Yes, IBM i can consume web services using Native SQL.
Starting with IBM i 7.2, IBM introduced support for SQL-based access to web services through the use of the HTTPAPI and SQL functions. You can use the HTTP functions in SQL to make HTTP requests to web services and handle the responses.
Here’s a very general approach to consuming web services using Native SQL on IBM i:
Use the HTTP Functions:
You can use the HTTPGET, HTTPOST, and other related functions to send requests to web services. These functions allow you to specify the URL, headers, and body of the request.
Handle JSON or XML:
If the web service returns data in JSON or XML format, you can use SQL functions to parse and manipulate this data. For JSON, you can use the JSON_TABLE function to extract data from JSON documents.
Example:
Here’s a simple example of how you might use SQL to call a web service:
DECLARE v_url VARCHAR(256) DEFAULT 'https://api.example.com/data';
SET v_response = HTTPGET(v_url);
Error Handling:
Make sure to implement error handling to manage any issues that arise during the HTTP request.
Security:
If the web service requires authentication, you may need to include appropriate headers or use other methods to authenticate your requests.
Yes - it really is that easy!
By the Power of Grayskull... *cough*... By the Power of IBM i You can consume web services directly from your SQL scripts on IBM i.