Topic outline

• Interacting with Data in Python Using Multiple Data Models

  Interacting with Data in Python Using Multiple Data Models

  Content Type
  Exercise

  Duration
  10m

  Level
  Introductory

  Try out the multi-model architecture of InterSystems IRIS® data platform, which lets you write code using the data models that best fit each task in your application. Multi-model access in InterSystems IRIS is possible due to an underlying data structure called globals, which allow you to interact with your data directly. These provide flexible data access while avoiding data duplication.

  With Python and InterSystems IRIS, you can interact with the same data using a relational or native access model. A single DB-API connection serves both access models: SQL runs through its cursors, and the same connection object backs the Native SDK.

  The same capabilities exist whether you are programming in InterSystems ObjectScript or using one of the external language APIs. If you are more familiar with a different language, try this exercise in ObjectScript, Java, or .NET.

  
  

  Watch the video and try the exercise below!
• Start the Exercise

  Start the Exercise

  In the following tasks, you will create and access a set of airport data using SQL. Then, you will use globals to create a custom data structure to store route information.

  • Launch your lab

    Use the online lab provided to complete this exercise.

    Note:

    You can follow along with these instructions on your own server instead of using the online lab. To do so, first download the code sample from GitHub and compile it on your InterSystems server. You should use your own InterSystems Terminal and IDE.
  • You must be logged in to launch an InterSystems IRIS instance.

    • Log in with your existing account.
    • Don't have an InterSystems account? Create a new account.
  • Connect to InterSystems IRIS

    First, edit the connection information in the Python file to allow it to connect to your InterSystems IRIS instance.

    1. Open Visual Studio code using the icon on the desktop.
    2. Using the file explorer on the left, open the file quickstarts-multimodel-python/multimodelQS.py.
       In this file, the connection configuration must be updated for your InterSystems IRIS instance.
    3. On line 46, confirm the defined port is 1972.
    4. Save the file multimodelQS.py.
  • Use SQL to create, read, update, and delete data

    1. Inspect the code in multimodelQS.py.
       • The populate_airports() method uses SQL to create two tables: Demo.Location and Demo.Airports.
       • The method then inserts five locations and five airports into these tables, based on the previously defined lists on lines 23 and 32.
       • The get_airports() method runs an SQL query and returns all airports from Demo.Airport, printing them to the screen.
    2. Using the Terminal menu at the top of the screen, click New Terminal. If you can't see this menu item, it may be hidden by your screen size; click the three dots to reveal it, if so. In the terminal session, navigate to the folder containing multimodelQS.py:

       cd quickstarts-multimodel-python

    3. Use the command below to run multimodelQS.py, which executes the populate_airports() and get_airports() methods:

       python multimodelQS.py

    With InterSystems IRIS, you can create and read data as shown in this sample code; you can also use SQL to update, delete, or interact with your data in many other ways.

  • Create a custom data structure with globals

    In your work with airport data, a new question has come up: you need to get information about routes between the airports stored in your database. Fortunately, with InterSystems IRIS, you can use globals to natively store data in a custom data structure, modifying the structure to fit your specific data. This allows you handle the route information easily, even though it was not part of the initial schema design.

    1. In VS Code, return to the multimodelQS.py class and locate the store_airfare() and check_airfare() methods.
       • The store_airfare() method has been created to store route information to InterSystems IRIS.
       • The data structure used in this method does not use the Demo.Airport SQL table. Instead, it uses the global variable ^airport.
       • Similarly, check_airfare() accesses the ^airport global to return a particular route, if it exists.
    2. Uncomment lines 205-207 in multimodelQS.py and save the file. Preserve the existing indentation, because Python uses indentation to define code blocks.
    3. Run the following code:

       python multimodelQS.py

    4. When prompted, enter values to see if there are routes from BOS to AUS. You should find there are routes available.
    5. Run it again and try BOS to LAX, which should return a message indicating there is no data stored in the ^airport global for that route.

    You have now connected a sample Python application to InterSystems IRIS and explored the various APIs available to interact with data in different ways.

• What's Next?

  What's Next?
  • Read about getting started with Python and InterSystems IRIS (documentation).
  • Watch an overview video about the ways Python connects to InterSystems IRIS (video, 4m).
  • Learn how to set up your Python environment with InterSystems IRIS on Windows (video, 6m).
  • Explore multiple data models with globals (exercise, 10m).

  • Content last verified: August 31, 2026

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