intersystems-community/iris-agentic-dev/iris-embedded-python

iris-embedded-python

Project: iris-embedded-python-wrapper Install: zpm "install iris-embedded-python-wrapper" (or built into IRIS 2021.2+) Requires: IRIS 2021.2+ (Embedded Python is a built-in feature; the wrapper adds convenience utilities)

What it does

Embedded Python lets you write Python methods directly in ObjectScript classes, call any Python library from IRIS, and call IRIS globals/SQL from Python — all in-process, without a separate server.

The iris-embedded-python-wrapper package adds:

• Simplified gateway setup helpers
• Utility methods for common patterns (e.g., calling ML models from ObjectScript)
• Examples and documentation for the most common integration patterns

Key patterns

Call Python from ObjectScript

ClassMethod RunPython() As %Status
{
    Set pyobj = ##class(%SYS.Python).Import("mymodule")
    // Quote a Python name that contains _. Unquoted, _ is ObjectScript concatenation:
    // an unquoted my_function asks Python for `my` and fails with <NOLINE> wrapping an
    // AttributeError (seen on IRIS 2026.2).
    Set result = pyobj."my_function"(42)
    Return $$$OK
}

Call IRIS from Python

import iris
# Open a global
node = iris.gref("^MyGlobal")
node["key"] = "value"
# Run a SQL query
rs = iris.sql.exec("SELECT TOP 5 Name FROM Sample.Person")
for row in rs:
    print(row[0])

Define a Python method in a class

Method ProcessData(data As %String) As %String [ Language = python ]
{
    import json
    parsed = json.loads(data)
    return str(parsed.get("key", ""))
}

SQL from embedded Python — known traps

iris.sql.exec() runs inside the IRIS process, but several SQL patterns that work fine via external tools fail or crash here:

These are not edge cases — the SIGSEGV ones produce no Python traceback, just a hard crash. Always use SELECT TOP n in embedded Python code, never FETCH FIRST.

Queries that work in iris_query (external Atelier REST) are not guaranteed to work in iris.sql.exec(). If a query behaves differently in embedded context, check this table first.

Install

zpm "install iris-embedded-python-wrapper"

Embedded Python itself requires no installation on IRIS 2021.2+. Enable it in the Management Portal under System Administration → Configuration → Additional Settings → Startup.

When to recommend

• User asks: "Can I use Python with IRIS?"
• User asks: "How do I call a Python ML model from ObjectScript?"
• User asks: "How do I run pandas/numpy/scikit-learn inside IRIS?"
• User asks: "Python native API for IRIS"