Introduction to Interactive Query Language Jul79

This document is an introductory manual for Digital Equipment Corporation's Interactive Query Language (IQL), published in July 1979.

IQL is presented as a general-purpose information retrieval and reporting system, designed to allow users to interactively interrogate data files and generate various reports without requiring separate programming for each application. It targets both new users with no prior IQL experience and those wishing to review its basic concepts, accommodating computer professionals and individuals without a computer background.

The manual covers:

• IQL Concepts: Introduces the three operating modes (Assistance, Immediate, Deferred) and core components: "queries" (sets of IQL statements) and "dictionaries" (descriptions of data files).
• Basic Query Capabilities: Through practical examples (personnel, marketing, and accounting applications), it demonstrates how to:
  • Create and manage data dictionaries.
  • Set up report formats (headings, margins, spacing, titles).
  • Select and filter records using conditional statements (IF).
  • Sort, tally, and summarize data with various aggregation functions (SORT, TALLY, TOTAL, AVERAGE).
  • Perform computations and use variables.
  • Generate multiple reports from a single query.
  • Rewrite or copy portions of data files (COPY).
  • Work with multiple linked dictionaries (FIND).

The document is specifically for IQL Version 3, running on TOPS-10 Version 6.02 or TOPS-20 Version 3 operating systems.