User`s guide

10 Database Toolbox 2.2 Release Notes
10-2
New Features
This section introduces the new features and enhancements in the Database
Toolbox 2.2, added since the Database Toolbox 2.1 (Release 12.0).
For information about Database Toolbox features that are incorporated from
recent releases, see the Release Notes for Release 12.
Retrieve Data as numeric or structure Format
You can specify as a preference the format in which data is retrieved from a
database, called the
DataReturnFormat. Options are numeric, structure, and
cellarray. Previous versions of the Database Toolbox only supported the
cellarray format.
You can use the
numeric format when all data to be retrieved is numeric or
when non-numeric data is not relevant. Any strings in the data are converted
as specified in the
NullNumberRead preference, for example, NaN. The numeric
format allows for a significant reduction in memory usage. The
structure
format allows you to access the retrieved data as a MATLAB structure.
To set the preference, use the
setdbprefs function. In the Visual Query
Builder, set the format using the
Query -> Preferences menu. For details on
the options, see the reference page for
setdbprefs.
Export Numeric or Structure Data
Using insert and update, you can export data that is a numeric matrix, a
structure, or a cell array. Previous versions only supported data in a cell array
for export. There is no specific action you take to specify the format for exported
data; the data is exported in its current MATLAB format.
Specify Error Handling Preference
You can specify the behavior for handling errors when retrieving data from a
database, called the
ErrorHandling preference. The options are store, report,
and
empty. Previous versions of the Database Toolbox only supported the store
option, meaning the error message is stored in the returned data. The
report
option immediately displays any error messages in the Command Window. For
the
empty option, the error message is in the returned data, but it returns
objects that could not be created as empty handles.