This glossary explains the terms most commonly used in the Super Natural documentation. This glossary is available online when you press PF1.
[ A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z ]If a field is defined with alphanumeric format, the field value may only be alphanumeric.
Alphanumeric values can be the letters of the alphabet, special characters, numerical digits, blanks or any combination thereof. The following are examples of alphanumeric values:
06024/71-0 #504
Ernest Schneckenbecker & Co.
BEAU300864TTRN20
Alphanumeric field length in characters (bytes) = 1 - 253.
Another name for a multiple-value field or a periodic group - fields which have occurrences.
Determines how the occurrences of multiple-value fields and periodic groups are displayed in the Layout Editor.
The Asterisk (*) List function helps you if you don't know which libraries, files, fields, commands or objects are available for a particular command. Enter an asterisk (*) instead of the relevant name or command to obtain a selection list.
In batch mode, transactions are processed at a time determined by the operating system - not necessarily immediately. Contrast with ONLINE MODE/PROCESSING.
Binary fields can only contain the following numeric values:
B1 (0 - 255)
B2 (0 - 65535)
B3 (0 - 16777215)
B4 (-2147483648 - 2147483647)
B5 - B126 (Any binary value)
Binary field length in characters (bytes) = 1 - 126.
You use the Calculation Editor to enter calculation statements. You construct arithmetic calculation statements using a result field, operators, operands, mathematical functions and certain keywords. You can also assign values to a field and join fields.
The Checklist function provides a framework which guides you through
adding and modifying transactions. The Checklist window tells you which steps
are available, which are mandatory and which are optional. You choose the steps
you want to take and the Checklist function takes you from step to step
automatically. Using the Checklist function, you only need the
NEXT commands to navigate within Super Natural.
The Checklist function is intended for users less familiar with Super Natural. Users who are more familiar with Super Natural can invoke the Checklist window as a type of online help.
There are two classes of field in the Layout Editor: text fields and output fields. You can define the class of a field in the Layout Editor. You enter the content of text fields in the Layout Editor. The contents of output fields are supplied dynamically when the transaction is run.
Commands are instructions which tell Super Natural what to do with an object, invoke a screen or start a function.
The standard command sequence for Super Natural in English is FUNCTION OBJECT NAME. You can change the command sequence in your user profile.
You can enter commands in the command line or in some screens in the command column. Some commands are also allocated to PF keys.
You can abbreviate commands as long as they remain unique.
Appendix A lists all the commands available in Super Natural and the shortest abbreviations possible for each one.
You can obtain a list of the commands available at any point in Super Natural by entering an asterisk (*) in the command line.
The command column is the column of input fields to the left of a list of objects on which you can perform commands. The column is two characters wide. You can enter the first one or two characters of a command next to an object in order to perform an action on it. The commands you can use are listed in the legend at the bottom of the screen's work area.
The command line is at the bottom of every screen except when you are looking at a report. You can enter commands and command abbreviations in the Super Natural command line.
Constants are values which cannot change - the opposite of variables. The following constants are available in Super Natural:
Alphanumeric
Date
Extended Time
Floating Point
Hexadecimal
Integer
Numeric
Packed
Time
Alphanumeric, date, hexadecimal, time and extended time constants must be enclosed within apostrophes ('......').
A control break occurs at the point where the value of the control field changes.
When you define a field as a control field in the Sort/Control column of the Worksheet, the records found by the transaction are sorted as for a sort field. In addition, you can define system functions in the Function column which are calculated either for the control field or for another field when the value or part of the value of the control field changes.
Corporate files are general data files which exist at a user site. The Super Natural administrator defines which user is allowed access to which file. The Super Natural administrator can also authorize users to perform different levels of data maintenance on data stored in corporate files.
Data maintenance is the term used for adding, updating and deleting data using data maintenance transactions. Data maintenance transactions may be carried out for data contained in corporate files or in user files, as long as the user has been assigned the corresponding file access level by the Super Natural administrator.
A collection of files.
The date format you use in Super Natural is dependent on the Natural parameter DTFORM setting at your site. The following formats are possible where Y=year, M=month and D=day:
DD/MM/YYYY (European)
DD.MM.YYYY (German)
YYYY-MM-DD (International)
MM/DD/YYYY (USA)
Date field length in characters (bytes) = No length specification.
The default Title element supplied by Software AG uses the selection criteria as the report title. The administrator can set a new default title for you or your site. You can modify the default title for the current transaction.
A delimiter is a special character used in the Layout Editor to represent a particular combination of color, field attribute and class. You can create your own delimiters by modifying your layout settings.
Descriptors enable Super Natural to search for data in the database without having to read every record. It is more efficient to use descriptors in calculations, logical statements and as selection criteria because Super Natural is able to access them directly, thus requiring less internal processing. The database administrator can use both elementary and multiple-value fields to define descriptors. The following descriptors are available in Super Natural:
Elementary key field
Multiple-value key field
Hyperdescriptor (Adabas only)
Non-database descriptor
Phonetic descriptor (Adabas only)
Subdescriptor
Superdescriptor
A display field is a field marked with a number in the Display column in the Worksheet.
You use dynamic attributes to draw attention to certain parts of a field value. (Alphanumeric fields only)
Dynamic input fields are a kind of user field which you can use to execute a transaction several times using different values. You can use dynamic input fields in the same way as any other user field. Each time you run a transaction using dynamic input fields, Super Natural asks you to supply a value for each one. This means that you do not have to modify the transaction to see what happens when a new value is used.
Note:
You may receive error messages if you run transactions using dynamic
input fields in batch mode.
The part of an editor in which you can make entries and modifications.
An editor is a tool for creating, modifying and deleting components necessary for creating transactions. The editors available for a transaction depend on the current transaction modes. Super Natural offers the following editors:
Calculation Editor
Logical Conditions Editor
Selection Editor
SQL Editor
PC File Description Editor
User File Description Editor
Work File Description Editor
Layout Editor (part of Natural Report Manager)
See Full-Screen Editor and File Description Editor. There are also separate entries for each editor.
Edit masks determine how fields are displayed. Using an edit mask, you can do the following when displaying fields:
Insert blanks
Insert characters
Display the field with leading or trailing characters
Display numeric fields with a sign before or after the number
Suppress leading zeros in numeric fields
You can also use edit masks to determine how the date and time are displayed.
Elementary fields contain one value per record. For example, the field YACHT-NAME contains only one name per yacht. Compare with MULTIPLE-VALUE FIELD.
The escape character is the character you enter before line and field commands in the all Super Natural editors. The escape character is indicated in the information line in the Layout Editor. You enter one escape character before a field command and two escape characters before a line command.
Super Natural provides access to extended field descriptions stored in the Software AG data dictionary Predict. This feature is only available at sites where Predict is installed. You can access extended field descriptions from the Information column in the Worksheet or in any Field Selection List window.
You use extended field editing to edit fields individually in the Layout
Editor. For example, you may want to have the field NAME shown twice in a list,
in pink at the top and in blue at the bottom. You invoke the Extended Field
Editing window by issuing the field command escape character
E.
Information about files held in the Software AG data dictionary Predict. This feature is only available at sites where Predict is installed. You can access extended file descriptions from any file selection list window.
Fields are the smallest logical unit of information within a file. Fields are organized within records contained within files. The following field types are available in Super Natural:
Elementary
Multiple-value
Group
Periodic group
User
Dynamic input (type of user field)
System variable
Input
Field attributes are the field name, length, format and type.
In Natural REPORT MANAGER, field attributes govern how a field is displayed, e.g., blinking (for screen output only), intensified etc.
Field attributes are the field name, length, format and type.
The maximum number of possible field references within Super Natural is 676 per default. To satisfy special requirements this limit can be enhanced up to 1196 field references.
For further information, see Technical Information > System Limits in the Administration documentation.
The field format determines which values can be assigned to a field and how long it can be. Each format is identified by a code. The following field formats are available in Super Natural:
Alphanumeric (A)
Binary (B)
Date (D)
Floating Point (F)
Integer (I)
Numeric (N)
Packed Numeric (P)
Time (T)
Field output definition governs how a field appears in a report. You can change the field output definition by entering OD in the the Definition column next to the field in the Worksheet or by using extended field editing in the Layout Editor. Definitions defined in extended field editing override those made from the Worksheet.
Each field is given a two-character reference in the Reference column in the Worksheet. The reference identifies the field's position within the file. You can always use a field reference instead of a field name in the Super Natural editors.
A group of records stored together in the database and treated as a unit.
File access codes indicate a user's file access level for data maintenance of database files. If a file is not a database file, its file access code indicates whether it is a user file or a superfile. The following file access codes are available:
A - Add (includes read and update)
D - Delete (includes read, add and update)
F - User file
R - Read only
S - Superfile
U - Update (includes read)
You use the file description editors to describe file layouts. When you use the transaction modes Data Selection DATA FROM WORK FILE and DATA FROM PC FILE, you must describe the layout of the work file or PC file you want to read. When you add a user file, you must define its layout. The following file description editors are available:
PC File Description Editor
Work File Description Editor
User File Description Editor
File description editors consist of columns where you can enter the file description.
When a file is defined, the number of fields it contains, their lengths, names and formats are determined before any data can be put in it. This structure of the file (irrespective of data) is known as file layout. When you use the transaction modes Data Selection DATA FROM WORK FILE and DATA FROM PC FILE, you must describe the layout of the work file or PC file you want to read. When you add a user file, you must define its layout. You use the file description editors to describe file layouts.
For the purposes of updating data (data maintenance) or changing data for a report, multiple-value fields and periodic groups must be flattened. This means that each individual occurrence is presented as a separate record.
You can choose between flattening before or after processing and no flattening by modifying your transaction options.
You use floating point format to represent numeric values accurately which would otherwise be too long. The values in fields with floating point format consist of a mantissa (number) and an exponent.
You use full-screen editors to tell Super Natural which data you want from the database, to specify calculations which take place when the transaction is run and for logical condition processing. The following full-screen editors are available:
Selection Editor
SQL SELECT Editor
Calculation Editor
Logical Conditions Editor
Full-screen editors are empty when you invoke them for the first time.
A group connects related fields by giving them a group name. E.g. the group PERSON represents the fields; LAST-NAME, FIRST-NAME, INITIAL, SEX, AGE, FAMILY STATUS, NUMBER OF DEPENDENTS and PERSONNEL NUMBER.
A group can contain elementary fields and multiple-value fields. Groups can be contained or nested within other groups.
You can only use groups in the SEQ column of the Worksheet. If you mark a group with a number in the SEQ column, all the fields belonging to the group already listed in the Field Name column are automatically numbered.
If a group contains multiple-value fields, you can limit the number of occurrences to be displayed in reports by modifying your Transaction Options.
Special character which you use to enter the header of a field automatically in the Layout Editor.
You can use the hexadecimal counting system to represent numbers, letters, and special characters. The following are examples of hexadecimal constants:
H'F1F2F3' (equivalent to the numeric constant 123)
H'C1C2C3' (equivalent to the alphanumeric constant 'ABC')
You can also use hexadecimal constants to enter values which cannot be entered as standard keyboard characters:
H'00' (equivalent to the value 'no value')
Hyperdescriptors are user exits in Adabas and function like subdescriptors and superdescriptors in Super Natural. Ask your administrator how to use hyperdescriptors at your site.
When you invoke the Layout Editor from the Layout Overview screen for the first time, it consists of three sections, the editor area and the information sections A and B. Information sections A and B display information about the transaction fields and field delimiters you can use. You can choose whether you want to display transaction field and delimiter information in Section A or in Section B and you can use both A and B to display different parts of the same list.
The term input field field is used in two separate cases:
An input field is a field on a screen in which you can enter information.
Input fields are fields from PC or Work files which you create and use with the Data Selection modes PC FILE and WORK FILE. The format of the input fields must be the same as the format of the fields in the work file or PC file.
Fields of integer format can only have the following values:
I1 (-128.........+127)
I2 (-32768......+32767)
I4 (-2147483648............+2147483647)
As integers are whole numbers, decimals are not allowed!
Placing of string to far right (right justification) or far left (left justification) of space available. By default, the values of alphanumeric fields are left justified within the field length and numeric fields are right justified.
You can choose to display the values of numeric fields with left justification using Layout Settings and Extended Editing in Natural Report Manager.
See Descriptor.
The layout determines the appearance of your report. You can edit the default layout generated by Super Natural in the Layout Editor.
The Layout Editor is part of Natural Report Manager. You use the Layout Editor to edit and create layout elements.
You can edit and create the following report layout elements in the Layout Editor:
Preface
Title
Header
List
Groups
Appendix
Footer
When you run a transaction, the layout elements always appear in a logical order. Title and footer (if defined) appear on every page and the other elements are sorted in the order listed above.
You can change the default layout settings for the current report by
issuing the SETTINGS command. There are default
settings for the following areas:
General
Newpage
Format
Delimiter
The fields in the primary and secondary files which provide a logical connection between the files when linking them. The link fields must have a logical relationship to each other and must have the same format.
You enter logical condition statements in the Logical Conditions Editor. You use logical condition statements to specify conditions under which arithmetic and/or assignment operations are to be executed. Logical condition statements must contain an IF statement and a THEN statement and can additionally contain an ELSE statement. You can specify multiple logical condition statements for a single transaction. The following are examples of typical logical condition statements:
IF < COMPANY-ID = '26' THEN < NEW-CRUISE-PRICE = CRUISE-PRICE * 0.9 ELSE < NEW-CRUISE-PRICE = CRUISE-PRICE
IF < COMPANY-ID = '26' THEN < COMMENT-FIELD = '10% DISCOUNT'
You can also use the keywords ACCEPT and REJECT to accept or reject records if certain conditions are fulfilled.
You use logical operators to combine selection criteria statements. The following logical operators are available:
AND
OR
OR=
THRU
The lookup link field can be one of the following:
Field in the primary file
Field in the secondary file
Field in a lookup file
User field
The lookup link field is used to provide the link between the file in which it is contained and the lookup file via the lookup field. The lookup link field and lookup field must be of like format and represent a logical relationship.
The field in the lookup file which provides a logical connection to the primary, secondary or another lookup file when using the Lookup function. The lookup field in the lookup file must be of like format and have a logical relationship to the lookup link field in the primary, secondary or other lookup file.
You can use the following mathematical functions in the Calculation Editor:
Calculates the absolute value of the operand.
Calculates the arc tangent of the operand.
Calculates the cosine of the operand.
Calculates the exponential of the operand.
Calculates the fractional part of the operand.
Calculates the integer part of the operand.
Calculates the Natural logarithm of the operand.
Calculates the sign of the operand (-1, 0, +1).
Calculates the sine of the operand.
Calculates the square root of the operand specified with SQRT. If the operand is negative, it is treated as positive. The maximum number of digits that can appear before the decimal point of the operand is 22.
Calculates the tangent of the operand.
Takes a numeric value from an alphanumeric operand and puts it into a numeric result field. The content of the operand must be the character representation of a numeric value. Leading or trailing blanks are ignored. Decimal points and leading sign characters are processed. If the result field is not long enough, decimal digits are truncated.
Calculates the percentage of the field for each record found in relation to the sum of all the values of the field found.
A multiple-value field can have up to 191 occurrences per record. When using Adabas with the MUPEX function (see Adabas documentation), Super Natural supports up to 999 occurrences. For example, the field LANGUAGES contains as many values as the languages a person speaks. Each value within a multiple-value field is called an occurrence and can be dealt with separately. See Referencing Occurrences.
You can specify the maximum number of occurrences to be displayed in reports by modifying the transaction options in your user profile.
Natural Report Manager is a tool available within Super Natural which generates a default layout for each report. Using the Layout Editor, you can edit report layout and create layout elements
You can set parameters which define page break handling in the Layout Editor by invoking layout settings.
Null values are zero for numeric fields and blank for alphanumeric fields.
Numeric fields are fields of the following formats:
Binary (B)
Floating Point (F)
Integer (I)
Numeric (N)
Packed (P)
Fields of numeric format can contain the following values: numerals, the special characters "+", "-", and the decimal character. The character which is used as the decimal character depends on the Natural settings (DC parameter) at your site. The following are examples of numeric values:
1000 -15 +0.0258
Numeric values can have a total of 29 numerals (the decimal character and "+"and "-" signs are not included in the field length). There can be a maximum of seven numerals after the decimal character.
An occurrence is a value of a multiple-value field or the value of a field contained in a periodic-group. For example, the field C-AREA-CODE which is part of the periodic group COMPANY-PHONE may have the value 0431 as its first occurrence and 030 as its second occurrence.
In online mode, the transactions submitted by the user are processed immediately. Contrast with Batch Mode/Processing.
The following operators are available in Super Natural:
EQ or =
NE or ^=
GT or >
LT or <
GE or >=
LE or <=
ST
THRU
NOT
AND
OR
OR=
+
-
/
!
*
ACCEPT
REJECT
You use operators in the Selection Editor, the Calculation Editor, and the Logical Conditions Editor. Not all of the operators are available in all the editors.
Packed Numeric values do not take up as much space internally as numeric values. Values in packed numeric format are represented in numeric format on your screen and in reports.
Values in packed numeric format can have a total of 29 numerals (the decimal character and "+" and "-" signs are not included in the field length). You can have a maximum of seven numerals after the decimal character.
When you are adding a reporting transaction with the transaction mode Data Selection set to DATA FROM PC FILE, you must use the PC file description editor to describe the file layout of the file you are using.
Enter the names of the fields to be read from the PC file, their format and length in the relevant columns.
A periodic group contains a series of elementary and/or multiple-value fields which occurs more than once.
The values contained within a periodic group are structured like records. These records within records are called occurrences. A periodic group can have up to 99 occurrences. When using Adabas with the MUPEX function (see Adabas documentation), Super Natural supports up to 999 occurrences.
You can specify the maximum number of occurrences to be displayed in reports by modifying the transaction options in your user profile.
Some commands are allocated to PF keys. To issue a command using a PF key, you just press the PF key and do not have to press ENTER. The PF key allocations which are available for a particular screen are listed in the PF key lines.
The PF key allocations which are available for a particular screen are listed in the PF key lines. You can change the position and appearance of the PF key lines by modifying your user profile.
You can define phonetic descriptors to perform a phonetic search. A phonetic search searches for values which sound like the phonetic descriptor. Phonetic descriptors cannot be displayed on a report.
Predict is Software AG's data dictionary. See EXTENDED FIELD DESCRIPTION and EXTENDED FILE DESCRIPTION.
If a field is protected, you cannot make any entries in it.
A program written in Natural (Reporting Mode) that can perform the same functions as a Super Natural transaction. Because it does not contain code specific to Super Natural, a prototype program can be used like any other Natural program.
The number or letter identifying a field in an information section of the Layout Editor.
A set of fields treated as a unit in a file. All records in a file contain the same set of fields. Records contain information which is related e.g., in the SAG-TOURS-E-YACHT file, all the information about a given yacht.
If you want to deal with the different occurrences of multiple-value fields or periodic groups separately, you must give each occurrence a reference number enclosed within parentheses (()).
C-ADDRESS-ADDITION(1)
This refers to the first value of the multiple-value field C-ADDRESS-ADDITION which is contained within the group COMPANY-ADDRESS.
PHONE(2)
This refers to the second occurrence of the periodic-group field PHONE.
If you want to reference an occurrence of a multiple-value field within a periodic group, you must use two reference numbers separated by a comma (,) as shown below:
fieldname (occurrence # periodic group,occurrence # multiple-value field)
The first number indicates which occurrence of the periodic group it is in and the second number indicates which value of the multiple-value field it is.
SEASON-START (1,2)
This refers to the second value of the field SEASON-START which is in the first occurrence of the periodic-group field CH-SEASON
Referencing occurrences is especially useful in calculations.
The result of a transaction whatever the transaction mode.
The scale is part of the Layout Editor information line and displays the name of the element you are editing or the text All Elements. The scale also shows which columns are displayed. The columns are identified by a three-figure number at intervals of 20 columns. The column itself is underneath the second figure of the number.
Screens or windows showing lists of objects or functions for selection contain a column of input fields to the left of the list. The column is one field wide and you can select an object or function by marking it with a non-blank character or with the cursor position. Some of the input fields may be protected. If you mark any item with a non-blank character, the cursor position is ignored.
The information entered in the Selection Editor which controls which records in a file are to be selected.
See Selection Editor.
Entries made in the Selection Editor control which records in a file or files are to be selected. To tell Super Natural which data you want from the database, you enter selection criteria in the Selection Editor.
Selection criteria consist of one or more statements combined with either the logical operator AND or OR.
You can choose to display a layout element in the top half of the Layout editor screen. This part of the screen is then called the show area.
By defining special break conditions, you can make control breaks occur when the first n characters of a control field change. For example, you may want a control break to occur each time the first two character of the field COMPANY-NAME change.
Users of DB2 and SQL/DS can enter selection criteria in the SQL SELECT Editor using SQL SELECT statements.
A descriptor created from a portion of an elementary field.
A portion of a field which may be defined for access purposes only.
A descriptor created from up to five fields (or parts thereof) which may or may not be descriptors. A superdescriptor can only be displayed in a report if Adabas Version 5 is installed.
A transaction created by the Super Natural administrator which the user accesses from the File Selection screen. A superfile can be modified and/or run by a Super Natural user. Superfiles have the function code "S" on the File Selection screen.
System functions calculates statistics which can be displayed either when the value of a control break field changes or at the end of a report. The following system functions are available:
Average
Count
Maximum
Minimum
Null Average (null values ignored)
Null Count (null values ignored)
Null Minimum (null values ignored)
Sum
Total
Note:
Null values are zero for numeric fields and blank for alphanumeric
fields.
System variable fields show information which comes directly from the system.
You can obtain a selection list of system variables by entering two asterisks (**) in the Field Name column in the Worksheet. Appendix B lists and describes all the system variables available in Super Natural.
Field marked in the DIS column of the free-format screen with a T1 through T99 notation, indicating that it is to be displayed vertically without a header.
The basic activity in Super Natural. In a transaction, data may be read from a file to produce a report (reporting transaction) or data may be added to, updated in or deleted from a file (data maintenance transaction). When a transaction is run, it produces a report.
User fields are not contained in a database file. User fields are defined by the user for a particular transaction. User fields are most commonly used in calculations, logical condition processing and SQL. See also Dynamic Input Field.
Files created by a Super Natural user. User file data is kept physically separate from data in corporate files. Users may be authorized by the Super Natural administrator to access files created by other users, although usually with limited file access (e.g., permission to read another user's user file, but not to maintain data).
Used for designing the file layout of user files. You can use the layout of an existing file as a template and/or define your own field descriptions.
The contents of a field, or the contents of a specific occurrence of a field, e.g., the attribute MASTERCARD for the field CREDIT-CARD.
When you are adding a reporting transaction with the transaction mode Data Selection set to DATA FROM WORK FILE, you must use the Work File file description editor to describe the file layout of the file you are using.
Enter the name of the fields to be read from the work file, their format and length in the relevant columns.
The Worksheet provides the basis for creating reports. You use the Worksheet as follows:
To select the fields you want to use from the file or files you have chosen
To determine how the data is displayed in the report (sequence, sort criteria, control breaks, output definition etc.).
Different versions of the Worksheet appear according to your user default settings and the transaction mode you are using.