The ESS/400® for FoxPro, Visual FoxPro, Access, Visual Basic, C/C++, and .NET products are designed to provide fast record level access to host AS/400 native database files. This is accomplished through the use of a High Level Application Program Interface (API), utilizing the following 50 + commands.
| COMMAND | FUNCTION |
| ESSBLKRECS | Set record blocking factor for the specified host file |
| ESSDELETE | Delete the current host file record |
| ESSDELFILE | Delete a file on the host system |
| ESSDOPEN | Open the local DDS for a previously opened host file |
| ESSEND | End a session with a host system |
| ESSBLKRECS | Set record blocking factor for the specified host file |
| ESSERROR | Obtain error message text for a specified error code |
| ESSEXEC | Execute a remote host system command |
| ESSFCLOSE | Close a file on the host system or local DDS |
| ESSFCOUNT | Obtain the number of fields for the specified host file |
| ESSFINFO | Obtain additional host file information |
| ESSFLDDEC | Obtain the number of decimal positions for a host field |
| ESSFLDDESC | Obtain the field description for a host field |
| ESSFLDDIG | Obtain the number of digits for a host field |
| ESSFLDLEN | Obtain the field length for a host field |
| ESSFLDNAME | Obtain the field name for a host field |
| ESSFLDNUM | Obtain the field number for a host field |
| ESSFLDSIZE | Obtain the field string length for a host field |
| ESSFLDTYPE | Obtain the field type for a host field |
| ESSFOPEN | Open a file on the host system |
| ESSGETCID | Obtain the connection ID for the specified FID |
| ESSGETFILE | Download a text file from the host system |
| ESSGETFLAG | Obtain the current value for the specified ESS flag field |
| ESSINSERT | Insert a record into a host file |
| ESSKCOUNT | Obtain the number of key fields for a host file |
| ESSKEYEQ | Access a record by key where equal from a host file |
| ESSKEYFLD | Obtain the field number for a key in the host file |
| ESSKEYFRST | Access the first record by key sequence from a host file |
| ESSKEYGE | Access a record by key where greater than or equal to |
| ESSKEYGT | Access a record by key where greater than from a host file |
| ESSKEYLAST | Access the last record by key sequence from a host file |
| ESSKEYLE | Access a record by key where less than or equal to |
| ESSKEYLT | Access a record by key where less than from a host file |
| ESSKEYNEXT | Access the next record by key sequence from a host file |
| ESSKEYPOS | Obtain the key position number for a field in the host file |
| ESSKEYPREV | Access the previous record by key sequence from a host file |
| ESSRECCURR | Access the current record in a host file |
| ESSRECFRST | Access the first record in a host file |
| ESSRECLAST | Access the last record in a host file |
| ESSRECLEN | Obtain the record length for a host file |
| ESSRECNEXT | Access the next record in a host file |
| ESSRECNO | Obtain host file record number of the current positioned record |
| ESSRECNUMB | Access a record in a host file by record number |
| ESSRECPREV | Access the previous record in a host file |
| ESSRNGCLR | Clear the previously set record access range values |
| ESSRNGSET | Set the record access range values for a host file |
| ESSSETFLAG | Set the value for a specified ESS flag field |
| ESSSTART | Start a session with a host system |
| ESSSYSINFO | Obtain additional system information for a host file |
| ESSUNLOCK | Unlock the currently positioned record in a host file |
| ESSUPDATE | Update a record in a host file |
| ESSUSERID | Obtain the user ID for the specified host connection |
| ESSVERSION | Obtain the ESS/400 version number |