The design of CLI was guided by the following goals:
- It must be simple to use.
- It must have enough power and flexibility to enable Teradata SQL (Structured Query Language) applications to exploit fully the power of Analytics Database.
- It must be efficient. Workstation CPU and virtual storage utilization must be minimized.
- These goals must be met both for preprocessor applications and for applications that do not use a preprocessor, that is, for applications that make direct calls to CLI.
- It must support SQL/DS- and DB2-compatible preprocessors, if they become available.
- Installation and maintenance must be simple.