About This Document
Zen developers can create applications using either the MicroKernel Engine, the Relational Engine, or a combination of the two. This documentation overviews Zen database design and concepts at the transactional and relational levels. It explains the fundamentals about how to develop applications that use Zen interfaces.
This developer information is part of the broader documentation library integrated into Zen Control Center (ZenCC). Access the documentation through the ZenCC interface on the Welcome tab, in the Help menu, or by pressing F1 (Windows) or Shift F1 (Linux).
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Organization of This Guide
This guide is divided into four areas:
Database Access Methods
Introduces the various visual components and APIs with which you can develop Zen applications.
Surveys access method options.
Transactional Programming with the MicroKernel Engine
Covers the developing and running of applications in the MicroKernel Engine environment.
Describes API and MicroKernel Engine features.
Provides information about creating a data file, improving system performance, and setting up security.
Provides language interface source modules provided in the Zen SDK installation option.
An overview of Zen interface libraries and the requirements for shipping Glue DLL files.
Provides information about inserting and updating records, establishing position in a record, and adding and dropping keys.
Describes the fundamental concepts of supporting multiple users and applications.
Offers tips on troubleshooting your application.
Provides information to help you begin developing a Zen application by making direct calls to the Btrieve API.
Relational Programming
Explains how to create a database by creating the data dictionary and creating database tables, columns, and indexes.
Introduces principles of relational database design. A thorough database design throughout the development process is critical to successful database functionality and performance.
Explains how to add data to a database using either Zen applications or SQL statements. It also explains how to drop (delete) rows, indexes, columns, or tables from your database or drop an entire database when you no longer need it.
Explains how to modify table definitions, column attributes, and data. You can perform these tasks by entering SQL statements using an interactive application.
Discusses how you can use SELECT statements to retrieve data.
Explains how to store SQL procedures for future use and how to create SQL triggers.
Discusses defining relationships among tables, administering database security, and controlling concurrency with transactions. It also discusses atomicity in Zen databases.
Appendixes
Lists sample collations of language-specific strings, using the ISR tables provided in the MicroKernel Engine.
Describes the design of the tables in a Demodata sample database.
Last modified date: 10/31/2023