Extending DS functionality with SDK

thespongebob · Post by **thespongebob** » Fri Oct 20, 2006 11:35 am

Hello

Is it possible to extend DS functionality with a SDK? I imagine it would be used to create new functions. Is there a thread on what is involved and what is required?

Randy

ArndW · Post by **ArndW** » Fri Oct 20, 2006 11:53 am

Hello Randy and welcome to DSXchange,

DataStage has, as part of the package, a full programming language called DataStage BASIC which is almost identical to the UV/BASIC language in UniVerse (mentioned because there are a lot programs and documentation available out there on the internet for this). Many large applications have been programmed in this language so it forms a very solid foundation for coding your own. In addition, there are ways to call external functions in languages such as c++.

kcbland · Post by **kcbland** » Fri Oct 20, 2006 11:53 am

What functionality are you talking about? If you mean new stages, sure, it's fully documented. There's even companies that have written plugins to give new functionality to the product. We just saw some of them at the IOD conference this week.

thespongebob · Post by **thespongebob** » Fri Oct 20, 2006 12:08 pm

Thanx @kcbland. We don't really have the requirement yet. We just have a person with strong C skills and I am trying to get a feel for how useful this could be in the future.

ray.wurlod · Post by **ray.wurlod** » Fri Oct 20, 2006 2:11 pm

While it is true that there is a documented Plug-In Stage Writer's Guide it is also true that very few custom plug-in stages have been written in the ten years that DataStage server jobs have been out there. I attribute this to the rich set of functionality available out of the box and the ease with which DataStage BASIC routines can be written.

In the parallel job environment there seems to be greater willingness (need?) to customize. There is also greater opportunity; one can not only create parallel routines, but can also create custom stages right there in the Designer. Technically the language is C++ but anyone with strong C skills can master that.