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"updateRecords"

Abstract

updateRecords updates one or more records in a database table.

The "updateRecords" action updates one or more records in a database table using field values that you specify.

Things to know

  • You must omit fields from the "sourceData" property when you do not want to change their values.

  • You must include all primary key fields and values in the "sourceData" property because they are required to look up the record being updated.

    • The "updateRecords" action does not allow you to change the value of a field that is part of the primary key.

    • When the table is created by the JSON DB API, its primary key is the "id" field and its value must be included in the "sourceData" property to look up the record.

    • For tables created by another API, such as SQL or ISAM, you must include all fields and values in the table’s primary key to look up the record.

  • Each record typically includes the "changeId" field to control optimistic record locking.

    • Optimistic locking detects a change conflict and protects a record from being overwritten accidentally — for example, process A reads a record and afterwards process B updates the same record to new values so when process A goes to update the record, it is unaware that process B has updated it.

    • The "changeId" field must be included in the "sourceData" property when "ignoreChangeIdProtection" is false or omitted.

    • The "changeId" field in the "sourceData" property will be ignored when "ignoreChangeIdProtection" is true.

    • The "changeId" field allows the server to identify update conflicts. It prevents one process from unknowingly overwriting changes made by another process. The server detects conflicts by comparing the "changeId" value in the "sourceData" property with the value of the"changeId" field in the record.

      • If they match, there is no update conflict and the server updates the record.

      • If they do not match, the server returns an error because another process has changed the record.

    • When "changeId" is present, the database compares the value of "changeId" to the current transaction number stored in the "changeId" field of the record. This ensures an update does not modify a record that has subsequently been modified by another operation.

      • If they match, the database updates the record.

      • If they do not match, the database returns an error.

    • Record locks made by other operations may also cause an update to fail.

  • When the "ignoreChangeIdProtection" property is set to true and "changeId" is omitted from the "sourceData", the server updates the record unconditionally (unless another process, such as ISAM or SQL, has locked the record). Ignoring change protection is useful when you want to apply changes no matter what values are currently in the record.

Request examples

Update test1 table ignoring change protection request example

This example ignores change protection by setting "ignoreChangeIdProtection" to true.

{
  "requestId": "1",
  "authToken": "replaceWithValidAuthtoken",
  "api": "db",
  "action": "updateRecords",
  "params": {
    "databaseName": "ctreeSQL",
    "ownerName": "admin",
    "tableName": "test1",
    "dataFormat": "objects",
    "ignoreChangeIdProtection": true,
    "sourceData": [
      {
        "id": 1,
        "name": "new updated value"
      }
    ]
  }
}

Update test1 table using change protection request example

To successfully run this example, query the record, copy the latest value for "changeId", and update this code to use it. In this example, the changeId was taken from the first successful response example below.

{
  "requestId": "2",
  "authToken": "replaceWithValidAuthtoken",
  "api": "db",
  "action": "updateRecords",
  "params": {
    "databaseName": "ctreeSQL",
    "ownerName": "admin",
    "tableName": "test1",
    "dataFormat": "objects",
    "sourceData": [
      {
        "id": 1,
        "changeId": 1295300,
        "name": "updated"
      }
    ]
  }
}

Update all_types table ignoring change protection request example

{
  "requestId": "3",
  "authToken": "replaceWithValidAuthtoken",
  "api": "db",
  "action": "updateRecords",
  "params": {
    "databaseName": "ctreeSQL",
    "ownerName": "admin",
    "tableName": "all_types",
    "dataFormat": "objects",
    "binaryFormat": "hex",
    "ignoreChangeIdProtection": true,
    "sourceData": [
      {
        "id": 1,
        "nested_json_object_or_array": {
          "updated": "record"
        },
        "variable_string_up_to_max65500bytes": "updated value"
      }
    ]
  },
  "responseOptions": {
    "binaryFormat": "hex",
    "dataFormat": "objects",
    "numberFormat": "string"
  },
  "apiVersion": "1.0",
  "debug": "max"
}

Response examples

Failed update due to mismatched "changeId" values response example

{
  "authToken": "replaceWithValidAuthtoken",
  "errorCode": 1192,
  "errorMessage": "Cannot write the record while updating record with id 2 because the 'changeId' change Id field does not match"
}

Failed update when record with "id": 9999 does not exist response example

{
  "authToken": "replaceWithValidAuthtoken",
  "errorCode": 101,
  "errorMessage": "record not found updating record with 'id' :999"
}

Successful update of test1 table response example

The "changeId" field returned in the result is important. This value or a more current value must be included in the next update to ensure no other process has changed the record in the interim.

{
  "authToken": "replaceWithValidAuthtoken",
  "result": {
    "dataFormat": "objects",
    "binaryFormat": "hex",
    "fields": [
      {
        "name": "id",
        "type": "bigint",
        "length": null,
        "scale": null,
        "defaultValue": null,
        "nullable": false,
        "primaryKey": 1,
        "autoValue": "incrementOnInsert"
      },
      {
        "name": "changeId",
        "type": "bigint",
        "length": null,
        "scale": null,
        "defaultValue": null,
        "nullable": true,
        "primaryKey": 0,
        "autoValue": "changeId"
      },
      {
        "name": "name",
        "type": "varchar",
        "length": 50,
        "scale": null,
        "defaultValue": null,
        "nullable": true,
        "primaryKey": 0,
        "autoValue": "none"
      }
    ],
    "data": [
      {
        "changeId": 1295300,
        "id": 1,
        "name": "new updated value"
      }
    ],
    "primaryKeyFields": [
      "id"
    ],
    "changeIdField": "changeId"
  },
  "requestId": "1",
  "errorCode": 0,
  "errorMessage": ""
}

Successful update of all_types table response example

{
  "authToken": "replaceWithValidAuthtoken",
  "result": {
    "dataFormat": "objects",
    "binaryFormat": "hex",
    "fields": [
      {
        "name": "id",
        "type": "bigint",
        "length": null,
        "scale": null,
        "defaultValue": null,
        "nullable": false,
        "primaryKey": 1,
        "autoValue": "incrementOnInsert"
      },
      {
        "name": "changeId",
        "type": "bigint",
        "length": null,
        "scale": null,
        "defaultValue": null,
        "nullable": true,
        "primaryKey": 0,
        "autoValue": "changeId"
      },
      {
        "name": "nested_json_object_or_array",
        "type": "json",
        "length": 65500,
        "scale": null,
        "defaultValue": null,
        "nullable": true,
        "primaryKey": 0,
        "autoValue": "none"
      },
      {
        "name": "boolean_byte",
        "type": "bit",
        "length": null,
        "scale": null,
        "defaultValue": null,
        "nullable": true,
        "primaryKey": 0,
        "autoValue": "none"
      },
      {
        "name": "signed_int8",
        "type": "tinyint",
        "length": null,
        "scale": null,
        "defaultValue": null,
        "nullable": true,
        "primaryKey": 0,
        "autoValue": "none"
      },
      {
        "name": "signed_int16",
        "type": "smallint",
        "length": null,
        "scale": null,
        "defaultValue": null,
        "nullable": true,
        "primaryKey": 0,
        "autoValue": "none"
      },
      {
        "name": "signed_int32",
        "type": "integer",
        "length": null,
        "scale": null,
        "defaultValue": null,
        "nullable": true,
        "primaryKey": 0,
        "autoValue": "none"
      },
      {
        "name": "signed_int64",
        "type": "bigint",
        "length": null,
        "scale": null,
        "defaultValue": null,
        "nullable": true,
        "primaryKey": 0,
        "autoValue": "none"
      },
      {
        "name": "iee_base2float32",
        "type": "real",
        "length": null,
        "scale": null,
        "defaultValue": null,
        "nullable": true,
        "primaryKey": 0,
        "autoValue": "none"
      },
      {
        "name": "iee_base2float64",
        "type": "float",
        "length": null,
        "scale": null,
        "defaultValue": null,
        "nullable": true,
        "primaryKey": 0,
        "autoValue": "none"
      },
      {
        "name": "signed32digits_base10_left32right0",
        "type": "number",
        "length": 32,
        "scale": 0,
        "defaultValue": null,
        "nullable": true,
        "primaryKey": 0,
        "autoValue": "none"
      },
      {
        "name": "signed32digits_base10_left0right32",
        "type": "number",
        "length": 32,
        "scale": 32,
        "defaultValue": null,
        "nullable": true,
        "primaryKey": 0,
        "autoValue": "none"
      },
      {
        "name": "signed32digits_base10_left20right12",
        "type": "number",
        "length": 32,
        "scale": 12,
        "defaultValue": null,
        "nullable": true,
        "primaryKey": 0,
        "autoValue": "none"
      },
      {
        "name": "signed32digits_base10_left30right2",
        "type": "money",
        "length": 32,
        "scale": 2,
        "defaultValue": null,
        "nullable": true,
        "primaryKey": 0,
        "autoValue": "none"
      },
      {
        "name": "signed32digits_base10_left28right4",
        "type": "money",
        "length": 32,
        "scale": 4,
        "defaultValue": null,
        "nullable": true,
        "primaryKey": 0,
        "autoValue": "none"
      },
      {
        "name": "date_yyyymmdd",
        "type": "date",
        "length": null,
        "scale": null,
        "defaultValue": null,
        "nullable": true,
        "primaryKey": 0,
        "autoValue": "none"
      },
      {
        "name": "time_hhmmssfff",
        "type": "time",
        "length": null,
        "scale": null,
        "defaultValue": null,
        "nullable": true,
        "primaryKey": 0,
        "autoValue": "none"
      },
      {
        "name": "datetime_yyyymmddthhmmssfff",
        "type": "timestamp",
        "length": null,
        "scale": null,
        "defaultValue": null,
        "nullable": true,
        "primaryKey": 0,
        "autoValue": "none"
      },
      {
        "name": "fixed_string_10bytes",
        "type": "char",
        "length": 10,
        "scale": null,
        "defaultValue": null,
        "nullable": true,
        "primaryKey": 0,
        "autoValue": "none"
      },
      {
        "name": "variable_string_up_to_max65500bytes",
        "type": "varchar",
        "length": 65500,
        "scale": null,
        "defaultValue": null,
        "nullable": true,
        "primaryKey": 0,
        "autoValue": "none"
      },
      {
        "name": "variable_string_up_to_2GB",
        "type": "lvarchar",
        "length": null,
        "scale": null,
        "defaultValue": null,
        "nullable": true,
        "primaryKey": 0,
        "autoValue": "none"
      },
      {
        "name": "fixed_binary_10bytes",
        "type": "binary",
        "length": 10,
        "scale": null,
        "defaultValue": null,
        "nullable": true,
        "primaryKey": 0,
        "autoValue": "none"
      },
      {
        "name": "variable_binary_up_to_max65500bytes",
        "type": "varbinary",
        "length": 65500,
        "scale": null,
        "defaultValue": null,
        "nullable": true,
        "primaryKey": 0,
        "autoValue": "none"
      },
      {
        "name": "variable_binary_up_to_2GB",
        "type": "lvarbinary",
        "length": null,
        "scale": null,
        "defaultValue": null,
        "nullable": true,
        "primaryKey": 0,
        "autoValue": "none"
      }
    ],
    "data": [
      {
        "boolean_byte": true,
        "changeId": "1299331",
        "date_yyyymmdd": "2023-04-18",
        "datetime_yyyymmddthhmmssfff": "2023-04-18T15:43:59.013",
        "fixed_binary_10bytes": "FF00FF00000000000000",
        "fixed_string_10bytes": "_  3456  _",
        "id": "1",
        "iee_base2float32": "-1e-06",
        "iee_base2float64": "-9.22337e+18",
        "nested_json_object_or_array": {
          "updated": "record"
        },
        "signed32digits_base10_left0right32": "-0.12345678901234567890123456789012",
        "signed32digits_base10_left20right12": "-12345678901234567890.123456789012",
        "signed32digits_base10_left28right4": "-1234567890123456789012345678.9012",
        "signed32digits_base10_left30right2": "-123456789012345678901234567890.12",
        "signed32digits_base10_left32right0": "-12345678901234567890123456789012",
        "signed_int16": "-32768",
        "signed_int32": "-2147483648",
        "signed_int64": "-9223372036854775808",
        "signed_int8": "-128",
        "time_hhmmssfff": "15:43:59.013",
        "variable_binary_up_to_2GB": "FF00FF",
        "variable_binary_up_to_max65500bytes": "FF00FF",
        "variable_string_up_to_2GB": "Variable-length string up to 2GB in length.",
        "variable_string_up_to_max65500bytes": "updated value"
      }
    ],
    "primaryKeyFields": [
      "id"
    ],
    "changeIdField": "changeId"
  },
  "requestId": "3",
  "debugInfo": {
    "request": {
      "authToken": "replaceWithValidAuthtoken",
      "api": "db",
      "action": "updateRecords",
      "params": {
        "databaseName": "ctreeSQL",
        "ownerName": "admin",
        "tableName": "all_types",
        "dataFormat": "objects",
        "binaryFormat": "hex",
        "ignoreChangeIdProtection": true,
        "sourceData": [
          {
            "id": 1,
            "nested_json_object_or_array": {
              "updated": "record"
            },
            "variable_string_up_to_max65500bytes": "updated value"
          }
        ]
      },
      "apiVersion": "1.0",
      "requestId": "3",
      "responseOptions": {
        "binaryFormat": "hex",
        "dataFormat": "objects",
        "numberFormat": "string"
      },
      "debug": "max"
    },
    "serverSuppliedValues": {
      "databaseName": "ctreeSQL",
      "ownerName": "admin"
    },
    "errorData": {
      "errorData": null
    },
    "warnings": []
  },
  "errorCode": 0,
  "errorMessage": ""
}

"params"

The "params" property is an object that contains an action's parameters. Each action defines its own required and optional properties.

Property summary

Table 1. "params" property summaries

Property

Description

Default

Type

Limits (inclusive)

"binaryFormat"

determines how binary values are returned

"base64"

string enum

"base64"
"hex"

"databaseName"

specifies the name of a database

Defaults to the "defaultDatabaseName" value that is set during "createSession". If no default is set during "createSession", then "faircom" is used.

string

Minimum length: 1
Maximum length: 64

"dataFormat"

specifies the returned results as an array of array, an array of objects, or the default setting defined at login

"arrays"

string

"autoDetect"
"arrays"
"objects"

"ignoreChangeIdProtection"

determines whether the server ignores the "changeId" field

false

Boolean

true
false

"ownerName"

contains the unique name of a schema in a database

""

string

Minimum length: 0
Maximum length: 256

"sourceData"

contains either an array of objects or an array of arrays (depending on the specified "dataFormat") in each object or nested array is the source data for an insert or update operation

[]

array

"tableName"

specifies the name of a table

Required - No default value

string

Minimum length: 1
Maximum length 64


"binaryFormat"

The "binaryFormat" property designates how binary values are formatted in the JSON request and JSON response message. The default value is "base64".

Note

Typically, response options apply only to the server’s response, but the "binaryFormat" property applies to both the request and the response.

Things to know:

  • The "binaryFormat" property may occur inside "params",  "responseOptions", "defaultResponseOptions" , and "result".

  • When "binaryFormat" occurs in "params" it specifies how the sender represents binary values.

    For example, when  "binaryFormat" is set to "hex", the FairCom server expects the binary values of fields and keys to be represented in strings with hexadecimal format.

  • When "binaryFormat" occurs in "responseOptions" or "defaultResponseOptions" it specifies how the FairCom server should represent binary values in responses.

    For example, when "binaryFormat" is set to "hex", the FairCom server represents binary values in strings with hexadecimal format.

  • When "binaryFormat" occurs in "result" it signifies how binary values are represented.

    For example, when "binaryFormat" is set to "base64", the FairCom server represents binary values in the response in base64 format.

  • The following are the possible values for each format.

    • "base64"

      When the server reads and writes from a binary field, it represents the binary value as a base64 string.

      • This is the default

      • "base64" strings contain the following characters:

        • 0-9

        • A-Z

        • a-z

        • +

        • /

        • =

    • "hex"

      When the server reads and writes from a binary field, it represents the binary value as a hexadecimal string.

      • Hexadecimal is easier for people to read and convert to binary.

      • Hexadecimal creates a larger payload than "base64", which makes it less efficient for data transmission.

      • Hexadecimal strings contain the following characters:

        • 0-9

        • A-F

    • "byteArray"

      When the server reads and writes from a binary field, it represents the binary value as an array of bytes.

      • An array of bytes is easiest for a program to manipulate.

      • An array of bytes creates a larger payload than "base64" and "hex", which makes it less efficient for data transmission.

      • An array of bytes returns a JSON array containing one integer number between 0 and 255 for each byte in the binary value:

        • "aBinaryField": [ 255, 0, 255 ]

Examples

Create a "binary_test" table

This example creates a table containing one binary field named "bin" with a fixed length of 5 bytes.

{
  "api": "db",
  "action": "createTable",
  "params": {
    "tableName": "binary_test",
    "fields": [
      {
        "name": "bin",
        "type": "binary",
        "length": 5
      }
    ]
  },
  "authToken": "replaceWithValidAuthtoken"
}
Insert a record into the "binary_test" table using an array of bytes format

This example inserts a record with the ASCII characters "123" in the "bin" field. The value of "bin" is represented as an array of bytes.

{
  "api": "db",
  "action": "insertRecords",
  "params": {
    "tableName": "binary_test",
    "dataFormat": "objects",
    "binaryFormat": "byteArray",
    "sourceData": [
      {
        "bin": [49,50,51]
      }
    ]
  },
  "authToken": "replaceWithValidAuthtoken"
}
Insert a record into the "binary_test" table using hexadecimal format

This example inserts a record with the ASCII characters "123" in the "bin" field. The value of "bin" is represented as a string in hexadecimal format.

{
  "api": "db",
  "action": "insertRecords",
  "params": {
    "tableName": "binary_test",
    "dataFormat": "objects",
    "binaryFormat": "hex",
    "sourceData": [
      {
        "bin": "313233"
      }
    ]
  },
  "authToken": "replaceWithValidAuthtoken"
}
Insert a record into the "binary_test" table using base64 format

This example inserts a record with the ASCII characters "123" in the "bin" field. The value of "bin" is represented as a string in base64 format.

{
  "api": "db",
  "action": "insertRecords",
  "params": {
    "tableName": "binary_test",
    "dataFormat": "objects",
    "binaryFormat": "base64",
    "sourceData": [
      {
        "bin": "MTIz"
      }
    ]
  },
  "authToken": "replaceWithValidAuthtoken"
}
Retrieve a record with "binaryFormat" as an array of bytes

This example requests the first record in the "binary_test" table with the value of "bin" represented as an array of bytes.

{
  "api": "db",
  "action": "getRecordsByTable",
  "params": {
    "tableName": "binary_test",
    "maxRecords": 1
  },
  "responseOptions": {
    "binaryFormat": "byteArray",
    "dataFormat": "objects",
    "numberFormat": "number"
  },
  "authToken": "replaceWithValidAuthtoken"
}
Response

Note

Our examples insert only 3 bytes into "bin" . Because the "bin" field has a fixed-length if 5 bytes, the server pads unused bytes with 0x00 and stores the result. When a record is retrieved, the server returns all 5 bytes.

{
  "authToken": "authtokenFromServer",
  "result": {
    "dataFormat": "objects",
    "binaryFormat": "byteArray",
    "fields": [
      { "name": "id",       "type": "bigint", "length": null, "scale": null, "autoTimestamp": "none", "defaultValue": null, "nullable": false, "primaryKey": 1 },
      { "name": "changeId", "type": "bigint", "length": null, "scale": null, "autoTimestamp": "none", "defaultValue": null, "nullable": true,  "primaryKey": 0 },
      { "name": "bin",      "type": "binary", "length": 5,    "scale": null, "autoTimestamp": "none", "defaultValue": null, "nullable": true,  "primaryKey": 0 }
    ],
    "data": [
      {
        "bin": [49,50,51,0,0],
        "changeId": 50217,
        "id": 1
      }
    ],
    "moreRecords": true,
    "requestedRecordCount": 1,
    "returnedRecordCount": 1,
    "totalRecordCount": 3
  },
  "errorCode": 0,
  "errorMessage": ""
}
Retrieve a record with "binaryFormat" as hexadecimal

This example requests the first record in the "binary_test" table with the value of "bin" represented as a hexadecimal string.

{
  "api": "db",
  "action": "getRecordsByTable",
  "params": {
    "tableName": "binary_test",
    "maxRecords": 1
  },
  "responseOptions": {
    "binaryFormat": "hex",
    "dataFormat": "objects",
    "numberFormat": "number"
  },
  "authToken": "replaceWithValidAuthtoken"
}
Response
{
  "authToken": "authtokenFromServer",
  "result": {
    "dataFormat": "objects",
    "binaryFormat": "byteArray",
    "fields": [
      { "name": "id",       "type": "bigint", "length": null, "scale": null, "autoTimestamp": "none", "defaultValue": null, "nullable": false, "primaryKey": 1 },
      { "name": "changeId", "type": "bigint", "length": null, "scale": null, "autoTimestamp": "none", "defaultValue": null, "nullable": true,  "primaryKey": 0 },
      { "name": "bin",      "type": "binary", "length": 5,    "scale": null, "autoTimestamp": "none", "defaultValue": null, "nullable": true,  "primaryKey": 0 }
    ],
    "data": [
      {
        "bin": "3132330000",
        "changeId": 50217,
        "id": 1
      }
    ],
    "moreRecords": true,
    "requestedRecordCount": 1,
    "returnedRecordCount": 1,
    "totalRecordCount": 3
  },
  "errorCode": 0,
  "errorMessage": ""
}
Retrieve a record with "binaryFormat" as base64

This example requests the first record in the "binary_test" table with the value of "bin" represented as a base64 string.

{
  "api": "db",
  "action": "getRecordsByTable",
  "params": {
    "tableName": "binary_test",
    "maxRecords": 1
  },
  "responseOptions": {
    "binaryFormat": "base64",
    "dataFormat": "objects",
    "numberFormat": "number"
  },
  "authToken": "replaceWithValidAuthtoken"
}
Response
{
  "authToken": "authtokenFromServer",
  "result": {
    "dataFormat": "objects",
    "binaryFormat": "byteArray",
    "fields": [
      { "name": "id",       "type": "bigint", "length": null, "scale": null, "autoTimestamp": "none", "defaultValue": null, "nullable": false, "primaryKey": 1 },
      { "name": "changeId", "type": "bigint", "length": null, "scale": null, "autoTimestamp": "none", "defaultValue": null, "nullable": true,  "primaryKey": 0 },
      { "name": "bin",      "type": "binary", "length": 5,    "scale": null, "autoTimestamp": "none", "defaultValue": null, "nullable": true,  "primaryKey": 0 }
    ],
    "data": [
      {
        "bin": "MTIzAAA=",
        "changeId": 50217,
        "id": 1
      }
    ],
    "moreRecords": true,
    "requestedRecordCount": 1,
    "returnedRecordCount": 1,
    "totalRecordCount": 3
  },
  "errorCode": 0,
  "errorMessage": ""
}

"databaseName"

The "databaseName" property is an optional string that specifies the database that contains the tables. It defaults to the database name supplied at login.

Note

In the API Explorer, "defaultDatabaseName" is set to "ctreeSQL" in the "createSession" action that happens at login.

Things to know:

  • A zero-length "databaseName" is invalid.

  • Its limits are from 0 to 64 bytes.

  • If the "databaseName" property is omitted or set to null, the server will use the default database name specified at login.

  • If no default database is specified during "createSession", "defaultDatabaseName" will be set to the "defaultDatabaseName" value that is specified in the services.json file.

"dataFormat"

The "dataFormat" property is an optional, case-insensitive string enum that defines the format of the response in the "data" property. The default format is an array of arrays. The alternative is an array of objects. The default for "dataFormat" can be changed during a "createSession" action by assigning a different value to the "dataFormat" property in "defaultResponseOptions".

There are three different (but similar) versions of the "dataFormat" property:

Two of those versions occur in a request and another occurs in a response. They all indicate how data is formatted.

  • "dataFormat" in the request inside "responseOptions" determines how the "data" property in the response is formatted.

    Possible values include:

    • "arrays"

      This is the default and causes the server to return results as an array of arrays, which is the most efficient.

    • "objects"

      This returns results as an array of objects. This is less efficient but is simpler to generate, read, and troubleshoot.

  • "dataFormat" in the request in the "params" object notifies the server how the "sourceData" property is formatted in the request. This version is rarely used because of the default "autoDetect" behavior.

    Possible values include:

    • "arrays"

      This causes the server to return results as an array of arrays, which is the most efficient.

    • "objects"

      This returns results as an array of objects. This is less efficient but is simpler to generate, read, and troubleshoot.

    • "autoDetect"

      This is the default and causes the server to automatically detect the format of the data in the "sourceData" property.

  • "dataFormat" in the response shows the client how the server formatted the "data" property.

    Possible values include:

    • "arrays"

      This is the default and causes the server to return results as an array of arrays, which is the most efficient.

    • "objects"

      This returns results as an array of objects. This is less efficient but is simpler to generate, read, and troubleshoot.

"ignoreChangeIdProtection"

The "ignoreChangeIdProtection" property is an optional Boolean that causes the server to update the record regardless of the value of "changeId", when "true". It defaults to false.

Things to know:

  • Ignoring the "changeId" field is useful when a process wants to ensure its changes are always applied to a record.

  • However, ignoring the "changeId" field can cause an update to overwrite changes made by other processes. So, setting "ignoreChangeIdProtection" property to true is not recommended when an application reads a record so that a user can update it.

  • It is a best practice to read the record, let the user change values, and update the record using the same "changeId" value that was read.

  • If another process has changed the record in the interim, the server will not update the record and will return error 32602 indicating a missing "changeId" field or return error 1192 because the "changeId" value that was passed in matches the "changeId" value in the record.

"ownerName"

The "ownerName" property is an optional string from 1 to 64 bytes that specifies the account that owns an object.

Things to know:

  • The "ownerName" property is optional and has a dynamic default value.

  • If the "ownerName" property is omitted or set to null, the server uses the value of the "defaultOwnerName" property supplied during the "createSession" action.

  • If the "defaultOwnerName" property is not defined, the server uses the "admin" as the owner name.

  • The owner of an object has administrative rights over that object.

  • The "ownerName" property is a namespace for an object. You can think of it as a container of objects.

    The "ownerName" allows users to use any name for the objects they create — for example, a QA engineer may copy tables into their owner space to run a set of tests.

    It is common for a user to create their own copies of objects from other accounts for testing, troubleshooting, and fixing data. The copied objects can retain the same name because the "ownerName" distinguishes between them.

  • The fully qualified name of an object is the "databaseName", "ownerName", and the object's name, such as "tableName" meaning a FairCom server may contain many tables with the name "mytable" as long as each one is in a different database or in a different owner space.

    For example, an organization often creates different databases for different phases of the development lifecycle, such as dev, test, stage, ua, and prod. Each of these databases contains the same set of objects with the same names. Applications leave the "databaseName" out of their JSON actions and use the "defaultDatabaseName" property to specify the target database.

  • Queries and scripts are often written without specifying "databaseName" and/or "ownerName", allowing queries and scripts to work properly when run in different databases or in different schemas.

"tableName"

The "tableName" property is an optional string that contains the name of an integration table or MQTT topic that holds the topic's messages. It defaults to an empty string.

Things to know:

  • You can use a topic name for an MQTT table because FairCom automatically generates a table name for each topic.

  • A "tableName" cannot begin with a number.

  • It refers to the name of the integration table that stores a topic’s messages and is used to rename that table or assign a new topic to an existing integration table.

  • MQTT automatically creates an integration table for each new topic it receives. Thus, when a message is sent to a topic, FairCom Edge automatically creates a table to hold it.

  • As you refine your integration processes, you may want to rename an integration table to better label the data it holds. You can use the "tableName" property of the "configureTopic" action to rename an integration table.

  • The "alterIntegrationTable" action can also be used to rename an integration table, but it is less convenient because you must know the original name of the integration table.

"result"

Property summary

Table 2. "result" property summaries

Property

Description

Type

Limits (inclusive)

"binaryFormat"

determines how binary values are returned

string enum

"base64"
"hex"

"data"

contains an array or object that the server returns, such as records returned by a query

Note

It is an empty array when there are no results available.

array

Its contents are determined by the action

"dataFormat"

defines the format of the data in the "data" property

string

"autoDetect"
"arrays"
"objects"

"fields"

shows an array of objects set by the server where each object is the definition of a field in a table defining the details of each field returned by a query

array



"binaryFormat"

The "binaryFormat" property designates how binary values are formatted in the JSON request and JSON response message. The default value is "base64".

Note

Typically, response options apply only to the server’s response, but the "binaryFormat" property applies to both the request and the response.

Things to know:

  • The "binaryFormat" property may occur inside "params",  "responseOptions", "defaultResponseOptions" , and "result".

  • When "binaryFormat" occurs in "params" it specifies how the sender represents binary values.

    For example, when  "binaryFormat" is set to "hex", the FairCom server expects the binary values of fields and keys to be represented in strings with hexadecimal format.

  • When "binaryFormat" occurs in "responseOptions" or "defaultResponseOptions" it specifies how the FairCom server should represent binary values in responses.

    For example, when "binaryFormat" is set to "hex", the FairCom server represents binary values in strings with hexadecimal format.

  • When "binaryFormat" occurs in "result" it signifies how binary values are represented.

    For example, when "binaryFormat" is set to "base64", the FairCom server represents binary values in the response in base64 format.

  • The following are the possible values for each format.

    • "base64"

      When the server reads and writes from a binary field, it represents the binary value as a base64 string.

      • This is the default

      • "base64" strings contain the following characters:

        • 0-9

        • A-Z

        • a-z

        • +

        • /

        • =

    • "hex"

      When the server reads and writes from a binary field, it represents the binary value as a hexadecimal string.

      • Hexadecimal is easier for people to read and convert to binary.

      • Hexadecimal creates a larger payload than "base64", which makes it less efficient for data transmission.

      • Hexadecimal strings contain the following characters:

        • 0-9

        • A-F

    • "byteArray"

      When the server reads and writes from a binary field, it represents the binary value as an array of bytes.

      • An array of bytes is easiest for a program to manipulate.

      • An array of bytes creates a larger payload than "base64" and "hex", which makes it less efficient for data transmission.

      • An array of bytes returns a JSON array containing one integer number between 0 and 255 for each byte in the binary value:

        • "aBinaryField": [ 255, 0, 255 ]

Examples

Create a "binary_test" table

This example creates a table containing one binary field named "bin" with a fixed length of 5 bytes.

{
  "api": "db",
  "action": "createTable",
  "params": {
    "tableName": "binary_test",
    "fields": [
      {
        "name": "bin",
        "type": "binary",
        "length": 5
      }
    ]
  },
  "authToken": "replaceWithValidAuthtoken"
}
Insert a record into the "binary_test" table using an array of bytes format

This example inserts a record with the ASCII characters "123" in the "bin" field. The value of "bin" is represented as an array of bytes.

{
  "api": "db",
  "action": "insertRecords",
  "params": {
    "tableName": "binary_test",
    "dataFormat": "objects",
    "binaryFormat": "byteArray",
    "sourceData": [
      {
        "bin": [49,50,51]
      }
    ]
  },
  "authToken": "replaceWithValidAuthtoken"
}
Insert a record into the "binary_test" table using hexadecimal format

This example inserts a record with the ASCII characters "123" in the "bin" field. The value of "bin" is represented as a string in hexadecimal format.

{
  "api": "db",
  "action": "insertRecords",
  "params": {
    "tableName": "binary_test",
    "dataFormat": "objects",
    "binaryFormat": "hex",
    "sourceData": [
      {
        "bin": "313233"
      }
    ]
  },
  "authToken": "replaceWithValidAuthtoken"
}
Insert a record into the "binary_test" table using base64 format

This example inserts a record with the ASCII characters "123" in the "bin" field. The value of "bin" is represented as a string in base64 format.

{
  "api": "db",
  "action": "insertRecords",
  "params": {
    "tableName": "binary_test",
    "dataFormat": "objects",
    "binaryFormat": "base64",
    "sourceData": [
      {
        "bin": "MTIz"
      }
    ]
  },
  "authToken": "replaceWithValidAuthtoken"
}
Retrieve a record with "binaryFormat" as an array of bytes

This example requests the first record in the "binary_test" table with the value of "bin" represented as an array of bytes.

{
  "api": "db",
  "action": "getRecordsByTable",
  "params": {
    "tableName": "binary_test",
    "maxRecords": 1
  },
  "responseOptions": {
    "binaryFormat": "byteArray",
    "dataFormat": "objects",
    "numberFormat": "number"
  },
  "authToken": "replaceWithValidAuthtoken"
}
Response

Note

Our examples insert only 3 bytes into "bin" . Because the "bin" field has a fixed-length if 5 bytes, the server pads unused bytes with 0x00 and stores the result. When a record is retrieved, the server returns all 5 bytes.

{
  "authToken": "authtokenFromServer",
  "result": {
    "dataFormat": "objects",
    "binaryFormat": "byteArray",
    "fields": [
      { "name": "id",       "type": "bigint", "length": null, "scale": null, "autoTimestamp": "none", "defaultValue": null, "nullable": false, "primaryKey": 1 },
      { "name": "changeId", "type": "bigint", "length": null, "scale": null, "autoTimestamp": "none", "defaultValue": null, "nullable": true,  "primaryKey": 0 },
      { "name": "bin",      "type": "binary", "length": 5,    "scale": null, "autoTimestamp": "none", "defaultValue": null, "nullable": true,  "primaryKey": 0 }
    ],
    "data": [
      {
        "bin": [49,50,51,0,0],
        "changeId": 50217,
        "id": 1
      }
    ],
    "moreRecords": true,
    "requestedRecordCount": 1,
    "returnedRecordCount": 1,
    "totalRecordCount": 3
  },
  "errorCode": 0,
  "errorMessage": ""
}
Retrieve a record with "binaryFormat" as hexadecimal

This example requests the first record in the "binary_test" table with the value of "bin" represented as a hexadecimal string.

{
  "api": "db",
  "action": "getRecordsByTable",
  "params": {
    "tableName": "binary_test",
    "maxRecords": 1
  },
  "responseOptions": {
    "binaryFormat": "hex",
    "dataFormat": "objects",
    "numberFormat": "number"
  },
  "authToken": "replaceWithValidAuthtoken"
}
Response
{
  "authToken": "authtokenFromServer",
  "result": {
    "dataFormat": "objects",
    "binaryFormat": "byteArray",
    "fields": [
      { "name": "id",       "type": "bigint", "length": null, "scale": null, "autoTimestamp": "none", "defaultValue": null, "nullable": false, "primaryKey": 1 },
      { "name": "changeId", "type": "bigint", "length": null, "scale": null, "autoTimestamp": "none", "defaultValue": null, "nullable": true,  "primaryKey": 0 },
      { "name": "bin",      "type": "binary", "length": 5,    "scale": null, "autoTimestamp": "none", "defaultValue": null, "nullable": true,  "primaryKey": 0 }
    ],
    "data": [
      {
        "bin": "3132330000",
        "changeId": 50217,
        "id": 1
      }
    ],
    "moreRecords": true,
    "requestedRecordCount": 1,
    "returnedRecordCount": 1,
    "totalRecordCount": 3
  },
  "errorCode": 0,
  "errorMessage": ""
}
Retrieve a record with "binaryFormat" as base64

This example requests the first record in the "binary_test" table with the value of "bin" represented as a base64 string.

{
  "api": "db",
  "action": "getRecordsByTable",
  "params": {
    "tableName": "binary_test",
    "maxRecords": 1
  },
  "responseOptions": {
    "binaryFormat": "base64",
    "dataFormat": "objects",
    "numberFormat": "number"
  },
  "authToken": "replaceWithValidAuthtoken"
}
Response
{
  "authToken": "authtokenFromServer",
  "result": {
    "dataFormat": "objects",
    "binaryFormat": "byteArray",
    "fields": [
      { "name": "id",       "type": "bigint", "length": null, "scale": null, "autoTimestamp": "none", "defaultValue": null, "nullable": false, "primaryKey": 1 },
      { "name": "changeId", "type": "bigint", "length": null, "scale": null, "autoTimestamp": "none", "defaultValue": null, "nullable": true,  "primaryKey": 0 },
      { "name": "bin",      "type": "binary", "length": 5,    "scale": null, "autoTimestamp": "none", "defaultValue": null, "nullable": true,  "primaryKey": 0 }
    ],
    "data": [
      {
        "bin": "MTIzAAA=",
        "changeId": 50217,
        "id": 1
      }
    ],
    "moreRecords": true,
    "requestedRecordCount": 1,
    "returnedRecordCount": 1,
    "totalRecordCount": 3
  },
  "errorCode": 0,
  "errorMessage": ""
}

"dataFormat"

The "dataFormat" property is an optional, case-insensitive string enum that defines the format of the response in the "data" property. The default format is an array of arrays. The alternative is an array of objects. The default for "dataFormat" can be changed during a "createSession" action by assigning a different value to the "dataFormat" property in "defaultResponseOptions".

There are three different (but similar) versions of the "dataFormat" property:

Two of those versions occur in a request and another occurs in a response. They all indicate how data is formatted.

  • "dataFormat" in the request inside "responseOptions" determines how the "data" property in the response is formatted.

    Possible values include:

    • "arrays"

      This is the default and causes the server to return results as an array of arrays, which is the most efficient.

    • "objects"

      This returns results as an array of objects. This is less efficient but is simpler to generate, read, and troubleshoot.

  • "dataFormat" in the request in the "params" object notifies the server how the "sourceData" property is formatted in the request. This version is rarely used because of the default "autoDetect" behavior.

    Possible values include:

    • "arrays"

      This causes the server to return results as an array of arrays, which is the most efficient.

    • "objects"

      This returns results as an array of objects. This is less efficient but is simpler to generate, read, and troubleshoot.

    • "autoDetect"

      This is the default and causes the server to automatically detect the format of the data in the "sourceData" property.

  • "dataFormat" in the response shows the client how the server formatted the "data" property.

    Possible values include:

    • "arrays"

      This is the default and causes the server to return results as an array of arrays, which is the most efficient.

    • "objects"

      This returns results as an array of objects. This is less efficient but is simpler to generate, read, and troubleshoot.

"fields"

The "fields" property is a required array of field-type objects. There is one object for each top-level field in the array. Each object identifies the actual data type of the field as stored in the database.

A field-type object is used when creating a table. It contains one object for each field definition returned in the data.

Full request example

"fields": 
[
    {
      "name": "name",
      "type": "varchar",
      "length": 50,
      "scale": null,
      "defaultValue": null,
      "nullable": false,
      "primaryKey":1
   }
]

Full response example

"fields":
[
  {
      "name": "id",
      "type": "bigint",
      "length": null,
      "scale": null,
      "autoValue": "none",
      "defaultValue": null,
      "nullable": false,
      "primaryKey": 1
  }
]

Property summary

Table 3. "fields" property summaries

Property

Description

Default

Type

Limits (inclusive)

"autoValue"

controls when and how the server automatically sets the field value

"none"

string

"none"
"incrementOnInsert"
"timestampOnInsert"
"timestampOnUpdate"
"timestampOnUpdateAndInsert"
"changeid"

"defaultValue"

specifies the default value of a field

""

string

Minimum length: 0
Maximum length: 65500

"length"

defines the length of a field's value in a record

null

integer

1 - 65500

"name"

defines a new name of the field

required

string

Minimum length: 0
Maximum length: 64

"nullable"

allows a field to contain a NULL value when true

true

Boolean

true
false

"primaryKey"

adds a field to the specified ordinal position of the table's primary key when > 0

null

integer

0 - 32

"scale"

defines the number of places to the right of the decimal point

null

integer

0 - 32

"type"

defines the type of field

required

string

"bit"
"tinyint"
"smallint"
"integer"
"bigint"
"real"
"double"
"number"
"money"
"date"
"time"
"timestamp"
"char"
"varchar"
"lvarchar"
"binary"
"varbinary"
"lvarbinary"
"json"


"autoValue"

This property controls when and how the server automatically sets the field value.

Specify only one of these values per field.

  • "none" indicates the server does not automatically set the field's value.

  • "incrementOnInsert" indicates the server automatically increments a field’s value each time the server inserts a new record. It applies to fields that are of the type of decimal or one of the integer types, such as "bigint". Only one field per table can have this attribute. The server returns an error when assigning this attribute to multiple fields. The JSON DB API automatically creates the "id" field as an "incrementOnInsert" field. If you apply this attribute to another field, it becomes the only automatically incremented field in the table. If you want that field to be the primary key, assign  "primaryKey": 1 to it.

  • "timestampOnInsert" indicates the server automatically sets a field’s value to the current date and time of an insert. It applies only to fields with a type of "timestamp".

  • "timestampOnUpdate" indicates the server automatically sets a field’s value to the current date and time of an update. It applies only to timestamp fields.

  • "timestampOnUpdateAndInsert" indicates the server automatically sets a field’s value to the current date and time of an insert and an update. It applies only to fields with a type of "timestamp".

  • "changeId" indicates the server uses the field for optimistic locking. The server automatically sets the field's value to the internal transaction number used during the last update of the record. This value changes each time the server updates the record. A table may only have one change tracking field. The field type must be "bigint".

    The JSON DB API automatically creates a "changeid" field with change-tracking functionality.

    Change tracking is optional in the CTDB and ISAM APIs. The application must create a 64-bit integer field and assign change-tracking functionality to it.

A primary key is the primary identifier of a record in a database table. It is the primary way to look up records in a table. It is always indexed with a unique, non-null index that ensures each inserted record is uniquely identified. A primary key index includes one or more fields in a table.

The best practice is for a primary key to consist of one field named "id" that the server automatically populates with a unique identifier each time a record is inserted.

A database is a set of data that is managed by a database server. A database contains data that is organized into tables, records, and fields. A database is a huge composite data type that represents a group of interconnected objects. A database allows records to be joined together for querying, searching, and processing by users, applications, and services.

A database is a security container that controls which accounts have permissions to access specific data.