Server Security Considerations

iWay Server file passwords are not supported.

2.3.2.3 Write Support

When updating an iWay Server data store, only one iWay Server data store can be involved within a single transaction. No Oracle databases can be updated within the same transaction if an update is run against an iWay Server data store.

2.3.2.4 SQL Support with INSERT, UPDATE, and DELETE

Oracle Transparent Gateway for iWay does not post process INSERT, UPDATE, and DELETE SQL statements. Therefore, only INSERT, UPDATE, and DELETE statements supported by the iWay Server are supported by the gateway. For more information regarding iWay Server SQL support for INSERT, UPDATE, and DELETE, refer to the IBI documentation listed in "Related Documents".

2.3.2.5 Fixed Character 255 Maximum Length

The maximum length character string for iWay Server is 256 characters. Oracle applications allow a maximum of 255 characters for a fixed character column. Therefore, when the gateway encounters an iWay Server fixed character column defined as 256, it returns 255 characters to the application if the last character of the column is a blank. If the last character of the column is not a blank, then the gateway returns a truncation error.

2.3.2.6 iWay Server DATE Columns Mapped as CHAR(8)

Dates are treated as CHAR(8). For more information, refer to "Performing Date and Time Operations" in Chapter 9, "Developing Applications".

2.3.2.7 Programmatic Limitations

Gateway design requires that all host variables in a SQL operation be bound before performing a describe function. When using the Oracle Call Interface (OCI), all OCI bind calls for a given statement must be completed before an OCI describe call is made.

2.3.2.8 SQL Limitations

Although most differences between the Oracle Database server SQL and the iWay Server are handled by the gateway, the following restrictions exist:

• Oracle ROWID is not supported.

  The iWay Server does not have a functional equivalent to Oracle ROWID. Tools or applications that depend on Oracle ROWID are not supported.

• Oracle bind variables become iWay Server parameter markers when used with the gateway. Therefore, the bind variables are subject to the same restrictions as iWay Server parameter markers.

  For more information about parameter marker restrictions, refer to the EDA API/SQL reference manual.

• The Oracle CONNECT_BY clause is not supported on a SELECT statement.

For more information, refer to Chapter 9, "Developing Applications".

2.3.2.9 Oracle Schema Names and iWay Server

Schema names used when accessing iWay Server tables are ignored by the gateway. This is because the table name in the Oracle application actually references a partitioned data set (PDS) member of the master file description (MFD), and does not directly correlate to the qualified table name of the target data store.

For example, the following statements would reference the same "dept" member of the MFD:

SELECT * FROM SCOTT.dept@EDA SELECT * FROM edauser.dept@EDA SELECT * FROM dept@EDA

For databases using qualifiers to uniquely identify a table, the qualifier is specified in the MFD. In the previous example, any of these could reference an iWay Server table SCOTT.dept if, in the dept member of the MFD, SCOTT is identified as the qualifier for the iWay Server dept table.

2.3.2.10 Oracle User Data Dictionary Limitations

Oracle user data dictionary views are used to identify a particular user's objects within that user's schema. Because users of iWay Server are not associated with a specific schema, the Oracle user data dictionary views return no rows when queried.

2.3.2.11 Oracle Fast Refresh Snapshots

Oracle fast refresh snapshots are not supported between iWay Server and the Oracle server. Oracle complete refresh snapshots are supported between the gateway and the Oracle server.

2.3.2.12 64-Character Synonym Support with iWay Server

iWay Server provides support for 64-character synonyms. This support is required by the gateway to prevent a U809 ABEND when trying to describe tables which are longer than 8 characters. You must add the setting LONGSYMN=ON to the global section of the EDASERVE member of eda_qualifier.EDACTL.DATA to prevent this ABEND from occurring.