Hi Community,

In traditional InterSystems SQL, I can use the %NOINDEX keyword during a bulk INSERT to improve performance and then run BUILD INDEX %ALL afterward to populate the indices.

I am looking to implement a similar strategy for an InterSystems FHIR Server.

1. Is there a way to import/save FHIR resources while skipping the search table extraction (the FHIR version of %NOINDEX)?
2. Once the data is loaded, what is the correct programmatic way to "rebuild" the search tables?

Thank you!

Hello Community,  

What is the most efficient, memory-safe way to get the names of the corrupted indexes on very large tables for a rebuild. However, if an index has millions of corrupted rows, the .errors array in %ValidateIndices grows too large and throws a errorerror.

Hi Community,

Do you build and manage applications with InterSystems IRIS SQL?

🎓Two tiers of certifications—specialist and professional (new!)—are now available! 

Abstract

Common Table Expressions (CTEs) provide a structured framework for defining reusable intermediate result sets within SQL statements. InterSystems IRIS implements CTEs via the WITH clause, enabling clearer query composition and modular analytical processing while remaining fully integrated with the IRIS cost-based optimizer.

This article explores the semantics of CTEs in InterSystems IRIS, explains their interaction with query optimization, discusses appropriate deployment scenarios, and presents executable examples illustrating practical patterns for production environments.

Data privacy regulations such as GDPR, LGPD, and HIPAA demand that organizations know exactly where Personally Identifiable Information (PII) lives inside their databases. Yet in practice, most teams rely on manual inventories, tribal knowledge, or external scanning tools that require data to leave the database engine — a process that itself creates privacy and security risks.

This article presents an MVP that takes a different approach: it runs PII detection inside InterSystems IRIS using Embedded Python, analyzing data where it lives and never exporting it to an external process.

I need to analyse and improve the performance on some old SQL statements.

One statement uses NVL in the WHERE clause (no wonder why it's slow) but I still have to improve the performance and the data really needs to be the same when returned.

SELECT *
FROM TOURHead, TOURFIND, SGNRFIND, TNRHead
WHERE TOURHead.cl = '123'
AND TOURHead.cl = TOURFIND.cl
AND TOURHead.TOURNR = TOURFIND.TOURNR
AND TOURFIND.cl =* SGNRFIND.cl
AND TOURFIND.SGNR    =* SGNRFIND.SGNR
AND TOURFIND.cl = TNRHead.cl
AND NVL(TOURFIND.TNR, SGNRFIND.TNR) = TNRHead.TNR;

Really hope someone can help me with this one.

In our previous article, we explored the basics of unit testing in IRIS and the ways to apply it to a REST API. We even figured out how to test logic before finalizing network configurations and authentication, allowing us to focus solely on testing the API contents. Today, we will build upon that foundation and elevate our unit testing strategy by using another tool: %Populate .

At first glance, the %Populate class appears to be very simple. You can create a class that extends both %Persistent and %Populate and inherit a Populate method designed to generate randomized records.

Hi, Community!

Have you tried using serial objects in InterSystems IRIS? Explore some of the benefits and see how to start using them:

Using Serial Objects for Embedded Data Modeling

Hello everyone,

The Certification Team of InterSystems Learning Services is excited to announce the release of our new InterSystems IRIS SQL Professional exam. It is now available for purchase and scheduling in the InterSystems exam catalog. This exam is geared towards IRIS SQL experts, and it deals with a variety of advanced IRIS SQL topics that you can find in the exam page.

How can I remove UNIQUE NOT NULL from an existing column via DDL?

I currently have a table in production that was originally created via DDL, where the column was defined as UNIQUE NOT NULL:

CREATE TABLE database.Books ( ID %Library.UniqueIdentifier PRIMARY KEY, TagExternal VARCHAR('') UNIQUE NOT NULL,  

I now need to change this column so that it is no longer UNIQUE and no longer NOT NULL, making it equivalent to:

TagExternal VARCHAR(''),

We have a large, existing production taking a feed from a single up-stream system and sending to a wide-variety of downstream systems. One of the downstream systems has been decommissioned, and we have deleted the classes that implemented the routing/transformations from the namespace, and deleted the components from the production (Wardview and WV Out in the diagram below). We now want to delete the messages associated with those components without deleting the messages associated with any other components.

Table Partitioning Demo

This demo walks you through the new Table Partitioning feature in IRIS SQL, explaining what it does and how it works along the way. We'll only use a few dozen rows to prove the concept, but obviously the capability is focused on datasets many orders of magnitude larger.

If you'd like a shorter, higher-level introduction to Table Partitioning, check out the online learning module Managing Tables with Partitioning in InterSystems IRIS

ℹ️ Table Partitioning is included in IRIS 2026.1 as an experimental feature

The 2025.1.4 and 2024.1.6 maintenance releases of InterSystems IRIS^® data platform, InterSystems IRIS^® for Health, and InterSystemsHealth Connect™ are now Generally Available (GA). These releases include the fixes for a number of recently issued alerts and advisories, including the following: 

• April 15, 2026 – Alert: Removal of InterSystems IRIS for Health and Health Connect 2024.1.4 and 2024.1.5 Due to Health Interoperability Issues | IDC

hi 😊,

i'm able to LOAD DATA in IRIS from a rather complex, say Oracle's, query. It works pretty well but requires a target table created aforehand:

LOAD DATA FROM JDBC CONNECTION SOME_OTHER_SERVER QUERY 'complex query here' INTO TargetTable

is there a way to base such target table on the same query ? 
CREATE FOREIGN TABLE seems to require a column definition which I would prefer to be taken from the query
CREATE TABLE AS SELECT seems to be for local queries and other methods, like Linked Table Wizard or %SYSTEM.SQL.Schema.

Since I started using Claude Code, my motivation to create things has skyrocketed.

Previously, even if I wanted to build something, actually doing the coding felt like a hassle, so unless there was a very strong need, I rarely went as far as programming. But now, if I just jot down the specifications, Claude Code handles the rest automatically, resulting in a dramatic improvement in productivity.

I come from a generation native to ObjectScript, so I used to feel some hesitation when it came to switching to Python.

The InterSystems Ready 2026 Conference  is approaching fast — it's a great time to prepare and check your knowledge before attempting one of the Certification exams onsite .

InterSystems certifications aren't easy: you need to practice with questions aligned to the real exam objectives.

exam-prep.es is a free platform built for exactly that: practice, identify weak spots, and show up better prepared.

Hi Community,

An error occurs during the analysis process in the FHIR SQL Builder. How can I identify the exact cause of the error?