Quick Beginnings Personal Edition

Entering Commands Using the Command Line Processor

You can use the command line processor to enter DB2 commands, SQL statements, and operating system commands. It operates in the following modes:

Command Line Mode

Operates at any shell prompt. You can enter DB2 commands and SQL statements by prefixing the command or statement with the db2 prefix. Operating systems commands are entered directly as this is an ordinary shell prompt.

Interactive Input Mode

The db2 prefix that you use for DB2 commands (in Command Line Mode) is pre-entered for you. You can enter operating systems commands, DB2 commands, or SQL statements and view their output.

File Input Mode

Processes commands that are stored in a file. For information on the file input mode, refer to the Command Reference.

Command Line Mode

You can use any command window to enter a DB2 command. If you are entering commands via the Command Line Mode, you must include the db2 prefix. For example:

   db2 list database directory

If the DB2 command contains characters that have special meaning on the operating system you are using, you will need to enter the command in quotation marks to ensure that it is run properly. For example, the following command would retrieve all the information from the employee table, even if the * character has a special meaning on the operating system: db2 "select * from employee"

If you need to enter a long command that does not fit on one line, use the line continuation character, \. When you have reached the end of the line, press the Enter key to continue entering the command on the next line. For example:

   db2 select empno, function, firstname, lastname, birthdate, from \
   > employee where function='service' and \
   > firstname='Lily' order by empno desc

Interactive Input Mode

To invoke the command line processor in interactive input mode, enter the db2 command from the command line processor

In interactive input mode, the prompt looks like this:

   db2 =>

In interactive input mode, you do not have to enter DB2 commands with a db2 prefix; instead, you just enter the DB2 command. For example:

   db2 => list database directory

To enter operating system commands in interactive mode, precede the operating-system command with an exclamation mark (!). For example:

   db2 => !ls

If you need to enter a long command that does not fit on one line, use the line continuation character, \. When you have reached the end of the line, press the Enter key to continue entering the command on the next line. For example:

   db2 => select empno, function, firstname, lastname, birthdate, from \
   db2 (cont.) => employee where function='service' and \
   db2 (cont.) => firstname='Lily' order by empno desc

To end interactive input mode, enter the quit or terminate command.

For more information on advanced topics using the CLP, refer to the Command Reference.

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