Database Toolbox User's Guide
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How To Use This Book

This book describes how to install and use the Database Toolbox.

Who Should Read This Book

This book assumes that you have a working understanding of MATLAB as well as the Structured Query Language (SQL) and the database applications you use.

The Database Toolbox uses MATLAB cell arrays; if you need to know more about MATLAB cell arrays, see Chapter 13 in Using MATLAB.

How This Book Is Organized

This book contains four chapters:

Chapter 1, Introduction, provides an overview of the Database Toolbox and of this book.

Chapter 2, Installation and Setup, provides system requirements and describes how to install the Database Toolbox and set up an ODBC data source or a JDBC driver.

Chapter 3, Tutorial, presents examples with instructions for using most toolbox commands. The tutorial uses a sample database, Northwind, that is distributed with Microsoft Access. If you have Microsoft Access installed on your system, you can perform the steps exactly as shown. One example uses a different database, tutorial, an Access database that is distributed with the Database Toolbox.

Chapter 4, Command Reference, is an alphabetical reference of all commands in the toolbox.

Documentation Conventions

This book uses the following typographical conventions.

To Indicate
 This Guide Uses
 Example
Example code
 Monospace type
 To assign the value 5 to A, enter
A = 5
Command names and syntax
 Monospace type
 The close command uses the syntax:
close(cursor)
Keys
 Boldface with an initial capital letter
 Press the Enter key.
Mathematical
expressions
 Variables in italics.
Functions, operators, and constants in standard type.
This vector represents the polynomial
p = x2 + 2x + 3
MATLAB output
 Monospace type
 MATLAB responds with
A =
5
Menu names, menu items, and controls
 Boldface with an initial capital letter
 Choose the File menu.
New terms
 Italics
 An array is an ordered collection of information.

In addition, some words in our syntax lines are shown within single quotation marks. The single quotation marks are a MATLAB requirement and must be typed. For example:

Other Relevant Books

MATLAB comes with an extensive set of documentation consisting of an online Help facility, an online Function Reference, and printed manuals. The full set of printed documentation includes the following titles: