FIND

This document covers the following topics:

Related Statements: ACCEPT/REJECT | AT BREAK | AT START OF DATA | AT END OF DATA | BACKOUT TRANSACTION | BEFORE BREAK PROCESSING | DELETE | END TRANSACTION | GET | GET SAME | GET TRANSACTION | HISTOGRAM | LIMIT | PASSW | PERFORM BREAK PROCESSING | READ | RETRY | STORE | UPDATE

Belongs to Function Group: Database Access and Update

Function

The FIND statement is used to select a set of records from the database based on search criteria consisting of fields defined as descriptors (keys).

This statement causes a processing loop to be initiated and then executed for each record selected. Each field in each record may be referenced within the processing loop. It is not necessary to issue a READ statement following the FIND in order to reference the fields within each record selected.

See also the following sections in the Programming Guide:

Database-Specific Considerations

Database Explanation
SQL

FIND FIRST as well as the PASSWORD, CIPHER, COUPLED and RETAIN clauses are not permitted.

FIND UNIQUE is not permitted.

The SORTED BY clause corresponds with the SQL clause ORDER BY.

The basic search criteria for an SQL-database table may be specified in the same manner as for an Adabas file. The term record used in this context corresponds with the SQL term "row".

XML

FIND FIRST, as well as the PASSWORD, CIPHER, COUPLED and RETAIN clauses are not permitted.

FIND UNIQUE is not permitted.

The basic search criteria for an XML-database may be specified in the same manner as for an Adabas file. The term record used in this context corresponds with the XML term "XML object".

System Variables Available with the FIND Statement

The Natural system variables *ISN, *NUMBER, and *COUNTER are automatically created for each FIND statement issued. A reference number must be supplied if the system variable was referenced outside the current processing loop or through a FIND UNIQUE, FIND FIRST or FIND NUMBER statement. The format/length of each of these system variables is P10; this format/length cannot be changed.

System Variable Availability/Usage
*ISN
  • Adabas

    *ISN contains the Adabas internal sequence number (ISN) of the record currently being processed.

    *ISN is not available for the FIND NUMBER statement.

  • Tamino

    *ISN contains the XML object ID.

  • SQL

    *ISN is not available.

  • Entire System Server

    *ISN is not available.

*NUMBER

See system variable *NUMBER in the System Variables documentation.

With Entire System Server, *NUMBER is not available.

*COUNTER The system variable *COUNTER contains the number of times the processing loop has been entered.

See also Example 13 - Using System Variables with the FIND Statement.

Issuing Multiple FIND Statements

Multiple FIND statements may be issued to create nested loops whereby an inner loop is entered for each record selected in the outer loop.

See also Example 14 - Multiple FIND Statements.

Restrictions

With Entire System Server, FIND NUMBER and FIND UNIQUE as well as the PASSWORD, CIPHER, COUPLED and RETAIN clauses are not permitted.

Syntax 1 - FIND Statement with Processing Loop

FIND

ALL
(operand1)

[MULTI-FETCH-clause] [RECORDS] [IN] [FILE] view-name
  [PASSWORD=operand2]
  [CIPHER=operand3]
  [WITH] [[LIMIT] (operand4)] basic-search-criteria
  [COUPLED-clause] 4/42
  [STARTING WITH ISN=operand5]
  [SORTED-BY-clause]
  [RETAIN-clause]
  [[IN] SHARED HOLD [MODE=option]]
  [SKIP [RECORDS] IN HOLD]
  [WHERE-clause]
  [IF-NO-RECORDS-FOUND-clause]
  statement
END-FIND   (structured mode only)
LOOP                (reporting mode only)

For explanations of the symbols used in the syntax diagram, see Syntax Symbols.

Syntax 2 - FIND Statement without Processing Loop

FIND

FIRST
NUMBER
UNIQUE

[RECORDS] [IN] [FILE] view-name
  [PASSWORD=operand2]
  [CIPHER=operand3]
  [WITH] [[LIMIT] (operand4)] basic-search-criteria
  [COUPLED-clause] 4/42
  [SORTED-BY-clause] (only for FIND FIRST)
  [RETAIN-clause]
  [WHERE-clause]

For explanations of the symbols used in the syntax diagram, see Syntax Symbols.

Syntax Description

Operand Definition Table:

Operand Possible Structure Possible Formats Referencing Permitted Dynamic Definition
operand1 C S         N P I   B*             yes no
operand2 C S       A                       yes no
operand3 C S         N                     yes no
operand4 C S         N P I   B*             yes no
operand5 C S         N P I   B*             yes no

* Format B of operand1, operand4 and operand5 may be used only with a length of less than or equal to 4.

Syntax Element Description:

Syntax Element Description
ALL/operand1
Processing Limit:

The number of records to be processed from the selected set may be limited by specifying operand1 (enclosed in parentheses, immediately after the keyword FIND) - either as a numeric constant (in the range from 0 to 4294967295) or as the name of a numeric variable.

ALL may be optionally specified. It emphasizes that all selected records are to be processed.

If you specify a limit with operand1, this limit applies to the FIND loop being initiated. Records rejected for processing by the WHERE clause are not counted against this limit. 

FIND (5) IN EMPLOYEES WITH ...
  
MOVE 10 TO #CNT(N2)
FIND (#CNT) EMPLOYEES WITH ...

For this statement, the specified limit has priority over a limit set with a LIMIT statement.

If a smaller limit is set with the LT parameter, the LT limit applies.

Notes:

  1. If you wish to process a 4-digit number of records, specify it with a leading zero: (0nnnn); because Natural interprets every 4-digit number enclosed in parentheses as a line-number reference to a statement.
  2. operand1 has no influence on the size of an ISN set that is to be retained by a RETAIN clause. operand1 is evaluated when the FIND loop is entered. If the value of operand1 is modified within the FIND loop, this does not affect the number of records processed.
FIND FIRST | FIND NUMBER | FIND UNIQUE
FIND FIRST, FIND NUMBER, FIND UNIQUE Option:

These options are used

  • to select the first record of a selected set (see FIND FIRST),

  • to determine the number of records in a selected set (see FIND NUMBER), or

  • to ensure that only one record satisfies a selection criterion (see FIND UNIQUE).

MULTI-FETCH-clause
MULTI-FETCH Clause:

For Adabas databases, Natural offers a MULTI-FETCH clause that allows you to read more than one record per database access. For further information, see MULTI-FETCH Clause.

view-name
View Name:

The name of a view as defined either within a DEFINE DATA block or in a separate global or local data.

In reporting mode, view-name is the name of a DDM if no DEFINE DATA LOCAL statement is used.

PASSWORD=operand2
PASSWORD Clause:

The PASSWORD clause applies only for Adabas databases. This clause is not permitted with Entire System Server.

The PASSWORD clause is used to provide a password (operand2) when reading/writing data from an Adabas file which is password protected. If you require access to a password-protected file, contact the person responsible for database security concerning password usage/assignment.

If the PASSWORD clause is omitted, the default password specified with the PASSW statement applies.

The password value must not be changed during the execution of a processing loop.

See also Example 1 - PASSWORD Clause.

CIPHER=operand3
CIPHER Clause:

The CIPHER clause only applies to Adabas databases. This clause is not permitted with Entire System Server.

The CIPHER clause is used to provide a cipher key (operand3) when retrieving data from Adabas files which are enciphered. If you require access to an enciphered file, contact the person responsible for database security concerning cipher key usage/assignment.

The cipher key may be specified as a numeric constant with 8 digits or as a user-defined variable with format/length N8.

The value of the cipher key must not be changed during the processing of a loop initiated by a FIND statement.

See also Example 2 - CIPHER Clause.

WITH LIMIT operand4 basic-search-criteria
WITH Clause:

The WITH clause is required. It is used to specify the basic-search-criteria (see Search Criteria for Adabas Files) consisting of key fields (descriptors) defined in the database.

The following database-specific consideration applies.

You may use Adabas descriptors, subdescriptors, superdescriptors, hyperdescriptors, and phonetic descriptors within a WITH clause. A non-descriptor (that is, a field marked in the DDM with N) can also be specified.

The number of records to be selected as a result of a WITH clause may be limited by specifying the keyword LIMIT together with a numeric constant or a user-defined variable, enclosed within parentheses, which contains the limit value (operand4, from 0 to 4294967295). If the number of records selected exceeds the limit, the program will be terminated with an error message.

Note:
If the limit is to be a 4-digit number, specify it with a leading zero (0nnnn); because Natural interprets every 4-digit number enclosed in parentheses as a line-number reference to a statement.

COUPLED-clause
COUPLED Clause:

This clause may be used to specify a search which involves the use of the Adabas coupling facility. See COUPLED Clause.

STARTING WITH ISN=operand5
STARTING WITH Clause:

This clause may be used for repositioning within a FIND loop whose processing has been interrupted. See STARTING WITH Clause.

SORTED-BY-clause
SORTED BY Clause:

This clause may be used to cause Adabas to sort the selected records based on the sequence of one to three descriptors. See SORTED BY Clause.

RETAIN-clause
RETAIN Clause:

This clause may be used to retain the result of an extensive search in large files for further processing. See RETAIN Clause.

[[IN] SHARED HOLD [MODE=option]]
SHARED HOLD Clause

Note:
This clause can be used only for access to Adabas.

This clause can be used to place records being read in a "shared hold" state. A record can be put in shared hold by many users at the same time. As long as a record is in a shared hold state, it is protected from being updated, because it cannot be set into an exclusive hold by parallel users. This ensures data consistency for the record data, as no one can update the record while it is being processed.

Especially if the same record is fetched with multiple statements to read different MU/PE occurrences (GET SAME statement) or to browse over a LOB field in a piecemeal technique (READLOB statement), the shared hold state can guarantee data stability over this transaction without blocking the record for other users.

Although such a hold state is an efficient way to protect read sequences, it is a basic and important matter when to release the record again from this "soft lock". Since this question depends on individual application aspects, different options can be selected with the MODE subclause.

MODE Option
Hold Period
Explanation
C Only at the moment of reading the record. Ensures only that the record version being read has been committed by the last user who updated the record. This option does not really set a lock in hold state, but checks only that the record is not in exclusive hold by another user at time of read.
Q Until the next record in a sequence is read. Releases the record from shared hold when
S Until the logical transaction is terminated. Releases the record from shared hold when a logical transaction is terminated with an END TRANSACTION or BACKOUT TRANSACTION statement.
MODE=Q and MODE=S ensure that the record being read cannot be updated concurrently by other users until it has been released from hold again.

If the MODE subclause is not specified, MODE=C is the default.

See also Example 15 - SHARED HOLD Clause below.

SKIP RECORDS IN HOLD
SKIP RECORDS Clause:

Note:
This clause can be used only for access to Adabas.

Whenever a record is going to be read with hold, a Natural error NAT3145 (Adabas response code 145) might happen if the record is in hold by another user at this time. This occurs if a shared hold is requested and the record is in exclusive hold or if an exclusive hold is requested and the record is in either exclusive or shared hold.

Although error NAT3145 is surely the right reaction to assure a "clean data processing", sometimes it might be useful if a record in hold could be skipped. If it is alright that such a record will not be processed and the loop processing should continue, the SKIP RECORDS clause should be used.

If the SKIP RECORDS clause is applied, Natural first tries to read the record with hold.

If the record is already in hold and a Natural error NAT3145 would occur,

  • no error processing is initiated;

  • the record (currently in hold by another user) is instantly re-fetched without hold, but not processed in terms of the program logic;

  • the record which comes next after the skipped record is read with hold and the processing continues.

See also Example 16 - SKIP RECORDS Clause.

WHERE-clause
WHERE Clause:

This clause may be used to specify an additional selection criterion (logical-condition). See WHERE Clause.

IF-NO-RECORDS-FOUND-clause
IF NO RECORDS FOUND Clause:

This clause may be used to cause a processing loop initiated with a FIND statement to be entered in the event that no records meet the selection criteria specified in the WITH clause and the WHERE clause. See IF NO RECORDS FOUND Clause.

END-FIND
End of FIND Statement:

In structured mode with processing loop, the Natural reserved keyword END-FIND must be used to end the FIND statement.

In reporting mode with processing loop, the Natural statement LOOP is used to end the FIND statement.

LOOP

FIND FIRST

The FIND FIRST statement may be used to select and process the first record which meets the WITH and WHERE criteria.

For Adabas databases, the record processed will be the record with the lowest Adabas ISN from the set of qualifying records.

This statement does not initiate a processing loop.

Restrictions with FIND FIRST

  • FIND FIRST can only be used in reporting mode.

  • FIND FIRST is not available for SQL databases.

System Variables Available with FIND FIRST

The following Natural system variables are available with the FIND FIRST statement:

System Variable Explanation
*ISN The system variable *ISN contains the Adabas ISN of the selected record. *ISN will be zero if no record is found after the evaluation of the WITH and WHERE criteria.

*ISN is not available with Entire System Server.

*NUMBER The system variable *NUMBER contains the number of records found after the evaluation of the WITH criterion and before evaluation of any WHERE criteria. *NUMBER will be zero if no record meets the WITH criterion.

*NUMBER is not available with Entire System Server.

*COUNTER The system variable *COUNTER contains 1 if a record was found; contains 0 if no record was found.

Example of FIND FIRST Statement: See the program FNDFIR (reporting mode)

FIND NUMBER

The FIND NUMBER statement is used to determine the number of records which satisfy the WITH/WHERE criteria specified. It does not result in the initiation of a processing loop and no data fields from the database are made available.

Note:
Use of the WHERE clause may result in significant overhead.

Restrictions with FIND NUMBER

  • The WHERE clause can only be used in reporting mode.

  • FIND NUMBER is not available with Entire System Server.

System Variables Available with FIND NUMBER

The following Natural system variables are available with the FIND NUMBER statement:

System Variable Explanation
*NUMBER The system variable *NUMBER contains the number of records found after the evaluation of the WITH criterion.
*COUNTER The system variable *COUNTER contains the number of records found after the evaluation of the WHERE criterion.

*COUNTER is only available if the FIND NUMBER statement contains a WHERE clause.

Example for FIND NUMBER: See the program FNDNUM (reporting mode).

FIND UNIQUE

The FIND UNIQUE statement may be used to ensure that only one record is selected for processing. It does not result in the initiation of a processing loop. If a WHERE clause is specified, an automatic internal processing loop is created to evaluate the WHERE clause.

If no records or more than one record satisfy the criteria, an error message will be issued. This condition can be tested with the ON ERROR statement.

Restrictions with FIND UNIQUE

  • FIND UNIQUE can only be used in reporting mode.

  • FIND UNIQUE is not available with Entire System Server.

  • For SQL databases, FIND UNIQUE cannot be used. (Exception: On mainframe computers, FIND UNIQUE can be used for primary keys; however, this is only permitted for compatibility reasons and should not be used.)

System Variables Available with FIND UNIQUE

System Variable Explanation
*ISN The system variable *ISN contains the unique ISN number of the record, which itself must be unique.
*NUMBER The system variable *NUMBER always contains 1 for a valid FIND UNIQUE execution.

*NUMBER may contain any other positive value (= 0 or >= 2) if an error has occurred. This error condition may be used by the ON ERROR statement. *NUMBER is not allowed if the WHERE clause is missing.

*COUNTER The system variable *COUNTER contains the number of records found after the evaluation of the WHERE criterion. *COUNTER is not allowed if the WHERE clause is missing.

Example for FIND UNIQUE: See the Program FNDUNQ (reporting mode).

MULTI-FETCH Clause

Note:
This clause can only be used for Adabas databases.

MULTI-FETCH 

ON
OFF
[OF] multi-fetch-factor

Note:
[MULTI-FETCH OF multi-fetch-factor] is supported for database types ADA/ADA2. The default processing mode is applied; see profile parameter MFSET. The MULTI-FETCH clause is ignored in case Adabas LA or large objects fields are used or a view size greater than 64KB is defined.

For more information, see the section MULTI-FETCH Clause (Adabas) in the Programming Guide.

Search Criteria for Adabas Files

1 descriptor   [(i)]

EQ
=
EQUAL
EQUAL TO

value

OR

EQ
=
EQUAL
EQUAL TO

value

THRU value [BUT NOT value [THRU value]]
2 descriptor  [(i)]

EQ
=
EQUAL
EQUAL TO
NE
<>
NOT =
NOT EQ
NOTEQUAL
NOT EQUAL
NOT EQUAL TO
LT
LESS THAN
<
GE
GREATER EQUAL
>=
NOT <
NOT LT
GT
GREATER THAN
>
LE
LESS EQUAL
<=
NOT >
NOT GT

value                  
                 
                 
                 
3 set-name                          

Operand Definition Table:

Operand Possible Structure Possible Formats Referencing Permitted Dynamic Definition
descriptor   S A     A U N P I F B D T L       no no
value C S       A U N P I F B D T L       yes no
set-name C S       A                         no no

Syntax Element Description:

Syntax Element Description
descriptor
Descriptor:

Adabas descriptor, subdescriptor, superdescriptor, hyperdescriptor or phonetic descriptor. A field marked as non-descriptor in the DDM can also be specified.

(i)
Index Specification:

A descriptor contained within a periodic group may be specified with or without an index. If no index is specified, the record will be selected if the value specified is located in any occurrence. If an index is specified, the record is selected only if the value is located in the occurrence specified by the index. The index specified must be a constant. An index range must not be used.

No index must be specified for a descriptor which is a multiple-value field. The record will be selected if the value is located in the record regardless of the position of the value.

value
Search Value:

The formats of the descriptor and the search value must be compatible.

set-name
Set Name:

Identifies a set of records previously selected with a FIND statement in which the RETAIN clause was specified. The set referenced in a FIND must have been created from the same physical Adabas file. set-name may be specified as a text constant (maximum 32 characters) or as the content of an alphanumeric variable.

set-name cannot be used with Entire System Server.

See also:

Search Criterion with Null Indicator

null-indicator

=
EQ
EQUAL [TO]

value

Operand Definition Table:

Operand Possible Structure Possible Formats Referencing Permitted Dynamic Definition
null-indicator   S             I                 no no
value C S         N P I F B             yes no

Syntax Element Description:

Syntax Element Description
null-indicator The null indicator.
value
Possible Values
Meaning
-1 The corresponding field contains no value.
0 The corresponding field does contain a value.

Connecting Search Criteria (for Adabas Files)

basic-search-criteria can be combined using the Boolean operators AND, OR and NOT. Parentheses may also be used to control the order of evaluation. The order of evaluation is as follows:

  1. ( ): Parentheses

  2. NOT: Negation (only for basic-search-criteria of form [2]).

  3. AND: AND operation

  4. OR: OR operation

basic-search-criteria may be connected by logical operators to form a complex search-expression. The syntax for such a complex search-expression is as follows:

[NOT]

basic-search-criteria
(search-expression)

OR
AND

search-expression

See also Example 5 - Various Samples of Complex Search Expression in WITH Clause.

Descriptor-Key Usage

Adabas users may use database fields which are defined as descriptors to construct basic search criteria.

Subdescriptors, Superdescriptors, Hyperdescriptors and Phonetic Descriptors

With Adabas, subdescriptors, superdescriptors, hyperdescriptors and phonetic descriptors may be used to construct search criteria.

  • A subdescriptor is a descriptor formed from a portion of a field.

  • A superdescriptor is a descriptor whose value is formed from one or more fields or portions of fields.

  • A hyperdescriptor is a descriptor which is formed using a user-defined algorithm.

  • A phonetic descriptor is a descriptor which allows the user to perform a phonetic search on a field (for example, a person's name). A phonetic search results in the return of all values which sound similar to the search value.

Which fields may be used as descriptors, subdescriptors, superdescriptors, hyperdescriptors and phonetic descriptors with which file is defined in the corresponding DDM.

Values for Subdescriptors, Superdescriptors, Phonetic Descriptors

Values used with these types of descriptors must be compatible with the internal format of the descriptor. The internal format of a subdescriptor is the same as the format of the field from which the subdescriptor is derived. The internal format of a superdescriptor is binary if all of the fields from which it is derived are defined with numeric format; otherwise, the format is alphanumeric. Phonetic descriptors always have alphanumeric format.

Values for subdescriptors and superdescriptors may be specified in the following ways:

  • Numeric or hexadecimal constants may be specified. A hexadecimal constant must be used for a value for a superdescriptor which has binary format (see above).

  • Values in user-defined variable fields may be specified using the REDEFINE statement to select the portions that form the subdescriptor or superdescriptor value.

Using Descriptors Contained within a Database Array

A descriptor which is contained within a database array may also be used in the construction of basic search criterion. For Adabas databases, such a descriptor may be a multiple-value field or a field contained within a periodic group.

A descriptor contained within a periodic group may be specified with or without an index. If no index is specified, the record will be selected if the value specified is located in any occurrence. If an index is specified, the record is selected only if the value is located in the occurrence specified by the index. The index specified must be a constant. An index range must not be used.

No index must be specified for a descriptor which is a multiple-value field. The record will be selected if the value is located in the record regardless of the position of the value.

See also Example 6 - Various Samples Using Database Arrays.

COUPLED Clause

This clause only applies to Adabas databases.

This clause is not permitted with Entire System Server.

AND
OR

COUPLED   [TO] [FILE] view-name          
       

VIA descriptor1

EQ
=
EQUAL [TO]

descriptor2

                     
          [WITH] basic-search-criteria          

Operand Definition Table:

Operand Possible Structure Possible Formats Referencing Permitted Dynamic Definition
descriptor1   S A     A N P     B             no no
descriptor2   S A     A N P     B             no no

Note:
Without the VIA clause, the COUPLED clause may be specified up to 4 times; with the VIA clause, it may be specified up to 42 times.

The COUPLED clause is used to specify a search which involves the use of the Adabas coupling facility. This facility permits database descriptors from different files to be specified in the search criterion of a single FIND statement.

The same Adabas file must not be used in two different FIND COUPLED clauses within the same FIND statement.

A set-name (see RETAIN Clause) must not be specified in the basic-search-criteria.

Database fields in a file specified within the COUPLED clause are not available for subsequent reference in the program unless another FIND or READ statement is issued separately against the coupled file.

Note:
If the COUPLED clause is used, the main WITH clause may be omitted. If the main WITH clause is omitted, the keywords AND/OR of the COUPLED clause must not be specified.

Physical Coupling without VIA Clause

The files used in a COUPLED clause without VIA must be physically coupled using the appropriate Adabas utility (as described in the Adabas documentation).

See also Example 7 - Using Physically Coupled Files.

The reference to NAME in the DISPLAY statement of the above example is valid since this field is contained in the EMPLOYEES file, whereas a reference to MAKE would be invalid since MAKE is contained in the VEHICLES file, which was specified in the COUPLED clause.

In this example, records will be found only if EMPLOYEES and VEHICLES have been physically coupled.

Logical Coupling - VIA Clause

The option VIA descriptor1 = descriptor2 allows you to logically couple multiple Adabas files in a search query, where:

  • descriptor1 is a field from the first view.

  • descriptor2 is a field from the second view.

The two files need not be physically coupled in Adabas.

See also Example 8 - VIA Clause.

STARTING WITH Clause

This clause applies only to Adabas databases.

You can use this clause to specify as operand5 an Adabas ISN (internal sequence number) which is to be used as a start value for the selection of records. operand5 must be in the range from 0 to 4294967295.

This clause may be used for repositioning within a FIND loop whose processing has been interrupted, to easily determine the next record with which processing is to continue. This is particularly useful if the next record cannot be identified uniquely by any of its descriptor values. It can also be useful in a distributed client/server application where the reading of the records is performed by a server program while further processing of the records is performed by a client program, and the records are not processed all in one go, but in batches.

Note:
The start value actually used will not be the value of operand5, but the next higher value.

Example:

See the program FNDSISN in the library SYSEXSYN.

SORTED BY Clause

This clause only applies to Adabas, Tamino and SQL databases.

This clause is not permitted with Entire System Server.

SORTED [BY] descriptor 3 [DESCENDING]

The SORTED BY clause is used to cause Adabas to sort the selected records based on the sequence of one to three descriptors. The descriptors used for controlling the sort sequence may be different from those used for selection.

By default, the records are sorted in ascending sequence of values; if you want them to be in descending sequence, specify the keyword DESCENDING. The sort is performed using the Adabas inverted lists and does not result in any records being read.

Note:
The use of this clause may result in significant overhead if any descriptor used to control the sort sequence contains a large number of values. This is because the entire value list may have to be scanned until all selected records have been located in the list. When a large number of records is to be sorted, you should use the SORT statement.

Adabas sort limits (see the ADARUN LS parameter in the Adabas documentation) are in effect when the SORTED BY clause is used.

A descriptor which is contained in a periodic group must not be specified in the SORTED BY clause. A multiple-value field (without an index) may be specified.

Non-descriptors may also be specified in the SORTED BY clause. However, this function is not available on mainframes.

If the SORTED BY clause is used, the RETAIN clause must not be used.

See also Example 9 - SORTED BY Clause.

Considerations for Combined Use of STARTING WITH and SORTED BY Clauses

If both the STARTING WITH and the SORTED BY clause are used in the same FIND statement and the underlying database is Adabas, the following should be considered.

With Adabas for Mainframes

On Adabas for Mainframes, the FIND statement is executed in the following steps:

  1. All records matching the search criterion are gathered and put in ISN sequence.

  2. The records are sorted by the descriptor specified in the SORTED BY clause.

  3. The record whose ISN value is specified in the STARTING WITH clause is positioned in the "sorted-by-descriptor" record list.

  4. The records following the record found under Step 3 are returned in the FIND loop.

With Adabas for OpenSystems

On Adabas for OpenSystems (Linux and Cloud or Windows) the same statement is executed as follows:

  1. All records matching the search criterion are gathered and put in ISN sequence.

  2. The record whose ISN value is specified in the STARTING WITH clause is positioned in the "sorted-by-ISN" record list.

  3. All records following the record found under Step 2 are sorted by the descriptor specified in the SORTED BY clause and returned in the FIND loop.

Example:

If the following program is executed with Adabas for Mainframes and Adabas on Linux and Cloud/Windows: 

DEFINE DATA LOCAL                                        
1 V1 VIEW OF EMPLOYEES                                   
  2 NAME                                                 
  2 FIRST-NAME                                           
  2 CITY                                                 
1 #ISN (I4)                                              
END-DEFINE                                               
FORMAT NL=5 SG=OFF PS=43 AL=15                           
*                                                        
PRINT   'FIND' (I)                                       
FIND V1 WITH NAME = 'B' THRU 'BALBIN'                    
  RETAIN AS 'SET1'                                       
  IF *COUNTER = 4 THEN                                   
    #ISN := *ISN                                         
  END-IF                                                 
  DISPLAY *ISN V1                                        
END-FIND                                                 
*                                                        
PRINT / 'FIND .. SORTED BY NAME' (I)                     
FIND V1 WITH 'SET1'                                      
  SORTED BY NAME                                         
  DISPLAY *ISN V1                                        
END-FIND                                                 
*                                                        
PRINT / 'FIND .. STARTING WITH ISN = ' (I) #ISN (AD=I)   
FIND V1 WITH 'SET1'                                      
  STARTING WITH ISN = #ISN                               
  DISPLAY *ISN V1                                        
END-FIND                                                 
*                                                        
PRINT / 'FIND .. STARTING WITH ISN = ' (I) #ISN (AD=I)   
        ' .. SORTED BY NAME' (I)                         
FIND V1 WITH 'SET1'                                      
  STARTING WITH ISN = #ISN                               
  SORTED BY NAME                                         
  DISPLAY *ISN V1                                        
END-FIND                                                 
END

The result is as follows:

Results on Natural for Mainframes
ISN        NAME         FIRST-NAME         CITY       
----- --------------- --------------- --------------- 
                                                      
FIND V1 WITH NAME = 'B' THRU 'BALBIN'
   12 BAILLET         PATRICK         LYS LEZ LANNOY 
   58 BAGAZJA         MARJAN          MONTHERME       
  351 BAECKER         JOHANNES        FRANKFURT       
  355 BAECKER         KARL            SINDELFINGEN    
  370 BACHMANN        HANS            MUENCHEN        
  490 BALBIN          ENRIQUE         BARCELONA       
  650 BAKER           SYLVIA          OAK BROOK       
  913 BAKER           PAULINE         DERBY           
                                                      
FIND .. SORTED BY NAME                                
  370 BACHMANN        HANS            MUENCHEN        
  351 BAECKER         JOHANNES        FRANKFURT       
  355 BAECKER         KARL            SINDELFINGEN    
   58 BAGAZJA         MARJAN          MONTHERME
   12 BAILLET         PATRICK         LYS LEZ LANNOY  
  650 BAKER           SYLVIA          OAK BROOK       
  913 BAKER           PAULINE         DERBY           
  490 BALBIN          ENRIQUE         BARCELONA 
                                                      
FIND .. STARTING WITH ISN = 355                    
  370 BACHMANN        HANS            MUENCHEN        
  490 BALBIN          ENRIQUE         BARCELONA       
  650 BAKER           SYLVIA          OAK BROOK       
  913 BAKER           PAULINE         DERBY           
                                                      
FIND .. STARTING WITH ISN = 355 .. SORTED BY NAME  
   58 BAGAZJA         MARJAN          MONTHERME       
   12 BAILLET         PATRICK         LYS LEZ LANNOY  
  650 BAKER           SYLVIA          OAK BROOK       
  913 BAKER           PAULINE         DERBY           
  490 BALBIN          ENRIQUE         BARCELONA
Results on Natural for Open Systems
ISN        NAME         FIRST-NAME         CITY       
----- --------------- --------------- --------------- 
                                                      
FIND V1 WITH NAME = 'B' THRU 'BALBIN'                 
   12 BAILLET         PATRICK         LYS LEZ LANNOY  
   58 BAGAZJA         MARJAN          MONTHERME       
  351 BAECKER         JOHANNES        FRANKFURT       
  355 BAECKER         KARL            SINDELFINGEN    
  370 BACHMANN        HANS            MUENCHEN        
  490 BALBIN          ENRIQUE         BARCELONA       
  650 BAKER           SYLVIA          OAK BROOK       
  913 BAKER           PAULINE         DERBY           
                                                      
FIND .. SORTED BY NAME                                
  370 BACHMANN        HANS            MUENCHEN        
  351 BAECKER         JOHANNES        FRANKFURT       
  355 BAECKER         KARL            SINDELFINGEN    
   58 BAGAZJA         MARJAN          MONTHERME       
   12 BAILLET         PATRICK         LYS LEZ LANNOY  
  650 BAKER           SYLVIA          OAK BROOK       
  913 BAKER           PAULINE         DERBY           
  490 BALBIN          ENRIQUE         BARCELONA       
                                                      
FIND .. STARTING WITH ISN = 355                    
  370 BACHMANN        HANS            MUENCHEN        
  490 BALBIN          ENRIQUE         BARCELONA 
  650 BAKER           SYLVIA          OAK BROOK 
  913 BAKER           PAULINE         DERBY 

FIND .. STARTING WITH ISN = 355 .. SORTED BY NAME  
  370 BACHMANN        HANS            MUENCHEN
  650 BAKER           SYLVIA          OAK BROOK
  913 BAKER           PAULINE         DERBY 
  490 BALBIN          ENRIQUE         BARCELONA

A FIND statement with at most one of these options (SORTED BY or STARTING WITH ISN) always returns the same records in the same sequence, regardless under which system the statement is executed. If, however, both clauses are used together, the result returned depends on which Adabas platform is used to serve the database statement.

Therefore, if a Natural program is intended to be used on multiple platforms, the combination of a SORTED BY and STARTING WITH ISN clause in the same FIND statement should be avoided.

RETAIN Clause

This clause only applies to Adabas databases.

This clause is not permitted with Entire System Server.

RETAIN AS operand6

Operand Definition Table:

Operand Possible Structure Possible Formats Referencing Permitted Dynamic Definition
operand6 C S       A                       yes no

Syntax Element Description:

Syntax Element Description
RETAIN AS
Retain Result:

By using the RETAIN clause, the result of an extensive search in large files can be retained for further processing.

The selection is retained as an ISN-set in the Adabas work file. The set may be used in subsequent FIND statements as a basic search criterion for further refinement of the set or for further processing of the records.

The set created is file-specific and may only be used in another FIND statement that processes the same file. The set may be referenced by any Natural program.

operand6
Set Name:

The set name is used to identify the record set. It may be specified as an alphanumeric constant or as the content of an alphanumeric user-defined variable. Duplicate set names are not checked; consequently, if a duplicate set name is specified, the new set replaces the old set.

See also Example 10 - RETAIN Clause.

Releasing Sets

There is no specific limit for the number of sets that can be retained or the number of ISNs in a set. It is recommended that the minimum number of ISN sets needed at one time be defined. Sets that are no longer needed should be released using the RELEASE SETS statement.

If they are not released with a RELEASE statement, retained sets exist until the end of the Natural session, or until a logon to another library, when they are released automatically. A set created by one program may be referenced by another program for processing or further refinement using additional search criteria.

Updates by Other Users

The records identified by the ISNs in a retained set are not locked against access and/or update by other users. Before you process records from the set, it is therefore useful to check whether the original search criteria which were used to create the set are still valid: This check is done with another FIND statement, using the set name in the WITH clause as a basic search criterion and specifying in a WHERE clause the original search criteria (that is, the basic search criteria as specified in the WITH clause of the FIND statement which was used to create the set).

Restriction

If the RETAIN clause is used, the SORTED BY clause must not be used.

WHERE Clause

WHERE logical-condition

The WHERE clause may be used to specify an additional selection criterion (logical-condition) which is evaluated after a value has been read and before any processing is performed on the value (including the AT BREAK evaluation).

The syntax for a logical-condition is described in the section Logical Condition Criteria in the Programming Guide.

If a processing limit is specified in a FIND statement containing a WHERE clause, records which are rejected as a result of the WHERE clause are not counted against the limit. These records are, however, counted against a global limit specified in the Natural session parameter LT, the GLOBALS command or the LIMIT statement.

See also Example 11 - WHERE Clause.

IF NO RECORDS FOUND Clause

Structured Mode Syntax

IF NO [RECORDS] [FOUND]

ENTER
statement

END-NOREC

Reporting Mode Syntax

IF NO [RECORDS] [FOUND]

ENTER
statement
DO statement DOEND

Syntax Element Description:

Syntax Element Description
IF NO RECORDS FOUND
IF NO RECORDS FOUND Clause:

The IF NO RECORDS FOUND clause may be used to cause a processing loop initiated with a FIND statement to be entered in the event that no records meet the selection criteria specified in the WITH clause and the WHERE clause.

If no records meet the specified WITH and WHERE criteria, the IF NO RECORDS FOUND clause causes the FIND processing loop to be executed once with an "empty" record.

If this is not desired, specify the statement ESCAPE BOTTOM within the IF NO RECORDS FOUND clause.

ENTER
statement ...

Statement Execution:

If one or more statements are specified with the IF NO RECORDS FOUND clause, the statements will be executed immediately before the processing loop is entered.

If no statements are to be executed before entering the loop, the keyword ENTER must be used.

END-NOREC
End of IF NO RECORDS FOUND Clause:

In structured mode, the Natural reserved word END-NOREC must be used to end the IF NO RECORDS FOUND clause.

In reporting mode, use the DO ... DOEND statements to supply one or several suitable statements, depending on the situation, and to end the IF NO RECORDS FOUND clause. If you specify only a single statement or the keyword ENTER (see above), you can omit the DO ... DOEND statements. With respect to good coding practice, this is not recommended.

ENTER
statement
DO statement ... DOEND

See also Example 12 - IF NO RECORDS FOUND Clause.

Database Values

Unless other value assignments are made in the statements accompanying an IF NO RECORDS FOUND clause, Natural will reset to empty all database fields which reference the file specified in the current loop.

Evaluation of System Functions

Natural system functions are evaluated once for the empty record that is created for processing as a result of the IF NO RECORDS FOUND clause.

Restriction

This clause cannot be used with FIND FIRST, FIND NUMBER and FIND UNIQUE.

Examples

See also the example for FIND NUMBER: program FNDNUM.

Example 1 - PASSWORD Clause

** Example 'FNDPWD': FIND (with PASSWORD clause)                        
************************************************************************
DEFINE DATA LOCAL                                                       
1 EMPLOY-VIEW VIEW OF EMPLOYEES                                         
  2 NAME                                                                
  2 PERSONNEL-ID                                                        
*                                                                       
1 #PASSWORD (A8)                                                        
END-DEFINE                                                              
*                                                                       
INPUT 'ENTER PASSWORD FOR EMPLOYEE FILE:' #PASSWORD (AD=N)              
LIMIT 2                                                                 
*                                                                       
FIND EMPLOY-VIEW PASSWORD = #PASSWORD                                   
                 WITH NAME = 'SMITH'                                    
  DISPLAY NOTITLE NAME PERSONNEL-ID                                     
END-FIND                                                                
*                                                                       
END

Output of Program FNDPWD:

ENTER PASSWORD FOR EMPLOYEE FILE:

Example 2 - CIPHER Clause

** Example 'FNDCIP': FIND (with PASSWORD/CIPHER clause)                 
************************************************************************
DEFINE DATA LOCAL                                                       
1 EMPLOY-VIEW VIEW OF EMPLOYEES                                         
  2 NAME                                                                
  2 PERSONNEL-ID                                                        
*                                                                       
1 #PASSWORD (A8)                                                        
1 #CIPHER   (N8)                                                        
END-DEFINE                                                              
*                                                                       
LIMIT 2                                                                 
INPUT 'ENTER PASSWORD FOR EMPLOYEE FILE:   ' #PASSWORD (AD=N)           
    / 'ENTER CIPHER KEY FOR EMPLOYEE FILE: ' #CIPHER   (AD=N)           
*                                                                       
FIND EMPLOY-VIEW PASSWORD = #PASSWORD                                              
                 CIPHER   = #CIPHER                  
                 WITH NAME = 'SMITH'                                    
  DISPLAY NOTITLE NAME PERSONNEL-ID                                     
END-FIND  
*         
END Output of Program FNDCIP:
ENTER PASSWORD FOR EMPLOYEE FILE:                    
ENTER CIPHER KEY FOR EMPLOYEE FILE:

Example 3 - Basic Search Criteria in WITH Clause

FIND STAFF WITH NAME = 'SMITH'
FIND STAFF WITH CITY NE 'BOSTON'
FIND STAFF WITH BIRTH = 610803
FIND STAFF WITH BIRTH = 610803 THRU 610811
FIND STAFF WITH NAME = 'O HARA' OR = 'JONES' OR = 'JACKSON'   
FIND STAFF WITH PERSONNEL-ID = 100082 THRU 100100
                                 BUT NOT 100087 THRU 100095

Example 4 - Basic Search Criteria with Multiple-Value Field

When the descriptor used in the basic search criteria is a multiple-value field, basically four different kinds of results can be obtained (the field MU-FIELD in the following examples is assumed to be a multiple-value field): 

FIND XYZ-VIEW WITH MU-FIELD = 'A'

This statement returns records in which at least one occurrence of MU-FIELD has the value A. 

FIND XYZ-VIEW WITH MU-FIELD NOT EQUAL 'A'

This statement returns records in which at least one occurrence of MU-FIELD does not have the value A. 

FIND XYZ-VIEW WITH NOT MU-FIELD NOT EQUAL 'A'

This statement returns records in which every occurrence of MU-FIELD has the value A. 

FIND XYZ-VIEW WITH NOT MU-FIELD = 'A'

This statement returns records in which none of the occurrences of MU-FIELD has the value A.

Example 5 - Various Samples of Complex Search Expression in WITH Clause 

FIND STAFF WITH BIRTH LT 19770101 AND DEPT = 'DEPT06'
FIND STAFF WITH JOB-TITLE = 'CLERK TYPIST'
                    AND (BIRTH GT 19560101 OR LANG = 'SPANISH')
FIND STAFF WITH JOB-TITLE = 'CLERK TYPIST'
                    AND NOT (BIRTH GT 19560101 OR LANG = 'SPANISH')
FIND STAFF WITH DEPT = 'ABC' THRU 'DEF'
                    AND CITY = 'WASHINGTON' OR = 'LOS ANGELES'
                    AND BIRTH GT 19360101
FIND CARS WITH MAKE = 'VOLKSWAGEN'
                   AND COLOR = 'RED' OR = 'BLUE' OR = 'BLACK'

Example 6 - Various Samples of Using Database Arrays

The following examples assume that the field SALARY is a descriptor contained within a periodic group, and the field LANG is a multiple-value field. 

FIND EMPLOYEES WITH SALARY LT 20000

Results in a search of all occurrences of SALARY. 

FIND EMPLOYEES WITH SALARY (1) LT 20000

Results in a search of the first occurrence only.

FIND EMPLOYEES WITH SALARY (1:4) LT 20000    /* invalid

A range specification must not be specified for a field within a periodic group used as a search criterion. 

FIND EMPLOYEES WITH LANG = 'FRENCH'

Results in a search of all values of LANG. 

FIND EMPLOYEES WITH LANG (1) = 'FRENCH'        /* invalid

An index must not be specified for a multiple-value field used as a search criterion.

Example 7 - Using Physically Coupled Files

** Example 'FNDCPL': FIND (using coupled files)                         
** NOTE: Adabas files must be physically coupled when using the         
**       COUPLED clause without the VIA clause.                         
************************************************************************
DEFINE DATA LOCAL                                                       
1 EMPLOY-VIEW VIEW OF EMPLOYEES                                         
  2 NAME                                                                
1 VEHIC-VIEW VIEW OF VEHICLES                                           
  2 MAKE                                                                
END-DEFINE                                                              
*                                                                       
FIND EMPLOY-VIEW WITH CITY = 'FRANKFURT'                                
     AND COUPLED TO                                                     
     VEHIC-VIEW WITH MAKE = 'VW'                             
  DISPLAY NOTITLE NAME                                                  
END-FIND                                                                
*                                                                       
END

Example 8 - VIA Clause

** Example 'FNDVIA': FIND (with VIA clause)                             
************************************************************************
DEFINE DATA LOCAL                                                       
1 EMPLOY-VIEW VIEW OF EMPLOYEES                                         
  2 PERSONNEL-ID                                                        
  2 NAME                                                                
  2 FIRST-NAME                                                          
1 VEHIC-VIEW VIEW OF VEHICLES                                           
  2 PERSONNEL-ID                                                        
END-DEFINE                                                              
*                                                                       
FIND EMPLOY-VIEW WITH NAME = 'ADKINSON'                                 
     AND COUPLED TO VEHIC-VIEW                                          
     VIA PERSONNEL-ID = PERSONNEL-ID WITH MAKE = 'VOLVO'    
  DISPLAY PERSONNEL-ID NAME FIRST-NAME                                  
END-FIND                                                                
*                                                                       
END

Output of Program FNDVIA:

Page      1                                                  05-01-17  13:18:22
  
PERSONNEL         NAME              FIRST-NAME
   ID
--------- -------------------- --------------------
  
20011000  ADKINSON             BOB

Example 9 - SORTED BY Clause

** Example 'FNDSOR': FIND (with SORTED BY clause)                       
************************************************************************
DEFINE DATA LOCAL                                                       
1 EMPLOY-VIEW VIEW OF EMPLOYEES                                         
  2 CITY                                                                
  2 NAME                                                                
  2 FIRST-NAME                                                          
  2 PERSONNEL-ID                                                        
END-DEFINE                                                              
*                                                                       
LIMIT 10                                                                
FIND EMPLOY-VIEW WITH CITY = 'FRANKFURT'                                
                 SORTED BY NAME PERSONNEL-ID
                     
  DISPLAY NOTITLE NAME (IS=ON) FIRST-NAME PERSONNEL-ID                  
END-FIND                                                                
*                                                                       
END

Output of Program FNDSOR:

        NAME              FIRST-NAME      PERSONNEL
                                             ID    
-------------------- -------------------- ---------
                                                   
BAECKER              JOHANNES             11500345 
BECKER               HERMANN              11100311 
BERGMANN             HANS                 11100301 
BLAU                 SARAH                11100305 
BLOEMER              JOHANNES             11200312 
DIEDRICHS            HUBERT               11600301 
DOLLINGER            MARGA                11500322 
FALTER               CLAUDIA              11300311 
                     HEIDE                11400311 
FREI                 REINHILD             11500301

Example 10 - RETAIN Clause

** Example 'RELEX1': FIND (with RETAIN clause and RELEASE statement)    
************************************************************************
DEFINE DATA LOCAL                                                       
1 EMPLOY-VIEW VIEW OF EMPLOYEES                                         
  2 CITY                                                                
  2 BIRTH                                                               
  2 NAME                                                                
*                                                                       
1 #BIRTH (D)                                                            
END-DEFINE                                                              
*                                                                       
MOVE EDITED '19400101' TO #BIRTH (EM=YYYYMMDD)                          
*                                                                       
FIND NUMBER EMPLOY-VIEW WITH BIRTH GT #BIRTH                            
     RETAIN AS 'AGESET1'                                         
IF *NUMBER = 0                                                          
  STOP                                                                  
END-IF                                                                  
*                                                                       
FIND EMPLOY-VIEW WITH 'AGESET1' AND CITY = 'NEW YORK'
  DISPLAY NOTITLE NAME CITY BIRTH (EM=YYYY-MM-DD)    
END-FIND                                             
*                                                    
RELEASE SET 'AGESET1'                                
*                                                    
END

Output of Example 10:

        NAME                 CITY            DATE   
                                              OF    
                                            BIRTH   
-------------------- -------------------- ----------
                                                    
RUBIN                NEW YORK             1945-10-27
WALLACE              NEW YORK             1945-08-04

Example 11 - WHERE Clause

** Example 'FNDWHE': FIND (with WHERE clause)                           
************************************************************************
DEFINE DATA LOCAL                                                       
1 EMPLOY-VIEW VIEW OF EMPLOYEES                                         
  2 PERSONNEL-ID                                                        
  2 NAME                                                                
  2 JOB-TITLE                                                           
  2 CITY                                                                
END-DEFINE                                                              
*                                                                       
FIND EMPLOY-VIEW WITH CITY = 'PARIS'                                    
                 WHERE JOB-TITLE = 'INGENIEUR COMMERCIAL'       
  DISPLAY NOTITLE                                                       
          CITY JOB-TITLE PERSONNEL-ID NAME                              
END-FIND                                                                
*                                                                       
END

Output of Program FNDWHE:

        CITY                  CURRENT          PERSONNEL         NAME        
                             POSITION             ID                         
-------------------- ------------------------- --------- --------------------
                                                                             
PARIS                INGENIEUR COMMERCIAL      50007300  CAHN                
PARIS                INGENIEUR COMMERCIAL      50006500  MAZUY               
PARIS                INGENIEUR COMMERCIAL      50004700  FAURIE              
PARIS                INGENIEUR COMMERCIAL      50004400  VALLY               
PARIS                INGENIEUR COMMERCIAL      50002800  BRETON              
PARIS                INGENIEUR COMMERCIAL      50001000  GIGLEUX             
PARIS                INGENIEUR COMMERCIAL      50000400  KORAB-BRZOZOWSKI

Example 12 - IF NO RECORDS FOUND Clause

** Example 'FNDIFN': FIND (using IF NO RECORDS FOUND)                   
************************************************************************
DEFINE DATA LOCAL                                                       
1 EMPLOY-VIEW VIEW OF EMPLOYEES                                         
  2 PERSONNEL-ID                                                        
  2 NAME                                                                
  2 FIRST-NAME                                                          
1 VEHIC-VIEW VIEW OF VEHICLES                                           
  2 PERSONNEL-ID                                                        
  2 MAKE                                                                
END-DEFINE                                                              
*                                                                       
LIMIT 15                                                                
EMP. READ EMPLOY-VIEW BY NAME STARTING FROM 'JONES'                     
  /*                                                                    
  VEH. FIND VEHIC-VIEW WITH PERSONNEL-ID = PERSONNEL-ID (EMP.)          
    
    IF NO RECORDS FOUND                                                 
      MOVE '*** NO CAR ***' TO MAKE                                     
    END-NOREC                                                    
    /*                               
    DISPLAY NOTITLE                  
            NAME (EMP.) (IS=ON)      
            FIRST-NAME (EMP.) (IS=ON)
            MAKE (VEH.)              
  END-FIND                           
  /*                                 
END-READ                             
END

Output of Program FNDIFN:

        NAME              FIRST-NAME              MAKE        
-------------------- -------------------- --------------------
                                                              
JONES                VIRGINIA             CHRYSLER            
                     MARSHA               CHRYSLER            
                                          CHRYSLER            
                     ROBERT               GENERAL MOTORS      
                     LILLY                FORD                
                                          MG                  
                     EDWARD               GENERAL MOTORS      
                     MARTHA               GENERAL MOTORS      
                     LAUREL               GENERAL MOTORS      
                     KEVIN                DATSUN              
                     GREGORY              FORD                
JOPER                MANFRED              *** NO CAR ***      
JOUSSELIN            DANIEL               RENAULT             
JUBE                 GABRIEL              *** NO CAR ***      
JUNG                 ERNST                *** NO CAR ***      
JUNKIN               JEREMY               *** NO CAR ***      
KAISER               REINER               *** NO CAR ***

Example 13 - Using System Variables with the FIND Statement 

** Example 'FNDVAR': FIND (using *ISN, *NUMBER, *COUNTER)               
************************************************************************
DEFINE DATA LOCAL                                                       
1 EMPLOY-VIEW VIEW OF EMPLOYEES                                         
  2 PERSONNEL-ID                                                        
  2 NAME                                                                
  2 CITY                                                                
END-DEFINE                                                              
*                                                                       
LIMIT 3                                                                 
FIND EMPLOY-VIEW WITH CITY = 'MADRID'                                   
  DISPLAY NOTITLE PERSONNEL-ID NAME                                     
                  *ISN *NUMBER *COUNTER                                 
END-FIND                                                         
*                                                                       
END

Output of Program FNDVAR

PERSONNEL         NAME            ISN         NMBR        CNT     
   ID                                                             
--------- -------------------- ----------- ----------- -----------
                                                                  
60000114  DE JUAN                      400          41           1
60000136  DE LA MADRID                 401          41           2
60000209  PINERO                       405          41           3

Example 14 - Multiple FIND Statements

In the following example, first all people named SMITH are selected from the EMPLOYEES file. Then the PERSONNEL-ID from the EMPLOYEES file is used as the search key for an access to the VEHICLES file. 

** Example 'FNDMUL': FIND (with multiple files)                         
************************************************************************
DEFINE DATA LOCAL                                                       
1 EMPLOY-VIEW VIEW OF EMPLOYEES                                         
  2 PERSONNEL-ID                                                        
  2 NAME                                                                
  2 FIRST-NAME                                                          
1 VEHIC-VIEW VIEW OF VEHICLES                                           
  2 PERSONNEL-ID                                                        
  2 MAKE                                                                
END-DEFINE                                                              
*                                                                       
LIMIT 15                                                                
EMP. FIND EMPLOY-VIEW WITH NAME = 'SMITH'                           
  /*                                                                    
  VEH. FIND VEHIC-VIEW WITH PERSONNEL-ID = EMP.PERSONNEL-ID       
    IF NO RECORDS FOUND                                                 
      MOVE '*** NO CAR ***' TO MAKE                                     
    END-NOREC                                                           
    DISPLAY NOTITLE               
            EMP.NAME (IS=ON)      
            EMP.FIRST-NAME (IS=ON)
            VEH.MAKE              
  END-FIND                        
END-FIND                          
END

Output of Program FNDMUL:

The resulting report shows the NAME and FIRST-NAME (obtained from the EMPLOYEES file) of all people named SMITH as well as the MAKE of each car (obtained from the VEHICLES file) owned by these people. 

        NAME              FIRST-NAME              MAKE        
-------------------- -------------------- --------------------
                                                              
SMITH                GERHARD              ROVER               
                     SEYMOUR              *** NO CAR ***      
                     MATILDA              FORD                
                     ANN                  *** NO CAR ***      
                     TONI                 TOYOTA              
                     MARTIN               *** NO CAR ***      
                     THOMAS               FORD                
                     SUNNY                *** NO CAR ***      
                     MARK                 FORD                
                     LOUISE               CHRYSLER            
                     MAXWELL              MERCEDES-BENZ       
                                          MERCEDES-BENZ       
                     ELSA                 CHRYSLER            
                     CHARLY               CHRYSLER            
                     LEE                  *** NO CAR ***      
                     FRANK                FORD

Example 15 - SHARED HOLD Clause

FIND EMPL-VIEW WITH NAME = ...         
     IN SHARED HOLD MODE=Q  /* Record in shared hold until next record is read.
   ...
   GET EMPL-VIEW  *ISN      /* The record remains unchanged!
   ... 
END-FIND

Example 16 - SKIP RECORDS Clause

FIND EMPL-VIEW WITH NAME = ...  /* Records found are put in hold while reading.
     SKIP RECORDS IN HOLD       /* Records already held by other users are
  ...                           /* skipped to prevent error NAT3145.       
  UPDATE
  END TRANSACTION                                     
END-FIND