DML(ID:3636/dml003)

Data manipulation language for IMS 

for Data Manipulation Language

interface language for DL/I in IBM IMS
Related languages
DL/I => DML   Interface for
References:
  • Schwartz, Jules I.; Iona Blackwell "DML - An Interactive Data Management Language" pp1007-1011 view details
          in Rosenfeld, Jack L. (Ed.): Information Processing 74, Proceedings of IFIP Congress 74, Stockholm, Sweden, August 5-10, 1974 view details
  • Blackman, K. R. "Technical Note -- IMS celebrates thirty years as an IBM product" pp374ff view details External link: Journal online Extract: Historical background
    In the early 1960s, President John F. Kennedy envisioned humans walking on the moon and set the goal for this vision to be accomplished before the end of the decade. Achieving this goal presented a challenge to American industry. North American Rockwell won the bid to launch the first spacecraft to the moon, and in 1965 they established a partnership with IBM to fulfill the requirement for an automated system to manage large bills of material for the construction of the spacecraft.

    In 1966, 12 members of the IBM team working with 10 members from North American Rockwell and 3 members from Caterpillar Tractor started the design and development of the Information Control System (ICS) and Data Language/I (DL/I). During the design and development process, the IBM team was moved to Los Angeles and increased to 21 members. This team completed and shipped the first release of ICS.

    In April 1968, ICS was installed. The first "IMS READY" message was displayed on an IBM 2740 terminal at the Rockwell Space Division in Downey, California, on August 14, 1968. ICS was renamed Information Management System/360 in 1969. Thus, IBM's Information Management System (IMS*) came into being, and the database management system revolution began.

    Database management system. The IMS database management system (DBMS) implemented the hierarchical model tree structure to organize the collection of records in a one-to-many entity-relationship data model. The use of a database introduced the concept of separating application code from the data. The database management system controlled the access and recovery of data. This established a new data processing technology paradigm. Now the application code could focus on the access and manipulation of the data. DL/I was developed to provide the application code with a standard interface to the data.

    Data Language/I. Navigational access to the data for application code is through the DL/I standard callable interface data manipulation language (DML). Since the data control was moved from the application, an opportunity was provided for on-line access to the data.

    An on-line component initially called Information Control System/Data Language/I (ICS/DL/I) was developed to support data communication access. To enable data communication transparency to the application program, the DL/I callable interface was extended to the on-line component. To maintain the integrity of data communication messages and to provide a queuing concept for scheduling application programs, a message queue function was created. ICS/DL/I evolved to become the transaction manager function of IMS.

    IMS has evolved to a family of product solutions that enables managed access to corporate business data. In 1998, IMS is celebrating its thirtieth year as an IBM software product.
          in IBM Systems Journal, 37(4) 1998 view details