Application programming interface for creating authorized connections to a database management system

1. Field of the Invention A method, apparatus, and article of manufacture for accessing a database management system. An application programming interface (API) provides a plurality of simplified procedures that allow an application program executed by the computer to access a database management system (DBMS) by creating an authorized connection between the application program and the DBMS. The application program invokes the simplified procedures of the API, the invoked procedures generate at least one supervisor call (SVC) interrupt that transfers control to an SVC Service Routine, and the SVC Service Routine connects to a Cross Coupling Facility (XCF) that interfaces to an Open Transaction Manager Access (OTMA) component of the DBMS.