Contents

Contents
MDB2GMS
Overview
Requirements
Converting database tables to GAMS data
Single valued tables
Multi valued tables
Index mapping
Interactive use
Options
Batch use
Example
Multi-query Batch use
Multi-query Batch example
Strategies
Command line arguments
Command files
$Call command
Notes

Overview
MDB2GMS is a tool to convert data from an Microsoft Access database into GAMS readable format.
The source is an MS Access database file (*.MDB or .ACCDB) and the target is a GAMS Include File or
a GAMS GDX File.
When running the executable MDB2GMS.EXE without command line parameters the tool will run
interactively with a built-in GUI interface. Alternatively MDB2GMS can be run in batch mode which is
useful when calling it directly from a GAMS model using the $call command.

Requirements
MDB2GMS runs only on PC's running Windows (95/98/NT/XP) and with MS Access installed. MS
Access comes with certain versions of MS Office, but some Office versions will not include Access. The
actual retrieval of the database records is performed by DAO or Data Access Objects, an object layer for
accessing the database. The actual database is the Jet engine, which performs the queries and
retrieves the data.
To use this tool effectively you will need to have a working knowledge of SQL in order to formulate proper
database queries.

Converting database tables to GAMS data

Database tables can be considered as a generalization of a GAMS parameter. GAMS parameters are
single valued indicating written as a table GAMS parameters have multiple index columns but just one
value column. If the table is organized as multi-valued table, a UNION can be used to generate the
correct GAMS file.

MDB2GMS

Besides parameters it is also possible to generate set data. The following tables summarizes some of
the possibilities:
Single valued table

parameter d(i,j) /
$include data.inc
/;

SELECT city1,city2,distance
FROM distances

Multi valued table

parameter sales(year,loc,prd) /
$include sales.inc
/;
parameter profit(year,loc,prd) /
$include profit.inc
/;

SELECT year,loc,prod,sales
FROM data

Use two separate

parameters and
queries or a
parameter with an
extra index position
and a UNION select.

or
set typ /sales,profit/
parameter data(year,loc,prd,typ) /
$include data.inc
/;

Single dimension set

Make sure elements
are unique

SELECT year,loc,prod,'sales',sales
FROM data
UNION
SELECT year,loc,prod,'profit',profit
FROM data

SELECT distinct(indexcolumn)
FROM datatable

set i /
$include set.inc
/;

Multi dimensional set set ij(i,j) /

Add dummy value
field to make sure the
elements are
separated by a dot.

SELECT year,loc,prod,profit
FROM data

SELECT indx1,indx2,
FROM datatable

$include ij.inc
/;

There are no special requirements on the data types used in the database. The data are converted to
strings, which is almost always possible. Data types like LONG BINARY may not be convertible to a
string, in which case an exception will be raised. In general NULL's should not be allowed to get into a
GAMS data structure. The handling of NULL's can be specified in an option.

Example: single-valued tables

Consider the simple example table Distances:
City1

City2

Distance

SEATTLE

NEW-YORK

2.5

SAN-DIEGO

NEW-YORK

2.5

SEATTLE

CHICAGO

1.7

SAN-DIEGO

CHICAGO

1.8

SEATTLE

TOPEKA

1.8

SAN-DIEGO

TOPEKA

1.4

Example: single-valued tables

with the query:

SELECT City1,City2,Distance
FROM Distances

This can be represented in GAMS as:

set i /seattle, san-diego/;
set j /new-york, chicago, topeka/;
parameter dist(i,j) 'distances' /
$include distances.inc
/;

where the include file distances.inc has been generated using the above query. This file can look like:
* ----------------------------------------------------* MDB2GMS Version 2.1, March 2004
* Erwin Kalvelagen, GAMS Development Corp
* ----------------------------------------------------* DAO version: 3.6
* Jet version: 4.0
* Database:
E:\models\trnsportdata.mdb
* Query:
SELECT city1,city2,distance
*
FROM distances
* ----------------------------------------------------SEATTLE.NEW-YORK 2.5
SAN-DIEGO.NEW-YORK 2.5
SEATTLE.CHICAGO 1.7
SAN-DIEGO.CHICAGO 1.8
SEATTLE.TOPEKA 1.8
SAN-DIEGO.TOPEKA 1.4
* -----------------------------------------------------

The standard export format is to consider the last column the value column and the previous columns as
the indices. The indices are separated by a dot, allowing the generated include file to be used as part of
a parameter declaration statement.

Example: Multi-valued tables

Consider the table with two value columns:
DATA
year

loc

Prod

sales

profit

1997

la

Hardware

80

1997

la

Software

60

16

1997

nyc

Hardware

110

1997

nyc

Software

100

10

1997

sfo

Hardware

80

MDB2GMS

1997

sfo

Software

50

10

1997

was

Hardware

120

1997

was

Software

70

20

1998

la

Hardware

70

1998

la

Software

70

10

1998

nyc

Hardware

120

1998

nyc

Software

120

14

1998

sfo

Hardware

90

12

1998

sfo

Software

70

15

1998

was

Hardware

130

12

1998

was

Software

80

15

A simple way to import this into GAMS is to use two parameters and two SQL queries. The SQL queries
can look like:
SELECT year,loc,prod,sales
FROM data
SELECT year,loc,prod,profit
FROM data

If the results are stored in include files sales.inc and profit.inc then this can be read into GAMS as
follows:
parameter sales(year,loc,prd) /
$include sales.inc
/;
parameter profit(year,loc,prd) /
$include profit.inc
/;

The operation can also be performed in one big swoop by using a different GAMS datastructure:
set typ /sales,profit/
parameter data(year,loc,prd,typ) /
$include data.inc
/;

This parameter has an extra index typ which indicates the data type. To generate the correct include file
we can use the following query:
SELECT year,loc,prod,'sales',sales
FROM data
UNION
SELECT year,loc,prod,'profit',profit
FROM data

Example: Multi-valued tables

The generated include file will look like:

* ----------------------------------------------------* MDB2GMS Version 2.1, March 2004
* Erwin Kalvelagen, GAMS Development Corp
* ----------------------------------------------------* DAO version: 3.6
* Jet version: 4.0
* Database:
E:\models\trnsportdata.mdb
* Query:
SELECT year,loc,prod,'sales',sales
*
FROM data
*
UNION
*
SELECT year,loc,prod,'profit',profit
*
FROM data
* ----------------------------------------------------1997.la.hardware.profit 8
1997.la.hardware.sales 80
1997.la.software.profit 16
1997.la.software.sales 60
1997.nyc.hardware.profit 5
1997.nyc.hardware.sales 110
1997.nyc.software.profit 10
1997.nyc.software.sales 100
1997.sfo.hardware.profit 9
1997.sfo.hardware.sales 80
1997.sfo.software.profit 10
1997.sfo.software.sales 50
1997.was.hardware.profit 7
1997.was.hardware.sales 120
1997.was.software.profit 20
1997.was.software.sales 70
1998.la.hardware.profit 6
1998.la.hardware.sales 70
1998.la.software.profit 10
1998.la.software.sales 70
1998.nyc.hardware.profit 7
1998.nyc.hardware.sales 120
1998.nyc.software.profit 14
1998.nyc.software.sales 120
1998.sfo.hardware.profit 12
1998.sfo.hardware.sales 90
1998.sfo.software.profit 15
1998.sfo.software.sales 70
1998.was.hardware.profit 12
1998.was.hardware.sales 130
1998.was.software.profit 15
1998.was.software.sales 80
* -----------------------------------------------------

Index mapping
In some cases the index elements used in the database are not the same as in the GAMS model. E.g.
consider the case where the GAMS model has defined a set as:

MDB2GMS

set i /NY,DC,LA,SF/;

Now assume a data table looks like:

This means we have to map new york' to NY' etc. This mapping can be done in two places: either in
GAMS or in the database.
When we export the table directly we get:
* ----------------------------------------------------* MDB2GMS Version 2.1, March 2004
* Erwin Kalvelagen, GAMS Development Corp
* ----------------------------------------------------* DAO version: 3.6
* Jet version: 4.0
* Database:
E:\models\trnsportdata.mdb
* Query:
SELECT city,[value]
*
FROM [example table]
* ----------------------------------------------------'new york' 100
'los angeles' 120
'san francisco' 105
'washington dc' 102
* -----------------------------------------------------

As the index elements contain blanks, the option Quote Blanks was used. To import this file and
convert it to a different index space we can use the following GAMS code:
set i /NY,DC,LA,SF/;
set idb 'from database' /
'new york',
'washington dc',
'los angeles',
'san francisco'
/;
parameter dbdata(idb) /
$include data.inc

Index mapping

/;
set mapindx(i,idb) /
NY.'new york'
DC.'washington dc'
LA.'los angeles'
SF.'san francisco'
/;
parameter data(i);
data(i) = sum(mapindx(i,idb), dbdata(idb));
display data;

The second approach is to handle the mapping inside the database. We can introduce a mapping table
that looks like:

This table can be used in a join to export the data in a format we can use by executing the query:
SELECT [GAMS City], [value]
FROM [example table],CityMapper
WHERE [Access City]=city

Interactive use
When the tool is called without command line parameters, it will startup interactively. Using it this way,
one can specify the database file (.MDB file), the query and the final destination file (a GAMS include file
or a GDX file) using the built-in interactive environment. The main screen contains a number of buttons
and edit boxes, which are explained below.
Input file (*.MDB). This is the combo box to
specify the input file. The file must be a valid MS
Access database file (*.MDB). The browse
button can be used to launch a file open dialog
which makes it easier to specify a file. The file
may be located on a remote machine using the
notation \\machine\directory\file.mdb.

MDB2GMS

Output GAMS Include file (*.INC). If you want

to create a GAMS include file, then specify here
the destination file. The include file will be an
ASCII file that can be read by GAMS using the
$include command. If the include file already
exists, it will be overwritten.
Output GDX file (*.GDX) As an alternative to a
GAMS include file, the tool can also generate a
GDX file. If the GDX file already exists it will be
overwritten it is not possible to append to a
GDX file. One or both of the output files need to
be specified.
SQL Query The SQL Query box is the place to
provide the query. Note that the actual area for
text can be larger than is displayed: use the
cursor-keys to scroll. The query is passed on
directly to the Jet database engine, so the
complete power and expressiveness of Access
SQL is available. For an exact description of
allowed expressions consult a text on MS
Access.
Progress Memo. This memo field is used to
show progress of the application. Also error
messages from the database are printed here.
This is a read-only field.

The edit boxes above all have a drop down list

which can be used to access quickly file names
and queries that have been used earlier (even
from a previous session).
The tables button will pop up a new window with
the contents of the database file selected in the
input file edit line. This allows you to see all table
names and field names needed to specify a
correct SQL query. An exception will be
generated if no database file name is specified in
the input edit line.
The options button will pop up a window where
you can specify a number of options.
The help button will show this help.

Interactive use

If the OK button is pressed the query will be

executed and an include file or GDX file will be
generated.
Pressing the batch button will give information
on how the current query can be executed
directly from GAMS in a batch environment. The
batch call will be displayed and can be copied to
the clipboard. In the IDE press Ctrl-C or choose
Edit|Paste to copy the contents of the clipboard
to a GAMS text file.
The close button will exit the application. The
current settings will be saved in an INI file so
when you run MDB2GMS again all current
settings will be restored.

Options
The Options window can be created by pressing the options button:

The following options are available in the options window:

Quote blanks: Quote strings if they contain blanks or embedded quotes. If a
string does not contain a blank or embedded quotes, it will remain unquoted. If
the string contains a single quote the quotes applied will be double quotes and if
the string contains already a double quote, the surrounding quotes will be single
quotes. (In the special case the string contains both, double quotes are replaced
by single quotes). For more information see this example. This option only
applies to an output include file.
Mute: Don't include the extra informational text (such as used query etc.) in the
include file.
No listing: Surround the include file by $offlisting and $onlisting so that the data
will not be echoed to the listing file. This can be useful for very large data files,
where the listing file would become too large to be handled comfortably.
Format SQL: If an SQL text is reloaded in the SQL Edit Box, it will be
formatted: keywords will be printed in CAPS and the FROM and WHERE clause
will be printed on their own line. If this check box is unchecked this formatting
will not take place and SQL queries will be shown as is.
The following options are only needed in special cases:

10

MDB2GMS

NULL: This radio box determines how

NULL's are handled. A NULL in an
index position or a value column will
usually make the result of the query
useless: the GAMS record will be
invalid. To alert you on NULL's the
default to throw an exception is a
safe choice. In special cases you
may want to map NULL's to an
empty string or a NULL' string.
Output Lines: By default output
lines are created as follows: all first
n-1 fields are considered indices and
the last n-th column is the value. The
format corresponding to this situation
is %s.%s.%s %s' (for a three
dimensional parameter). In special
cases you may want to tinker with
the format string being used. The
fields are all considered strings, so
only use %s as format placeholder.
Make sure you specify exactly the
same number of %s's as there are
columns in the result set.

The buttons have an obvious functionality:

The OK button will accept the changes made.

The Cancel button wil ignore the changes made, and all option settings will
revert to their previous values.

The Help button will show this help text.

10

Batch use
When calling MDB2GMS directly from GAMS we want to specify all command and options directly from
the command line or from a command file. An example is:
C:\tmp> mdb2gms I=C:\tmp\db.mdb O=C:\tmp\data.inc Q=select i,j,v from t1

This call will perform its task without user intervention. The batch facility can be used from inside a
GAMS model, e.g.:

Batch use

11

parameter c(i,j) 'data from database' /

$call =mdb2gms I=db.mdb O=data.inc Q='select i,j,v from t1'
$include data.inc
/;

The $call statement is rather error prone and you will need to spend a little it of time to get the call
correct and reliable.
All the possible command line options are listing in command line arguments section. A proper batch
call will at least contain the following command line parameters:
1. I=inputfilename
2. O=outputincludefile or X=outputgdxfile
3. Q=querystring
If you only specify I=inputfilename then the interactive user interface is started with an initial setting of
the input file name edit box equal to the name given in the command line argument. Only if an input file,
an output file and a query string is provided, the call will be considered a batch invocation.

11

Example
Consider the Access table:

DATA
Year

Loc

prod

sales

Profit

1997

La

hardware

80

1997

La

software

60

16

1997

Nyc

hardware

110

1997

Nyc

software

100

10

1997

Sfo

hardware

80

1997

Sfo

software

50

10

1997

Was

hardware

120

1997

Was

software

70

20

1998

La

hardware

70

1998

La

software

70

10

1998

Nyc

hardware

120

1998

Nyc

software

120

14

1998

Sfo

hardware

90

12

1998

Sfo

software

70

15

1998

Was

hardware

130

12

1998

Was

software

80

15

We want to extract the following information:

12

MDB2GMS

The set year

The set loc
The parameter sales
The parameter profit

This can be accomplished using the following GAMS code:

set y 'years' /
$call =mdb2gms I=sample.mdb Q="select distinct(year) from data" O=years.inc
$include years.inc
/;
set loc 'locations' /
$call =mdb2gms I=sample.mdb Q="select distinct(loc) from data" O=locations.inc
$include locations.inc
/;
set prd 'products' /hardware, software/;
parameter sales(prd,loc,y) /
$call =mdb2gms I=sample.mdb Q="select prod,loc,year,sales from data" O=sales.inc
$include sales.inc
/;
display sales;
parameter profit(prd,loc,y) /
$call =mdb2gms I=sample.mdb Q="select prod,loc,year,profit from data" O=profit.inc
$include profit.inc
/;
display profit;

The $CALL statements assume that mdb2gms.exe is in the path. This can be achieved by placing
mdb2gms.exe in GAMS system directory (the directory where also gams.exe is located; the directory
can be easily located in the IDE by looking at GAMS executable path in File|Options|Execute). If
mdb2gms.exe is not in the search path, you can call it explicitly as:
$call ="c:\program files\mdb2gms.exe" I=sample.mdb Q="select prod,loc,year,profit from
data" O="d:\data\profit.inc"

The resulting listing file will show:

6
7 set y 'years' /
INCLUDE
E:\models\years.inc
10 * ----------------------------------------------------11 * MDB2GMS Version 2.0, December 2003
12 * Erwin Kalvelagen, GAMS Development Corp
13 * ----------------------------------------------------14 * DAO version: 3.6
15 * Jet version: 4.0
16 * Database:
D:\Win9x Program Files\GAMS21.4\examples\sample.mdb
17 * Query:
select distinct(year) from data
18 * ----------------------------------------------------19
1997
20
1998
21 * -----------------------------------------------------

Example

22 /;
23
24 set loc 'locations' /
INCLUDE
E:\models\locations.inc
27 * ----------------------------------------------------28 * MDB2GMS Version 2.0, December 2003
29 * Erwin Kalvelagen, GAMS Development Corp
30 * ----------------------------------------------------31 * DAO version: 3.6
32 * Jet version: 4.0
33 * Database:
D:\Win9x Program Files\GAMS21.4\examples\sample.mdb
34 * Query:
select distinct(loc) from data
35 * ----------------------------------------------------36
la
37
nyc
38
sfo
39
was
40 * ----------------------------------------------------41 /;
42
43 set prd 'products' /hardware, software/;
44
45 parameter sales(prd,loc,y) /
INCLUDE
E:\models\sales.inc
48 * ----------------------------------------------------49 * MDB2GMS Version 2.0, December 2003
50 * Erwin Kalvelagen, GAMS Development Corp
51 * ----------------------------------------------------52 * DAO version: 3.6
53 * Jet version: 4.0
54 * Database:
D:\Win9x Program Files\GAMS21.4\examples\sample.mdb
55 * Query:
select prod,loc,year,sales from data
56 * ----------------------------------------------------57 hardware.la.1997 80
58 software.la.1997 60
59 hardware.nyc.1997 110
60 software.nyc.1997 100
61 hardware.sfo.1997 80
62 software.sfo.1997 50
63 hardware.was.1997 120
64 software.was.1997 70
65 hardware.la.1998 70
66 software.la.1998 70
67 hardware.nyc.1998 120
68 software.nyc.1998 120
69 hardware.sfo.1998 90
70 software.sfo.1998 70
71 hardware.was.1998 130
72 software.was.1998 80
73 * ----------------------------------------------------74 /;
75 display sales;
76
77 parameter profit(prd,loc,y) /
INCLUDE
E:\models\profit.inc
80 * ----------------------------------------------------81 * MDB2GMS Version 2.0, December 2003
82 * Erwin Kalvelagen, GAMS Development Corp
83 * ----------------------------------------------------84 * DAO version: 3.6
85 * Jet version: 4.0

13

14

MDB2GMS

86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107

* Database:
D:\Win9x Program Files\GAMS21.4\examples\sample.mdb
* Query:
select prod,loc,year,profit from data
* ----------------------------------------------------hardware.la.1997 8
software.la.1997 16
hardware.nyc.1997 5
software.nyc.1997 10
hardware.sfo.1997 9
software.sfo.1997 10
hardware.was.1997 7
software.was.1997 20
hardware.la.1998 6
software.la.1998 10
hardware.nyc.1998 7
software.nyc.1998 14
hardware.sfo.1998 12
software.sfo.1998 15
hardware.was.1998 12
software.was.1998 15
* ----------------------------------------------------/;
display profit;

Indeed the includes contain the correct data sets. The include file summary shows that the $CALL and
$INCLUDE statements were executed without errors:
Include File Summary

SEQ

GLOBAL TYPE

PARENT

LOCAL

FILENAME

1
1 INPUT
0
\salesprofitdb.gms
2
8 CALL
1
\examples\sample.mdb" Q="select dis

D:\Win9x Program Files\GAMS21.4\examples

=mdb2gms I="D:\Win9x Program Files\GAMS21.4

3
9 INCLUDE
1
4
25 CALL
1
\examples\sample.mdb" Q="select dis

9
13

tinct(year) from data" O=years.inc

.E:\models\years.inc
=mdb2gms I="D:\Win9x Program Files\GAMS21.4

5
26 INCLUDE
1
6
46 CALL
1
\examples\sample.mdb" Q="select pro

14
20

tinct(loc) from data" O=locations.inc

.E:\models\locations.inc
=mdb2gms I="D:\Win9x Program Files\GAMS21.4

7
47 INCLUDE
1
8
78 CALL
1
\examples\sample.mdb" Q="select pro

21
26

d,loc,year,sales from data" O=sales.inc

.E:\models\sales.inc
=mdb2gms I="D:\Win9x Program Files\GAMS21.4

27

d,loc,year,profit from data" O=profit.inc

.E:\models\profit.inc

79 INCLUDE

Finally the DISPLAY statements show that the data arrived correctly in the required format:
----

75 PARAMETER sales

hardware.la
hardware.nyc
hardware.sfo

1997

1998

80.000
110.000
80.000

70.000
120.000
90.000

Example

hardware.was
software.la
software.nyc
software.sfo
software.was

----

130.000
70.000
120.000
70.000
80.000

107 PARAMETER profit

hardware.la
hardware.nyc
hardware.sfo
hardware.was
software.la
software.nyc
software.sfo
software.was

12

120.000
60.000
100.000
50.000
70.000

15

1997

1998

8.000
5.000
9.000
7.000
16.000
10.000
10.000
20.000

6.000
7.000
12.000
12.000
10.000
14.000
15.000
15.000

Multi-Query Batch use

In some cases a number of small queries need to be performed on the same database. To do individual
calls to MDB2GMS can become expensive: there is significant overhead in starting Access and opening
the database. For these cases we have added the option to do multiple queries in one call. To write
several GAMS include files we can use a command file that looks like:
I=sample.mdb
Q1=select distinct(year) from data
O1=year.inc
Q2=select distinct(loc) from data
O2=loc.inc
Q3=select distinct(prod) from data
O3=prod.inc
Q4=select prod,loc,year,sales from data
O4=sales.inc
Q5=select prod,loc,year,profit from data
O5=profit.inc

We see that the option Qn is matched by an option On. That means that the results of the n-th query
are written to the n-th output file.
In case we want to store the results of a multi-query call to a single GDX file, we can use:
I=sample.mdb
X=sample.gdx
Q1=select distinct(year) from data
S1=year

16

MDB2GMS

Q2=select distinct(loc) from data

S2=loc
Q3=select distinct(prod) from data
S3=prd
Q4=select prod,loc,year,sales from data
P4=sales
Q5=select prod,loc,year,profit from data
P5=profit

Here we see that a query Qn is matched by either a set name Sn or a parameter name Pn. The name of
the GDX file is specified with the X option.
For a complete example see section Multi-query Batch example.

13

Multi-Query Batch example

As an example database we use the Access table:

DATA
Year

Loc

Prod

sales

Profit

1997

La

Hardware

80

1997

La

Software

60

16

1997

Nyc

Hardware

110

1997

Nyc

Software

100

10

1997

Sfo

Hardware

80

1997

Sfo

Software

50

10

1997

Was

Hardware

120

1997

Was

Software

70

20

1998

La

Hardware

70

1998

La

Software

70

10

1998

Nyc

Hardware

120

1998

Nyc

Software

120

14

1998

Sfo

Hardware

90

12

1998

Sfo

Software

70

15

1998

Was

Hardware

130

12

1998

Was

Software

80

15

We want to extract the following information:

Multi-Query Batch example

The set year

The set loc
The parameter sales
The parameter profit

This can be accomplished using the following GAMS code:

$ontext
Example database access with MDB2GMS
Multiple queries in one call
$offtext
$onecho > cmd.txt
I=%system.fp%sample.mdb
Q1=select distinct(year) from data
O1=year.inc
Q2=select distinct(loc) from data
O2=loc.inc
Q3=select distinct(prod) from data
O3=prod.inc
Q4=select prod,loc,year,sales from data
O4=sales.inc
Q5=select prod,loc,year,profit from data
O5=profit.inc
$offecho
$call =mdb2gms @cmd.txt
set y years /
$include year.inc
/;
set loc locations /
$include loc.inc
/;
set prd products /
$include prod.inc
/;
parameter sales(prd,loc,y) /
$include sales.inc
/;
display sales;
parameter profit(prd,loc,y) /
$include profit.inc
/;
display profit;

The same example imported through a GDX file can look like:

17

18

MDB2GMS

$ontext
Example database access with MDB2GMS
Multiple queries in one call, store in GDX file
$offtext
$onecho > cmd.txt
I=%system.fp%sample.mdb
X=sample.gdx
Q1=select distinct(year) from data
s1=year
Q2=select distinct(loc) from data
s2=loc
Q3=select distinct(prod) from data
s3=prd
Q4=select prod,loc,year,sales from data
p4=sales
Q5=select prod,loc,year,profit from data
p5=profit
$offecho
$call =mdb2gms @cmd.txt
$call =gdxviewer sample.gdx
set y 'years';
set loc 'locations';
set prd 'products';
parameter sales(prd,loc,y);
parameter profit(prd,loc,y);
$gdxin 'sample.gdx'
$load y=year loc prd sales profit

display sales;
display profit;

The call to gdxviewer will display the gdx file in the stand-alone GDX viewer.

14

Strategies
Including SQL statements to extract data from a database inside your model can lead to a number of
difficulties:

The database can change between runs, leading to results that are not reproducible. A
possible scenario is a user calling you with a complaint: the model is giving strange
results. You run the model to verify and now the results are ok. The reason may be

Strategies

19

because the data in the database has changed.

There is significant overhead in extracting data from a database. If there is no need to get
new data from the database it is better to use a snapshot stored locally in a format directly
accessible by GAMS.
It is often beneficial to look at the extracted data. A first reason, is just to make sure the
data arrived correctly. Another argument is that viewing data in a different way may lead to a
better understanding of the data. A complete under-the-hood approach may cause
difficulties in understanding certain model behavior.

Often it is a good strategy to separate the data extraction step from the rest of the model logic.
If the sub-models form a chain or a tree, like in:
Data extraction --> Data manipulation --> Model definition --> Model solution --> Report writing
we can conveniently use the save/restart facility. The individual submodel are coded as:
Step 0: sr0.gms
$ontext
step 0: data extraction from database
execute as: > gams sr0 save=s0
$offtext
set i 'suppliers';
set j 'demand centers';
parameter demand(j);
parameter supply(i);
parameter dist(i,j) 'distances';
$onecho > cmd.txt
I=%system.fp%transportation.mdb
Q1=select name from suppliers
O1=i.inc
Q2=select name from demandcenters
O2=j.inc
Q3=select name,demand from demandcenters
O3=demand.inc
Q4=select name,supply from suppliers
O4=supply.inc
Q5=select supplier,demandcenter,distance from distances
O5=dist.inc
$offecho
$call =mdb2gms.exe @cmd.txt

20

MDB2GMS

set i /
$include i.inc
/;
set j /
$include j.inc
/;
parameter demand /
$include demand.inc
/;
parameter supply /
$include supply.inc
/;
parameter dist /
$include dist.inc
/;
display i,j,demand,supply,dist;

Step 1: sr1.gms
$ontext
step 1: data manipulation step
execute as: > gams sr1 restart=s0 save=s1
$offtext
Scalar f 'freight in dollars per case per thousand miles' /90/ ;
Parameter c(i,j) 'transport cost in thousands of dollars per case';
c(i,j) = f * dist(i,j) / 1000 ;

Step 2: sr2.gms
$ontext
step 2: model definition
execute as: > gams sr2 restart=s1 save=s2
$offtext
Variables
x(i,j)
z

'shipment quantities in cases'

'total transportation costs in thousands of dollars' ;

Positive Variable x ;
Equations
ecost
esupply(i)

'define objective function'

'observe supply limit at plant i'

Strategies

edemand(j)

21

'satisfy demand at market j' ;

ecost ..

=e=

sum((i,j), c(i,j)*x(i,j)) ;

esupply(i) ..

sum(j, x(i,j))

=l=

supply(i) ;

edemand(j) ..

sum(i, x(i,j))

=g=

demand(j) ;

Step 3: sr3.gms
$ontext
step 3: model solution
execute as: > gams sr3 restart=s2 save=s3
$offtext
option lp=cplex;
Model transport /all/ ;
Solve transport using lp minimizing z ;

Step 4: sr4.gms
$ontext
step 4: report writing
execute as: > gams sr4 restart=s3
$offtext
abort$(transport.modelstat <> 1) "model not solved to optimality";
display x.l,z.l;

A model that executes all steps can be written as:

execute '=gams.exe sr0 lo=3 save=s0';
abort$errorlevel "step 0 failed";
execute '=gams.exe sr1 lo=3 restart=s0 save=s1';
abort$errorlevel "step 1 failed";
execute '=gams.exe sr2 lo=3 restart=s1 save=s2';
abort$errorlevel "step 2 failed";
execute '=gams.exe sr3 lo=3 restart=s2 save=s3';
abort$errorlevel "step 3 failed";
execute '=gams.exe sr4 lo=3 restart=s3';
abort$errorlevel "step 4 failed";

If you only change the reporting step, i.e. generating some output using PUT statements, then you only
need to change and re-execute step 4. If you change solver or solver options, then only steps 3 and 4
need to be redone. For a small model like this, this exercise may not be very useful, but when the model
is large and every step is complex and expensive, this is a convenient way to achieve quicker turnaround times in many cases.

22

MDB2GMS

In some cases the save/restart facility is not appropriate. A more general approach is to save the data
from the database in a GDX file, which can then be used by other models. We can use the model from
step 0 to store the data in a GDX file:
MDB2GDX1.GMS:
$ontext
Store data from Access database into a GDX file.
$offtext
execute '=gams.exe sr0 lo=3 gdx=trnsport.gdx';
abort$errorlevel "step 0 failed";
execute '=gdxviewer.exe trnsport.gdx';

We can also let MDB2GMS create the GDX file:

MDB2GDX2.GMS:
$ontext
Store data from Access database into a GDX file.
$offtext
$onecho > cmd.txt
I=%system.fp%transportation.mdb
X=%system.fp%transportation.gdx
Q1=select name from suppliers
S1=i
Q2=select name from demandcenters
S2=j
Q3=select name,demand from demandcenters
P3=demand
Q4=select name,supply from suppliers
P4=supply
Q5=select supplier,demandcenter,distance from distances
P5=dist
$offecho
$call =mdb2gms.exe @cmd.txt

The first approach has the advantage that a complete audit record is available from the data moved from
the database to the GDX file in the sr0.lst listing file. If someone ever wonders what came out of the
database and how this was stored in the GDX file, that file gives the answer.
To load the GDX data the following fragment can be used:

Strategies

23

GDXTRNSPORT.GMS:
$ontext
Load transportation data from GDX file
Compile time loading
$offtext
set i 'suppliers';
set j 'demand centers';
parameter demand(j);
parameter supply(i);
parameter dist(i,j) 'distances';
$gdxin transportation.gdx
$load i j demand supply dist

display i,j,demand,supply,dist

In one application I had to retrieve data from the database each morning, at the first run of the model.
The rest of the day, the data extracted that morning could be used. The following logic can implement
this:
$ontext
Retrieve data from data base first run each morning.
$offtext
$onecho > getdate.txt
I=%system.fp%transportation.mdb
Q=select day(now())
O=dbtimestamp.inc
$offecho
$if not exist dbtimestamp.inc $call "echo 0 > dbtimestamp.inc"
scalar dbtimestamp 'day of month when data was retrieved' /
$include dbtimestamp.inc
/;
scalar currentday 'day of this run';
currentday = gday(jnow);
display "compare", dbtimestamp,currentday;
if (dbtimestamp<>currentday,
execute '=gams.exe sr0 lo=3 gdx=transportation.gdx';
abort$errorlevel "step 0 (database access) failed";

24

MDB2GMS

execute '=mdb2gms.exe @getdate.txt'

);

The include file dbtimestamp.inc contains the day of the month (1,..,31) on which the data was
extracted from the database. If this file does not exist, we initialize it with 0. We then compare this
number with the current day of the month. If the numbers do not agree, we execute the database
extraction step and rewrite the dbtimestamp.inc file. This last operation could be done using a PUT
statement, but in this case we used an SQL statement.

15

Command-line Arguments
I=inputfile

This option is required and specifies the name of the .MDB file containing
the Access database. If the file contains blanks the name should be
surrounded by double quotes. It is advised to use absolute paths, so
Access has no confusion what file to open. On a network UNC names
can be used, and files from another computer can be accessed, e.g. "\
\hostname\c\my documents\a.mdb." This option is required for batch
processing.
To specify a path equal to the location where the .gms file is located,
you can use:
I=%s y s t em. f p%my db. mdb

O=outputincludefile

This option specifies the name of the output file. The format of the output
file will be a GAMS include file for a parameter statement. Make sure the
directory is writable. UNC names can be used. An output file must be
specified for batch operation: i.e. either O= or X= needs to be specified
(or both).

On=outputincludefile

When multiple queries are used, you can append a number to match a
query with an output file:
Q2= "s el ec t a, b f r om t abl e "
O2=ab. i nc
See section Multi-query Batch use

X=outputGDXfile

This option specifies the name of the output file. The format of the output
file will be a GAMS GDX file. Make sure the directory is writable. UNC
namescan be used. An output file must be specified for batch operation:
i.e. either O= or X= needs to be specified (or both).

Q=query

This option can be used to specify an SQL query. Queries contain

spaces and thus have to be surrounded by double quotes. For the exact
syntax of the queries that is accepted by Access we refer to the
documentation that comes with MS Access. One notable syntax feature
is that when field names or table names contain blanks, they can be
specified in square brackets. Examples:
Q="select * from mytable"
Q="select year, production from [production table]"
Q="select [GAMS City],value from [example table],CityMapper
where [Access City]=city"

Qn=query

When multiple queries are used, you can append a number to match a

Command-line Arguments

25

query with an output file:

Q2= "select a,b from table"
O2= ab.inc
See section Multi-query Batch use
S=setname

If we write to a GDX file, use this option to specify the name of a set to
be used inside the GDX file.

Sn=setname

If multiple queries are used, you can append a number to match the
query:
Q2= "select i from table"
S2= I
See section Multi-query Batch use

Y=setname

Specify the name of the set to be written and assume that the set
contains element texts (string values).

Yn=setname

If multiple queries are used, you can append a number to match the
query:
Q2= "select i from table"
Y2= I
See section Multi-query Batch use

P=parametername

If we write to a GDX file, use this option to specify the name of a

parameter to be used inside the GDX file.

Pn=parametername

If multiple queries are used, you can append a number to match the
query:
Q2= "select i,v from table"
P2= v
See section Multi-query Batch use

Debug. This option can be used for debugging purposes. If specified the
import filter will no run minimized but "restored", i.e. as a normal window.
In addition the program will not terminate until the user clicks the Close
button. This allows you to monitor possible errors during execution of
mdb2gms.

If this parameter is specified, strings that have blanks in them will be

quoted. If the string is already quoted this step is not performed. If the
name contains an embedded single quote, the surrounding quotes will be
double quotes. If the name already contains a double quote, the
surrounding quotes will be single quotes. If both single and double
quotes are present in the string, then all double quotes are replaced by
single quotes and the surrounding quotes will be double quotes. By
default this option is turned off.

Run in modest or mute mode: no additional information, such as version

number etc. is written to the listing file.

Embed the data in $offlisting, $onlisting. A quick way to reduce the size
of the listing file.

@filename
@file name

Causes the program to read options from a file. If the file name contains
blanks, it can be surrounded by double quotes. The option file contains
one option per line, in the same syntax as if it were specified on the
command line.

26

16

MDB2GMS

N=inifilename

Use a different Inifile than the standard mdb2gms.ini located in the

same directory as the executable mdb2gms.exe.

Fn=formatstring

In special cases we can apply a format string on the include file output
(not for GDX output). Each column in the result set is a string and can be
represented by a %s in the format string.

$CALL command
The $CALL command in GAMS will execute an external program at compile time. There are two forms:
$call externalprogram
$call =externalprogram

The version without the leading =' calls the external through the command processor (command.com or
cmd.exe). The second version with the =', bypasses the command processor and directly executes the
external program. We mention some of the differences:
1.

2.

Some commands are not external programs but built-in commands of the command
processor. Examples are COPY, DIR, DEL, ERASE, CD, MKDIR, MD, REN, TYPE. If you
want to execute these commands you will need to use the form $call externalprogram
which uses the command processor.
If you want to execute a batch file (.bat or .cmd file) then you will need to use the form
$call externalprogram

3.

4.

If it is important to stop with an appropriate error message if the external program does not
exist, only use the form $call =externalprogram. The other form is not reliable in this
respect. This can lead to surprising results and the situation is often difficult to debug, so in
general we would recommend to use the form: $call =externalprogram.
When calling pure Windows programs it is important to call the second form. The first form
will not wait until the external Windows program has finished. If it is important to use a
command processor in the invocation of a Windows program, use the START command, as
in: $call start /w externalwindowsprogram. Otherwise, it is preferred to use: $call
=externalwindowsprogram.

In general it is recommended to use the $call =externalprogram version for its better error-handling.
When command line arguments need to be passed to the external program, they can be added to the
line, separated by blanks:
$call externalprogram parameter1 parameter2
$call =externalprogram parameter1 parameter2

The total length of the command line can not exceed 255 characters. If the program name or the
parameters contain blanks or quotes you will need to quote them. You can use single or double quotes.
In general the following syntax will work:
$call '"external program" "parameter 1" "parameter 2"'
$call ="external program" "parameter 1" "parameter 2"

It is noted that the first form needs additional quotes around the whole command line due to bugs in the

$CALL command

27

parsing of the $call in GAMS. The second form work without additional quotes only if the = appears
outside the double quotes.

17

Command files
Parameters can be specified in a command file. This is important if the length of the command line
exceeds 255 characters, which is a hard limit on the length that GAMS allows for command lines.
Instead of specifying a long command line as in:
$call =mdb2gms I="c:\My Documents\test.mdb" O="c:\My Documents\data.inc" Q="Select *
from mytable"

we can use a command line like:

$call =mdb2gms @ "c:\My Documents\options.txt "

The command file c:\My Documents\options.txt can look like:

I=c:\My Documents\test.mdb
O=c:\My Documents\data.inc
Q=Select * from mytable

It is possible to write the command file from inside a GAMS model using the $echo command. The
following example will illustrate this:
$set cmdfile "c:\windows\temp\commands.txt"
$echo "I=E:\models\labordata.mdb" > "%cmdfile%"
$echo "O=E:\models\labor.INC"
>> "%cmdfile%"
$echo "Q=select * from labor"
>> "%cmdfile%"
$call =mdb2gms @"%cmdfile%"
parameter p /
$include "E:\models\labor.INC"
/;
display p;

Newer versions of GAMS allow:

$set cmdfile "c:\windows\temp\commands.txt"
$onecho > "%cmdfile%"
I=E:\models\labordata.mdb
O=E:\models\labor.INC
Q=select * from labor
$offecho
$call =mdb2gms @"%cmdfile%"
parameter p /
$include "E:\models\labor.INC"
/;
display p;

If a query becomes very long, it is possible to spread it out over

28

MDB2GMS

several lines. To signal a setting will continue on the next line

insert the character \ as the last character. E.g.:
Q=s e l e c t p r o d , l o c , y e a r , ' s a l e s ' , s a l e s f r o m d a t a \
uni on \
s el ec t pr od, l oc , y ear , ' pr of i t ' , s al es f r om dat a

18

Notes
GDX Files
A GDX file contains GAMS data in binary format. The following GAMS commands will operate on GDX
files: $GDXIN, $LOAD, EXECUTE_LOAD, EXECUTE_UNLOAD. The GDX=filename command line option
will save all data to a GDX file. A GDX file can be viewed in the IDE using File|Open.

UNC Names
UNC means Unified Naming Convention. UNC names are a microsoft convention to name files across a
network. The general format is:
\\<server>\<share>\<path>\<file>
Examples:
\\athlon\c\My Documents\mdb2gms.rtf

Quotes
Examples of handling of indices when the option "quote blanks" is used:

Input

output

remarks

Hello

hello

No blanks or embedded quotes

"hello"

"hello"

not touched, is quoted already

'hello'

'hello'

id.

"hello'

"hello'

id, but will generate an error in GAMS

o'brien

"o'brien"

'o'brien'

'o'brien'

art"ificial

'art"ificial'

art"ifi'cial

"art'ifi'cial"

not touched, will generate an error in GAMS

Compile time commands

All $ commands in GAMS are performed at compile time. All other statements are executed at

Notes

29

execution time. This means that a compile time command will be executed before an execution time
command, even if it is below. As an example consider:
file batchfile /x.bat/;
put patchfile;
putclose "dir"/;
$call x.bat

This fragment does not work correctly as already during compilation, the $call is executed, while the put
statements are only executed after the compilation phase has ended and GAMS has started the
execution phase. The above code can be fixed by moving the writing of the batch file to compilation time
as in
$echo "dir" > x.bat
$call x.bat

or by moving the external program invocation to execution time:

file batchfile /x.bat/;
put patchfile;
putclose "dir"/;
execute x.bat;

Notice that all $ commands do not include a semi-colon but are terminated by the end-of-line.