InterSystems Ideas

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Status Will not implement
Categories InterSystems Products
Created by Ashok Kumar T
Created on Jul 1, 2025

RELATED IDEAS

Compression in SQL Functions

Introduce SQL functions such as COMPRESS() and UNCOMPRESS() to facilitate data compression and decompression.

1️⃣ Description of the idea

Introduce native SQL functions COMPRESS(data, algorithm) and UNCOMPRESS(data) to perform data compression and decompression directly within SQL queries. These functions would support zlib and zstd algorithms—both already available in IRIS via ObjectScript through $System.Util.Compress() and $System.Util.Uncompress().

ObjectScript : $System.Util.Compress(%data,"zlib")

2️⃣ Who is the target audience?

SQL developers handling large data sets to compress and share.

3️⃣ What problem does it solve?

Currently, compression in IRIS can only be done via ObjectScript, By exposing compression/decompression directly in SQL eliminate ObjectScript logic or user defined SQL Procedures

4️⃣ How does this impact the efficiency, stability, reliability, etc., of the product?

Enables in-line compression via SQL directly and Reduces and eliminate ObjectScript wrapper logic.

  • ADMIN RESPONSE
    Aug 20, 2025

    Thank you for submitting the idea. Based on information from our experts the status of your idea was changed to "Will not implement". Please look for details in the comments on the idea. Good luck!

  • Post comment
  • Benjamin De Boe
    Aug 20, 2025

    TBH, I don't really see a use case where you want to do this inline in a SQL statement. This feels more like something you'd do as part of application logic (pick your language) than as part of a query where it'd need a SQL function. We'd prefer to keep our SQL function set lean and clean.

    Reply