Quick Beginnings

Entering Commands Using the Command Center

This section describes how to enter commands using the Command Center. There are two versions of the Command Center. This section documents the Command Center that is accessable from the DB2 Control Center.

Note:

If you do not have the Control Center installed, a Command Center with limited functionality is available through the IBM DB2 program group, or by entering the db2cctr command.

From the Command Center you can:

• Run SQL statements, DB2 commands, and operating system commands.
• See the execution result of SQL statements and DB2 commands in a results window. You can scroll through the results and save the output to a file.
• Save a sequence of SQL statements and DB2 commands to a script file. You can then schedule the script to run as a job. When a saved script is modified, all jobs dependent on the saved script inherit the new modified behavior.
• Recall and run a script file.
• See the execution plan and statistics associated with a SQL statement before execution.
• Get quick access to database administrative tools from the main tool bar.
• Display all the command scripts known to the system through the Script Center, with summary information listed for each.
• Use the SQLAssist tool to build complex queries.
• Display results in an table you can edit.

To start the Command Center, click on the Command Center icon in the Control Center.

The Command Center contains a large input area for entering commands. To run the commands you have entered, click on the Execute icon (the gears icon).

In the Command Center, you do not have to enter a command with the db2 prefix; instead you just enter the DB2 command. For example: list database directory To enter operating system commands, precede the operating-system command with an exclamation mark (!). For example: !dir

If you want to enter multiple commands, you must end each command with the termination character, then press Enter to start the next command on a new line. The default termination character is a semicolon (;).

For example, you could connect to a database called SAMPLE and list all the system tables by entering the following command:

   connect to sample;
   list tables for system

After you have clicked on the Execute icon, the results are displayed.

To recall commands that you have entered during your session, select the Command history drop down box, and select a command.

To save commands, select Interactive --> Save Command As from the menu bar. For more information, click on the Help push button or press the F1 key.

You can use the Append to Script button and the Script page of the Command Center to store commonly used SQL statements or DB2 commands as scripts. For more information, click on the Help push button or press the F1 key.