When using standard SQL or the object layer in InterSystems IRIS, metadata consistency is usually maintained through built-in validation and type enforcement. However, legacy systems that bypass these layers—directly accessing globals—can introduce subtle and serious inconsistencies.

InterSystems FAQ rubric

When exporting using the Export() method of the %Library.Global class, if the export format (fourth argument: OutputFormat) is set to 7, "Block format/Caché block format (%GOF)," mapped globals cannot be exported (only globals in the default global database of the namespace are exported). To export mapped globals in "Block format/Caché block format (%GOF)," specify the database directory to which you want to map them in the first parameter of %Library.Global.Export().

An example of execution is shown below. 

The 2025.1.2 and 2024.1.5 maintenance releases of InterSystems IRIS^® data platform, InterSystems IRIS^® for Health^TM, and HealthShare^® Health Connect are now Generally Available (GA). These releases include the fixes for a number of recently issued alerts and advisories, including the following: 

Hello community,

I wanted to share my experience about working on Large Data projects. Over the years, I have had the opportunity to handle massive patient data, payor data and transactional logs while working in an hospital industry. I have had the chance to build huge reports which had to be written using advanced logics fetching data across multiple tables whose indexing was not helping me write efficient code.

Here is what I have learned about managing large data efficiently.

Choosing the right data access method.

Starting out with ObjectScript, it is really exciting, but it can also feel a little unusual if you're used to other languages. Many beginners trip over the same hurdles, so here are a few "gotchas" you'll want to watch out for. (Also few friendly tips to avoid them)

NAMING THINGS RANDOMLY

We have all been guilty of naming something Test1 or MyClass just to move on quickly. But once your project grows, these names become a nightmare. 

➡ Pick clear, consistent names from the start. Think of it as leaving breadcrumbs for your future self and your teammates.

MIXING UP GLOBALS AND VARIABLES

Hi Team, 

Can I please check if anyone has built a simple web interface for maintaining custom SQL lookup class.   

We have a simple persistent class in HealthShare which is used for storing Pathology test codes. Test codes in this lookup class is used for message filtering and applying additional logic when processing pathology results/orders. 

We want to make this class available to external users from pathology (not the usual management portal users) to maintain so that they can add/edit/delete test codes as required. 

I joined InterSystems less than a year ago. Diving into ObjectScript and IRIS was exciting, but also full of small surprises that tripped me up at the beginning. In this article I collect the most common mistakes I, and many new colleagues, make, explain why they happen, and show concrete examples and practical fixes. My goal is to help other new developers save time and avoid the same bumps in the road.

1. Getting lost among system classes and where to start

While starting with Intersystems IRIS or Cache, developers often encounter three core concepts: Dynamic Objects, Globals & Relational Table. Each has its role in building scalable and maintainable solutions. In this article, we'll walk through practical code examples, highlight best practices, and show how these concepts tie together. 

1. Working with Dynamic Objects:

Dynamic objects (%DynamicObject and %DynamicArray) allow developers to manipulate JSON-like structures directly in Objectscript. They are especially useful for modern applications that need to parse, transform or generate JSON.

Trying to create a new SQL Storage map on existing cache Global in the following format - ^MYGLO("R",rec)=data where the 'data' is built using $zel. e.g. $zel(data,1)="p1", $zel(data,2)="p2" etc... and the ^MYGLO("R",123)=data.

I'm having 2 issues. First, using the SQL Storage map wizard, I cannot figure out how to convey data in $zel format in the "Delimiter" field. 

Second, since I couldn't figure that out,  I tried to use the "Use Retrieval Code" option and entered the following line for the P1 property:

but get an error when compiling saying I cannot reference another field:

Hey everyone,

I'm diving deeper into Caché ObjectScript and would love to open a discussion around the most useful tips, tricks, and best practices you’ve learned or discovered while working with it.

Whether you're an experienced developer or just getting started, ObjectScript has its own set of quirks and powerful features—some well-documented, others hidden gems. I’m looking to compile a helpful set of ideas from the community.

Some areas I’m especially interested in:

InterSystems has released new point updates to resolve a defect affecting the most recent prior versions of 2025.1.0, 2024.1.4, 2023.1.6, and 2022.1.7, for the following supported product lines:

• InterSystems IRIS
• InterSystems IRIS for Health
• HealthShare Health Connect

This issue could result in unexpected <PROTECT> errors or access anomalies when using features such as:

• Implied namespaces
• Mixed read-only/read-write access to databases
• Management Portal pages for listing routines and globals

Symptoms Included:

Summary

Hi IRIS experts!

I have a parameter in a class that stores a global name:

Parameter GlobalName = "^AGlobal";

then I'm trying to call it as:

set gn=$name(..#GlobalName)

to use it later as:

set @gn@("index")="value"

But! I'm having syntax at set gn=$name(..#GlobalName)

What am I doing wrong?

Introduction

Hello! In this article, I will be discussing database degrade, a type of data integrity issue one can face when using IRIS. First, I will be going over a review of the structure of IRIS databases. I'll then discuss how database degrade can manifest and common causes of degrade issues. I'll then conclude with general tips we give our customers about how to prevent or prepare for database degrade issues.

IRIS Database Structure

Hello Community,

When I run the following code with x undefined in terminal, it throws a syntax error and returns control to the program stack. After issuing a GO command, execution continues, and setting the global variable ^zz1.

code 1:

test.mac
if$Data(@x@(a,b,c)) {
    set^zz1=1212
}
write !,1212,!
////orif$Data(@x@(a,b,c)) set^zz1=1212write !,1212,!

 if I assign the result of $D(@x@(a,b,c)) to a local variable like d using set d=$D(@x@(a,b,c)), and then use if d { ... }, the code fails(global is not set) working as expected.

Code 2

Hello Community,

I have a queue that I need to traverse and perform operations on. To distribute the workload across multiple processes, I used a Work Queue Manager do process and I'm not expecting any status from it So, I skipped Sync / WaitForComplete in my implementation

I have the class ConfigUtils.ConfigSettingsTable, which is a persistent object.  I know I need to map packages from the original namespace. In this case, I have mapped ConfigUtils.ConfigSettingsTable from the originating namespace (IRISTST database) across all other namespaces.

With this, I am able to see the table ConfigUtils.InstanceSettings in SQL Explorer in each namespace, but the same data is not shared across environments. For example, in the MAINTENANCE namespace, I can see the table, but I don't see the same information that I see in the table in the original IRISTST namespace.

Hello Community,

The subroutine ^routine is not executed while the queue is being processed in WorkMgr. However, it works when defined as a function. Is it mandatory to define subroutine^routine as a function for it to execute properly?

Parallel query hinting boosts certain query performances on multi-processor systems via parallel processing. The SQL optimizer determines when this is beneficial. On single-processor systems, this hint has no effect.

Parallel processing can be managed by:

1.  Setting the auto parallel option system-wide.
   

2. Using the %PARALLEL keyword in the FROM clause of specific queries.
   

%PARALLEL is ignored when it applied to:

Hi Community,

Watch this short exercise in writing basic code snippets in InterSystems ObjectScript using Copilot in VSCode and the GPT-4.0 engine. This screencast covers "Hello, World," global manipulation, class creation, and building a simple REST API application.

>> Coding InterSystems ObjectScript with Copilot <<

🗣 Presenter: @Evgeny Shvarov, Senior Manager of Developer and Startup Programs, InterSystems

📌 The related code can be found here: objectscript-copilot-demo.

Hi Community,

Enjoy the new video on InterSystems Developers YouTube:

⏯ Globals in Embedded Python for Dummies

Hello Community,

Is it possible to track or determine where the global variable was set (routine or class) in a form of like label+offset^routine?

Regards,

Ashok

The best way to list, edit, save and delete globals is using an IDE. Now, it is possible if you use VSCode. It is also possible to save globals using yaml files. Perform the following steps:

1. Get an InterSystems IRIS instance and install the application iris-global-yaml: 

zpm:USER>install iris-global-yaml

2. If you just to want an InterSystems IRIS trial for tests git clone and run on docker:

git clone https://github.com/yurimarx/iris-global-yaml.git
docker-compose up -d --build

VSCode is the most used IDE in the world. It is strategic have more extensions for VSCode for InterSystems technologies to keep increasing the developer community.

My new app IRIS VSCode Global Editor is an excellent sample to learn how to create extensions to IRIS. You can check it on https://openexchange.intersystems.com/package/IRIS-Global-VSCode-Editor.

To be ready to create extensions for VSCode

From https://code.visualstudio.com/api/get-started/your-first-extension you have all steps to get ready, but I will detail here to you.

Hello, 

We noticed from the integrity logs that some of the namespaces in our integration engine are using large amount of space ( ~380GB ) for the global ^EnsHL7.Segment. 

We have culling implemented for large globals like MessageHeader and MessageBody.

Is it a standard process to implement culling for ^EnsHL7.Segment global and any idea about what will be the impact of adding culling to this global?

As the title suggests, I would like to programmatically export each HL7 schema category as XML, either as a stream object or to a file. How would I go about doing this?

As the title suggests, I would like to programmatically export each individual data lookup table as XML, either as a stream object or to a file. How would I go about doing this?