Call JavaScript from SQL++

reference

Enterprise Edition

You can use user-defined functions (UDFs) to call JavaScript code from SQL++ queries.

For more information about user-defined functions in Capella, see User-Defined Functions for Queries.

Create a Scoped User-Defined Function with SQL++

For example, the following JavaScript function calculates the number of business days between a given start date and end date:

function getBusinessDays(startDate, endDate) {
    let count = 0;
    const curDate = new Date(new Date(startDate).getTime());
    while (curDate <= new Date(endDate)) {
        const dayOfWeek = curDate.getDay();
        if(dayOfWeek !== 0 && dayOfWeek !== 6)
            count++;
        curDate.setDate(curDate.getDate() + 1);
    }
    return count;    (1)
}

You could define this JavaScript function as part of an external library or as a SQL++ managed user-defined function.

If the JavaScript is already defined in an external library, you can create the user-defined function from the Query tab or by running a SQL++ statement.

The following SQL++ statement creates the GetBusinessDays function inside the travel-sample.inventory namespace.

It references the GetBusinessDays function stored inside the my-library UDF library, also stored in travel-sample.inventory. GetBusinessDays becomes a Scoped function:

CREATE FUNCTION default:`travel-sample`.`inventory`.GetBusinessDays(startDate, endDate) (1)
LANGUAGE JAVASCRIPT as "getBusinessDays" (2)
AT "travel-sample/inventory/my-library"; (3)

If you created this function, you cannot create another function called GetBusinessDays inside the travel-sample.inventory.my-library scope.

Create a Global User-Defined Function with SQL++

You can also define Global user-defined functions from the Query Workbench using SQL++. Any function added globally will be accessible across your cluster:

CREATE FUNCTION GetBusinessDays(startDate, endDate)
LANGUAGE JAVASCRIPT as "getBusinessDays"
AT "my-library";  (1)

If you do not add a prefix before the library name in your SQL++ statement, the user-defined function will be created as a Global function. You cannot create another global function called GetBusinessDays on your cluster, but you can create a scoped function called GetBusinessDays.

Create a User-Defined Function with SQL++ and a Relative Library Path

You can also use SQL++ and define a relative path for your external library location. If you use a relative path, the library location will resolve based on the current query context.

For example, the following SQL++ statement creates the user-defined function in my-library, relative to the current query context:

CREATE FUNCTION GetBusinessDays(startDate, endDate)
LANGUAGE JAVASCRIPT as "getBusinessDays"
AT "./my-library";  (1)

Based on the current query context, you would not be able to create another function called GetBusinessDays in that scope.

Call a User-Defined Function with SQL++

After you create your user-defined function, you can call it like any built-in SQL++ function.

For example, you could use the following to call the GetBusinessDays function:

Query

SELECT GetBusinessDays("02/14/2025", "04/16/2025");

The function would return the following result, in JSON format:

Result

[
  {
    "$1": 45
  }
]

You can also use the EXECUTE FUNCTION statement to execute the function:

EXECUTE FUNCTION GetBusinessDays("02/14/2025", "04/16/2025");

Or, you can call a function as part of a complex statement:

SELECT CASE
  WHEN GetBusinessDays('02/14/2025', '4/16/2025') > 40 THEN "late"
  ELSE "on time"
END
AS response; (1)

Create and Call Functions with a Variadic Parameter

You can define user-defined functions with a variadic parameter. Variadic parameters accept a list of values, which they pass to your defined JavaScript function.

For example, you could define the GetBusinessDays function to use a variadic parameter, instead of setting both the startDate and endDate parameters:

CREATE FUNCTION GetBusinessDays(...)
LANGUAGE JAVASCRIPT as "getBusinessDays"
AT "my-library";

You can add a variadic parameter to any user-defined function by using 3 periods (…) instead of a list of parameters. The 3 periods indicate a variable length parameter list.

If you use a user-defined function that has a variadic parameter list, but the original JavaScript function has named variables, the JavaScript function still references the variadic parameter list as named variables:

function getBusinessDays(startDate, endDate) {
   
  // Do calculations  

}

When you define your JavaScript function, you can also use a variable length parameter list.

For example, the following function iterates through a variadic parameter list, and returns the sum of all the numbers it contains:

function sumListOfNumbers(... args) {    (1)
    
    var sum = 0;
    
    args.forEach(value => sum = sum  + value);    (2)
    
    return sum;
    
}

Then, you can create a user-defined function that takes a variable length list of numbers as an argument:

CREATE FUNCTION SumListOfNumbers(...)
LANGUAGE JAVASCRIPT as "sumListOfNumbers"
AT "my-library";

You can then call the user-defined function in a query, with a variable length list of numbers as a parameter:

Query

EXECUTE FUNCTION SumListOfNumbers(1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64);

Result

[
  127
]