Can we create a function in Sybase,if yes,can it be called from a Select statment?

If what you want to do can be expressed in a stored procedure, there is another option.

You can do a CREATE EXISTING TABLE and point it at a stored procedure.  If you go to the Sybase ASE doc, you will find further information on the details and syntax.

The neat part is that you can pass arguments to the stored procedure during a query to the proxy table (what you really get from a CREATE EXISTING TABLE statement).  There is a syntax for putting the arguments in the WHERE clause of the SELECT.

ASE 15.0.2 is supposed to have inline T-SQL scalar functions and 15.0.3 will have T-SQL table functions (thanks for the infor BRET).  Also, ASE 15 includes the JAVA extension for free instead of making you pay for a license.

The final idea, though it does not really work in-line as I suspect you need/want, is an XP_SERVER.  YOu can create C or C++ functions that get linked to the XP_SERVER and can be called via CIS (Component Integration Services) just like any other remote procedure call.  If you have some nasty text manipulation or math that you don't want to try and do in T-SQL, and XP_SERVER gives you another option.

Can you tell us a bit more about the problem you are trying to solve?  There may be some other options....

Regards,
Bill

Currently ASE offers user-defined functions based on Java code, you need the JAVA license for that.  These functions can be used in a select statement.

T-SQL based user-defined scaler functions are planned for the 15.0.2 release, table-based ones in 15.0.3.
These could also be used in a select statement.


Other options include slightly rube-goldberg techniques like creating a datarows table that has a "spid" column, all the inputs of the function as columns, plus a column for the output.  Create an insert trigger that performs the work of the function and stores the results in the output column.   Then insert all the values you need function results from.  Then join that table into your query to get the output values.


-- clean out values from previous runs (if desired)
delete function_table where spid = @@spid

-- insert the values so the trigger generates the outputs
insert function_table select @@spid, input1, input2 from mytable

-- join to get the results
select mt.input1, mt.input2, ft.output from mytable mt, function_table ft
where mt.input1 = ft.input1
and mt.input2 = ft.input2
and mt.spid = @@spid
go