The Call Level Interface (CLI) is a software de facto standard API for SQL-based database management systems created by The Open Group. The API is defined for the C programming language and COBOL only. The Call Level Interface defines how the C or COBOL program shall send SQL queries to the DBMS and how the returned recordsets shall be handled by the application in a consistent way.
The interface is part of something the Open Group calls CAE, which is supposed to be a wide standard for programming open applications, i.e. applications from different programming teams and different vendors that can interoperate in an efficient manner.
The work with the Call Level Interface began in the USA-based SQL Access Group, but was transferred to the X/Open Company in the fourth quarter 1994. It has properties that makes it larger than the ISOSQL CLI which has never had any widespread use.
The standard has the book number ISBN 1-85912-081-4 and the internal document number is C451.
The most widespread use of the CLI standard is within the Open Database Connectivity (ODBC) implementations of various vendors, as the CLI forms a basis for these.
External links
Online definition of CLI (http://www.opengroup.org/products/publications/catalog/c451.htm) at the Open Groups webpage
The CallLevelInterface defines how the C or COBOL program should send SQL queries to the DBMS and how the returned recordsets should be handled by the application in a consistent way.
The interface is part of what the Open Group refers to as the Common Application Environment, which is intended to be a wide standard for programming open applications, i.e.
The X/Open CLI interface is a superset of the ISOSQL CLI.
High Level was fairly close to using query documents, although it was expected that the application would construct the queries internally.
The High Levelinterface is generally similar to ODBC's public interface.
In contrast, ODBC was developed from the start to be a SQL-based system, based on the standardized Call-Level Interface from X/Open (now part of the Open Group).