OpenAPI User Guide > OpenAPI User Guide > Introduction > What Is OpenAPI? > Common Features of Application Programming Interfaces
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Common Features of Application Programming Interfaces
OpenAPI is an application programming interface, similar to Microsoft Windows ODBC and the X/Open Company SQL Call Level Interface. Application programming interfaces share the following features:
• A standard set of function calls for accessing a database
This makes an application programming interface ideally suited for a client/server environment, in which the target database may not be known when the application is built.
• No requirements for host variables or other embedded SQL concepts
Application developers who are familiar with function calls find an application programming interface straightforward to use.
• Preprocessor independence
SQL statements are sent to a DBMS Server as input parameters in a function call. Query results are returned to the application as output parameters from the function call.
Last modified date: 01/30/2023