This document covers the following topics:
Most attributes are applicable to fields of all file types.
Basic attributes applying to different field types are described below. Type-specific attributes are described in the section Defining Derived Fields.
For general information on how to manage objects (for example, how to add or copy an object), see the Predict Object Description documentation.
Unlike all other predefined object types, a node for the object type Field is not shown at the top level of the tree view window containing the list of all documentation objects.
Fields can only be added via the Field List tab of the object type File.
Fields can be modified in two ways:
via the Field List tab of the object type File, and
via the dialog box which appears when you open a field (see Defining Additional Attributes of Fields).
Note:
Field type, level number, field format, field length and the
maximum number of values/occurrences can only be modified on the
Field List tab since these attributes influence the record
structure of a file.
The following information is displayed for fields:
Not all columns of the table on the Field List tab can be shown at the same time. Therefore, a horizontal scroll bar is provided. The columns are described below.
The following commands are available (in addition to the standard commands):
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
| Insert | Add a new row. You can also use the Ins and Del keys here. |
| Delete | Delete the selected row. |
| Import | Invoke the Find dialog box. Specify all search criteria in this dialog box. When you choose the button, all found fields are automatically copied to the end of the list |
| Source | Only available if derived fields can be specified. Invokes a new window in which you can define derived fields. See Defining Derived Fields. |
| Standard | Invokes a new window in which you can couple the selected field and a standard field. |
In addition, you can:
Switch from the field list editor to the line editor with the F2 and ESC keys.
Select all field entries and cut, copy and paste field entries using usual shortcut keys.
Select/unselect multiple entries in any combination using the mouse and cut, copy and paste field entries using the usual shortcut keys.
Drag and drop individual or multiple selected fields from one object to another.
The field type is indicated in the column Ty of the Field List tab. The following types can be specified:
| CM | Counter Field for multiple value field of type MU/MC |
| CP | Counter Field for periodic group of type PE/PC |
| DV | Derived field (SQL File types) see note below |
| GR | Group |
| HM | Hyperdescriptor as a multiple value field |
| HP | Hyperdescriptor as a field of a periodic group |
| HQ | Hyperdescriptor as a multiple value field of a periodic group |
| HY | Hyperdescriptor |
| MC | Multiple value field with automatic counter |
| MD | Indicator for union view. Can be set in the subquery editor only. MD indicates from which fields of the selected master file(s) the union, except or intersect view is created. See Editing the Subquery of an SQL View. |
| MU | Multiple value field |
| OD | Collation descriptor |
| PC | Periodic group with automatic counter |
| PE | Periodic group |
| PH | Phonetic descriptor |
| QN | SEQNO field |
| SB | Subfield/descriptor |
| SP | Superfield/descriptor |
| **,/* | Comment line |
| blank | None of the above. Normal field |
Note:
Derived field is also used in Predict as a generic term for
hyperdescriptors, phonetic descriptors and sub/superfields and
descriptors.
If HM, HP, HQ, HY, OD, PH, SB or SP is specified, an additional window can be invoked using the button. See Defining Derived Fields.
Within a redefinition, nested periodic groups (PE within a PE) can be defined in files of all types.
Outside of a redefinition, nested periodic groups can only be defined in files of the following types:
| S | Sequential file |
| C | Conceptual file |
| M | ISAM file |
| Z | Standard file |
| O | Other file |
The level number of the field is indicated in the column L of the Field List tab. The level number is used to define a group structure. Level numbers 1 to 9 can be used (except for Adabas files, see below).
The level number must be increment by 1 immediately following a field of type RE, PE, PC or GR.
For redefinitions, the level number must be at least one greater than the level number of the field being redefined.
The following rules apply to level numbers for Adabas files:
The PE/PC-groups, sub/superfields/descriptors, hyperdescriptors and phonetic descriptors must be at level 1.
Level numbers of fields outside a redefinition must be in the range 1 - 7.
The format of the field is indicated in the column F of the Field List tab. One of the following values can be specified (depending on the file type):
| A | Alphanumeric | IV | Interval |
| AL | Long varchar | L | Logical |
| AV | Varchar | LO | Large object |
| B | Binary/char for bit data | LX | Bfile |
| BL | Long varchar bit data | MO | Money |
| BT | Bit | MS | Smallmoney |
| BV | Varchar for bit data | N/U | Numeric unpacked |
| D | Date | NS/US | Numeric unpacked with sign |
| DS | Smalldatetime | OK | Object key |
| DT | Datetime | P | Packed numeric |
| F | Floating point | PS | Packed numeric with sign |
| FD | Decimal floating point | S | Serial |
| G | Graphic | T | Time |
| GL | Long vargraphic | TK | Table key |
| GV | Vargraphic | TS | Timestamp |
| I | Integer | blank | Undefined |
See tables in the section Field Length for valid combinations of format and length.
The following rules apply:
Any format/length combination is allowed for the file types C (conceptual) or Z (standard).
For groups, this attribute must be blank.
For sub/superfields/descriptors in Adabas files, the appropriate format is provided by Predict based on the formats of the fields used. See Rules Applying to Format Changes.
The following formats are valid for fields within a redefinition: A, B, D, F, I, L, N/U, NS/US, P, PS, T.
The parameter Character set determines the format in which data is stored. It is indicated in column Cs of the Field List tab. The possible values depend on the file type and format.
| File Type | Format | Character Set | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ASCII | EBCDIC | Bitdata | Single Byte | Double Byte | Mixed Data | XML | |||
| Adabas | A, AV, LO | Y | Y | ||||||
| Adabas D | A, AL, AV | Y | Y | Y | |||||
| DB2 | A, AL, AV | Y | Y | Y | |||||
| LO | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | ||||
| Oracle | A, AL | Y | |||||||
| AV | Y | ||||||||
| LO | Y | Y | |||||||
| Informix | A, AV | Y | |||||||
| AL | Y | ||||||||
| Ingres | A,AV | Y | |||||||
| AL | * | Y | |||||||
| Sybase | A, AV | * | Y | Y | Y | ||||
| AL | Y | ||||||||
Note:
A value must be specified for field types and formats marked
with an asterisk (*).
| Character Set | |
|---|---|
| ASCII | Data is stored in ASCII format. |
| EBCDIC | Data is stored in EBCDIC format. |
| Bitdata | Data is stored in binary form, no conversion is performed. |
| Single Byte | Data is stored in single-byte format. Double-byte characters are not possible. |
| Double Byte | Data is stored in double-byte format. String comparisons function differently to single-byte data. |
| Mixed Data | Data is stored in single and double-bytes. Data is subject to DB2 rules for multiple-byte character sets. |
| XML | Data is stored in XML format. |
The following character set is used to define wide character fields.
| Adabas | Predict | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Format | Option | Format | Character Set |
| A | A | blank or single | |
| W | A | Mixed | |
| A | LA | AV | blank or single |
| W | LA | AV | Mixed |
| A | LB, L4 | LO | blank or single |
| W | LB, L4 | LO | Mixed |
Note:
Option L4 applies to Adabas on Open Systems Version 5 or above
only.
The field length is indicated in column Length of the Field List tab. This length is independent of its internal representation. When generating external objects, the field length is adjusted according to the internal representation of data used by the data storage system. For example: a field which is documented with length P9 is implemented with length P5 by the Adabas LOADER utility and the Adabas nucleus.
The following additional rules apply:
For files of type C (conceptual) or Z (standard): Any format/length combination is allowed, and field length zero is permitted for all field formats.
For groups and phonetic descriptors: Field length must be set to zero.
For sub/superfields/descriptors in Adabas files: The appropriate length is provided by Predict based on the definition.
For large object fields: A field length greater than 99999 byte can be defined by entering an additional length unit in the Unit column.
Valid values:
| blank | bytes |
| K | kilobytes |
| M | megabytes |
| G | gigabytes |
for example, the term 96 implies a field length of 96 bytes while the term 96 M implies a field length of 96 megabytes.
The table on the following pages contains the valid format/length combinations for fields of the following file types:
| Column | File Type |
|---|---|
| A / U | Adabas file / userview |
| A(SQL) / AT / B | Adabas file with SQL usage, Adabas cluster table, Adabas SQL view |
| BT / BV | Adabas D table / view |
| D / E / IT / IV / MT | DB2 table / view / Intermediate table / view / DB2 query table |
| F | rdb file |
| I / J / K | IMS segment / segment layout / userview |
| JT / JV | Ingres table / view |
| L / R / V / W | Logical VSAM file / view / Physical VSAM file / view |
| M | ISAM file |
| O | Other |
| OT / OV | Oracle table / view |
| P / Q | Entire System Server file / userview |
| S | Sequential file |
| T | RMS file |
| X | General SQL file |
| XT / XV | Informix table / view |
| YT / YV | Sybase table / view |
Note:
The tables do not contain the file types C (conceptual) and Z
(standard). For these file types, any format/length combinations are
allowed.
| no length | Format is valid; length must not be specified. | ||||||||||||
| no restr. | No restrictions: any length may be specified. | ||||||||||||
| p.q (m/n) |
|
||||||||||||
| n.m - n2.m2 | Range of places before and after the decimal point. For example, fields of format MO for Sybase tables and views can have up to 15 places before the decimal point and up to 4 places after the decimal point (1.0 - 15.04). | ||||||||||||
| *1 | 0 means 2GB | ||||||||||||
| *2 | 0 means 4GB | ||||||||||||
| Field Format | A, U | A(SQL) AT, B | BT, BV | D, E, IT, IV, MT | F | I, J, K | JT, JV | L, R, V, W | M |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | 1-253 | 1-253 | 1-4000 | 1-254 | 1-253 | 1-253 | 1-2000 | 1-253 | no restr. |
| AL | 0-99999 *1 | 1-99999 | 0-99999 *1 | ||||||
| AV | 1-16381 | 1-32767 | 1-4000 | 1-32767 | 1-2000 | ||||
| B | 1-126 | 1-126 | 1-255 | 1-126 | 1-126 | 1-2000 | 1-126 | no restr. | |
| BL | 0-99999 *1 | ||||||||
| BT | |||||||||
| BV | 1- 32704 | 1-2000 | |||||||
| D | no length | no length | no length | no length | no length | no length | no length | no length | |
| DS | |||||||||
| DT | no length | ||||||||
| F | 4 / 8 | 4 / 8 | 4 / 8 | 4 / 8 | 4 / 8 | 4 / 8 | 4 / 8 | 4 / 8 | |
| FD | 9 / 17 | ||||||||
| G | 1-127 | ||||||||
| GL | 1-16383 | ||||||||
| GV | 1-16383 | ||||||||
| I | 1 / 2 / 4 / 8 | 1 / 2 / 4 / 8 | 2 / 4 | 2 / 4 / 8 | 1 / 2 / 4 / 8 | 1 / 2 / 4 / 8 | 1 / 2 / 4 | 1 / 2 / 4 / 8 | 1 / 2 / 4 / 8 |
| ID | |||||||||
| IV | |||||||||
| IY | |||||||||
| L | no length | no length | no length | no length | no length | ||||
| LO | up to 2 GB | up to 2 GB | |||||||
| LX | |||||||||
| MO | no length | ||||||||
| MS | |||||||||
| N | p.q (29/29) | p.q (29/29) | p.q (29/29) | p.q (29/29) | p.q (29/29) | p.q (29/29) | |||
| NS | p.q (29/29) | p.q (29/29) | p.q (18/18) | p.q (31/31) | p.q (29/29) | p.q (29/29) | p.q (29/29) | p.q (29/29) | |
| OK | no length | ||||||||
| P | p.q (29/29) | p.q (29/29) | p.q (29/29) | p.q (29/29) | p.q (29/29) | p.q (29/29) | |||
| PS | p.q (29/29) | p.q (29/29) | p.q (18/18) | p.q (31/31) | p.q (29/29) | p.q (29/29) | p.q (29/29) | p.q (29/29) | |
| S | |||||||||
| T | no length | no length | no length | no length | no length | no length | no length | no length | |
| TK | no length | ||||||||
| TS | no length | no length | |||||||
| U | p.q (29/29) | p.q (29/29) | p.q (29/29) | p.q (29/29) | p.q (29/29) | p.q (29/29) | |||
| US | p.q (29/29) | p.q (29/29) | p.q (18/18) | p.q (31/31) | p.q (29/29) | p.q (29/29) | p.q (29/29) | p.q (29/29) |
| Field Format | O | OT, OV | P, Q | S | T | X | XT, XV | YT, YV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | no restr. | 1-2000 | no restr. | no restr. | 1-253 | 1-253 | 1-32762 | 1-255 |
| AL | 0-99999 *1 | 0-99999 *1 | 0-99999 *1 | |||||
| AV | 1-2000 | 1-32762 | 1-255 | |||||
| B | ||||||||
| BL | no restr. | 1-126 | no restr. | 1-126 | 1 | |||
| BT | ||||||||
| BV | no length | |||||||
| D | no length | no length | no length | no length | no length | |||
| DS | no length | |||||||
| DT | no length | no length | no length | |||||
| F | 4 / 8 | 4 / 8 | 4 / 8 | 4 / 8 | 4 / 8 | 4 / 8 | 4 / 8 | |
| FD | ||||||||
| G | ||||||||
| GL | ||||||||
| GV | ||||||||
| I | 1 / 2 / 4 / 8 | 2 / 4 | 1 / 2 / 4 / 8 | 1 / 2 / 4 / 8 | 1 / 2 / 4 / 8 | 1 / 2 / 4 / 8 | 2 / 4 | 1 / 2 / 4 |
| ID | ||||||||
| IV | 7 / 17 | |||||||
| IY | ||||||||
| L | no length | no length | no length | |||||
| LO | 0-99999 *2 | |||||||
| LX | 0-99999 *2 | |||||||
| MO | p.q (32767/99) | 1.0 - 15.04 | ||||||
| MS | 1.0 - 6.04 | |||||||
| N | p.q (29/29) | p.q (29/29) | p.q (29/29) | p.q (29/29) | p.q (32/32) | p.q (38/38) | ||
| NS | p.q (29/29) | p.q (29/29) | p.q (29/29) | p.q (29/29) | p.q (29/29) | p.q (32/32) | ||
| OK | ||||||||
| P | p.q (29/29) | p.q (29/29) | p.q (29/29) | p.q (29/29) | p.q (32/32) | |||
| PS | p.q (29/29) | p.q (29/29) | p.q (29/29) | p.q (29/29) | p.q (29/29) | p.q (32/32) | ||
| S | no length | |||||||
| T | no length | no length | no length | no length | ||||
| TK | ||||||||
| TS | no length | no length | ||||||
| U | p.q (29/29) | p.q (29/29) | p.q (29/29) | p.q (29/29) | p.q (32/32) | |||
| US | p.q (29/29) | p.q (29/29) | p.q (29/29) | p.q (29/29) | p.q (29/29) | p.q (32/32) |
| Field Format | 1 | 2 |
|---|---|---|
| A | 1-253 | 1-253 |
| AL | ||
| AV | ||
| B | ||
| BL | 1-126 | 1-126 |
| BT | ||
| BV | ||
| D | no length | no length |
| DS | ||
| DT | ||
| F | 4 / 8 | 4 / 8 |
| FD | ||
| G | ||
| GL | ||
| GV | ||
| I | 1 / 2 / 4 / 8 | 1 / 2 / 4 / 8 |
| ID | ||
| IV | ||
| IY | ||
| L | no length | no length |
| LO | ||
| LX | ||
| MO | ||
| MS | ||
| N | p.q (29/29) | p.q (29/29) |
| NS | p.q (29/29) | p.q (29/29) |
| OK | ||
| P | p.q (29/29) | p.q (29/29) |
| PS | p.q (29/29) | p.q (29/29) |
| S | ||
| T | no length | no length |
| TK | ||
| TS | ||
| U | p.q (29/29) | p.q (29/29) |
| US | p.q (29/29) | p.q (29/29) |
Note:
For format LO the length can be specified in units of KB, MB or
GB. Enter the desired value followed by the corresponding character (K for KB,
M for MB and G for GB). For limitations refer to the above tables.
The table below indicates the DBMS format and the corresponding Predict format for fields in files of the following types:
| BT, BV | Adabas D table/view |
| JT, JV | Ingres table/view |
| OT, OV | Oracle table/view |
| XT, XV | Informix table/view |
| YT, YV | Sybase table/view |
| n | length | ||||
| p,q |
|
| File Type | DBMS Format | Predict Format | Character Set |
|---|---|---|---|
| BT, BV | BOOLEAN | L | |
| CHAR(n) | A(n) | ||
| CHAR(n) ASCII | A(n) | ASCII | |
| CHAR(n) BYTE | A(n) | Bitdata | |
| CHAR(n) EBCDIC | A(n) | EBCDIC | |
| DATE | D | ||
| FIXED(p,q) | NU, US, or PS | ||
| FLOAT(15) | F4 | ||
| FLOAT(18) | F8 | ||
| INTEGER | I4 | ||
| LONG | AL | ||
| LONG ASCII | AL | ASCII | |
| LONG BYTE | AL | Bitdata | |
| LONG EBCDIC | AL | EBCDIC | |
| SMALLINT | I2 | ||
| TIME | T | ||
| TIMESTAMP | TS | ||
| VARCHAR(n) | AV(n) | ||
| VARCHAR(n) ASCII | AV(n) | ASCII | |
| VARCHAR(n) BYTE | AV(n) | Bitdata | |
| VARCHAR(n) EBCDIC | AV(n) | EBCDIC | |
| JT, JV | BYTE(n) | B | |
| BYTE VARYING | BV | ||
| C(n) | A(n) | ||
| CHAR(n) | A(n) | Bitdata | |
| DATE | DT | ||
| DECIMAL (p,q) | PS | ||
| DECIMAL (p,q) | NS | ||
| DOUBLE PRECISION | F8 | ||
| LONG BYTE | BL | ||
| LONG VARCHAR | AL | Bitdata | |
| INTEGER | I4 | ||
| INTEGER1 | I1 | ||
| MONEY | MO | ||
| OBJECT_KEY | OK | ||
| REAL | F4 | ||
| SMALLINT | I2 | ||
| TABLE_KEY | TK | ||
| TEXT(n) | AV(n) | ||
| VARCHAR(n) | AV(n) | Bitdata | |
| OT, OV | BFILE | LX | |
| BLOB | LO | Bitdata | |
| CHAR(n) | A(n) | ||
| CLOB | LO | ||
| DATE | DT | ||
| DECIMAL(p,q) | NS | ||
| DECIMAL(p,q) | PS | ||
| DOUBLE PRECISION | F8 | ||
| INTEGER | I4 | ||
| INTERVAL DAY | ID | ||
| INTERVAL YEAR | IY | ||
| LONG | AL | ||
| LONG RAW | AL | Bitdata | |
| NCLOB | LO | Mixed data | |
| NVARCHAR2(n) | AV(n) | Mixed data | |
| RAW(n) | A(n) | Bitdata | |
| REAL | F4 | ||
| ROWID | A and type QN | ||
| SMALLINT | I2 | ||
| TIMESTAMP | TS | ||
| VARCHAR2(n) | AV(n) | ||
| XT, XV | BYTE | AL | Bitdata |
| CHAR(n) | A(n) | ||
| DATE | D | ||
| DATETIME YEAR TO FRACTION(5) | DT | ||
| DECIMAL(p,q) | NS | ||
| DECIMAL(p,q) | PS | ||
| FLOAT | F8 | ||
| INTEGER | I4 | ||
| INTERVAL DAY TO FRACTION(5) | IV | ||
| MONEY | MO | ||
| NCHAR(n) | A(n) | Mixed data | |
| NVARCHAR(n) | AV(n) | Mixed data | |
| REAL | F4 | ||
| SERIAL | S | ||
| SMALLINT | I2 | ||
| TEXT | AL | ||
| VARCHAR(n) | AV(n) | ||
| YT, YV | BINARY(N) | A(n) | Bitdata |
| BIT | BT | ||
| CHAR(N) | A(n) | Single byte | |
| DATETIME | DT | ||
| FLOAT | F8 | ||
| IMAGE | AL | Bitdata | |
| INT | I4 | ||
| MONEY | MO | ||
| NCHAR(N) | A(n) | Double byte | |
| NUMERIC, DECIMAL (p,q) | NS | ||
| NUMERIC, DECIMAL (p,q) | PS | ||
| NVARCHAR(N) | AV(n) | Double byte | |
| REAL | F4 | ||
| SMALLDATETIME | DS | ||
| SMALLINT | I2 | ||
| SMALLMONEY | MS | ||
| TEXT | AL | ||
| TIMESTAMP | TS | ||
| TINYINT | I1 or B1 | ||
| VARBINARY(N) | AV(n) | Bitdata | |
| VARCHAR(N) | AV(n) | Single byte |
The descriptor type is indicated in column D of the Field List tab. The possible values are given in this and the following table.
Descriptor fields can be of various types and control which fields
can be used in search criteria (for example in Natural FIND,
READ or HISTOGRAM statements). Natural programs can
only read Adabas files using fields that are defined as a descriptor (usually
type D). It should be part of the design to decide which fields are going to be
descriptors, superdescriptors etc.
Adabas however, has a feature where a file can be read using any field - regardless of whether it is a descriptor or not. This is called a non-descriptor search. For large data volumes, this can be very slow. This is because there are no indexes built for non-descriptor fields and a physical scan of the data is required. Despite, if there are only a few records, and it is understood that a physical file scan is taking place, then it can be useful on some occasions.
By putting N into the descriptor type in a DDM, Natural programs are allowed to use this field as a non-descriptor search field. That way you can control in the DDM which fields are allowed to be searched on.
The various descriptor types are documented in more detail in Columns of Field Attributes in the section Using the DDM Editor of the Natural Editors documentation.
| Code | Description | File Type | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A, U | AT, B, A(SQL) | M | O | F | S | T | IV, D, E, MT | C | I, J, K | P, Q | ||
| D | Descriptor/Index | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | |
| Disallow | ||||||||||||
| A | Alternate index | Y | Y | |||||||||
| N | Not inverted | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | ||
| Search field | Y | |||||||||||
| P | Primary Index | Y | Y | Y | ||||||||
| Q | Sequence | Y | Y | |||||||||
| E | Foreign key | Y | Y | Y | ||||||||
| F | Foreign index | Y | Y | Y | ||||||||
| Force | ||||||||||||
| K | Common Key | |||||||||||
| blank | No descriptor | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| None | ||||||||||||
| Code | Description | File Type | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Z | 1 | 2 | L, R, V, W | X | BT, BV | OT, OV | JT, JV | YT, YV | XT, XV | |||
| D | Descriptor/Index | Y | ||||||||||
| Disallow | Y | |||||||||||
| A | Alternate index | Y | Y | Y | ||||||||
| N | Not inverted | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | |||||
| Search field | ||||||||||||
| P | Primary Index | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | ||
| Q | Sequence | |||||||||||
| E | Foreign key | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | |||||
| F | Foreign index | Y | ||||||||||
| Force | Y | |||||||||||
| K | Common Key | Y | ||||||||||
| blank | No descriptor | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | ||
| None | Y | |||||||||||
The following rules apply:
In an Adabas file, the descriptor must be D if type HM, HP, HQ, HY (all hyperdescriptors), OD (collation descriptor) or PH (phonetic descriptor) is specified.
For a subdescriptor in an Adabas file, descriptor D and type SB (subfield) must be specified.
For a superdescriptor in an Adabas file, descriptor D and type SP (superfield) must be specified.
In a DB2 table, DB2 query table or Oracle table, if a key, partitioning key, cluster column or index (descriptor D, E, F or P) includes more than one field, the type SP (superfield) must be specified
In a VSAM file or userview (type L, R, V or W), the descriptor must be either P or A if type SP (superfield) is specified.
If A is specified for a field of a VSAM file (type L or V), an additional screen is displayed for entering the required definitions (see below).
Descriptor type must be blank for fields within a redefinition.
Maximum number of values for a multiple value field or occurrences of a periodic group is indicated in the Occ column of the Field List tab. This parameter must be specified for multiple value fields and for periodic groups in a redefinition.
| Field | Occurrences in range |
|---|---|
| Within a redefinition | 1- 99999 |
| Outside a redefinition | 1 - 65535 |
When generating Copy Code, the value specified is used as the default for generating the specifications of MU/MC or PE/PC fields in a format buffer and/or record buffer.
When generating ADACMP/ADAFDU definitions, the Occ parameter is evaluated. If Occ is specified, the number of occurrences of each input data record is constant.
If Occ is not specified, the number of occurrences is taken from a counter field preceding a MU/MC or PE/PC field.
Note:
For fields of type QN, the Occ column is used to identify either
the table level or an individual occurrence of a multiple value field or
periodic group.
The unique option is indicated in column U of the Field List tab. For groups, this attribute must be blank; for other fields, one of the following values can be specified:
| U | Unique. |
| X | Used for unique descriptors in PE to exclude the occurrence (index) number from the definition of uniqueness. |
| blank | Not unique. |
Unique option must be blank for fields within a redefinition.
For file types listed below, the field short name is indicated in the column DB of the Field List tab. This two-character short name must be defined for the following file types:
| A | Adabas file | L | Logical VSAM file |
| AT | Adabas cluster table | R | Logical VSAM view |
| I | IMS segment | U | Adabas userview |
| J | IMS segment layout | V | VSAM file (physical) |
| K | IMS userview | W | Physical VSAM view |
A field short name must conform to the rules for coding Adabas field names.
Field short names for userviews of Adabas, IMS and VSAM files need not be unique.
For fields within a redefinition, parameter Field short name must be blank.
Field short names for SQL tables and views are maintained internally by Predict and cannot be modified by users.
Rotated fields of files of type A (with SQL usage), type AT and B have the same short name and are identified uniquely by an occurrence number (column Occ).
For fields of Adabas files, the suppression option is indicated in column S of the Field List tab.
For fields of SQL files, the null value option is indicated in column N of the Field List tab.
For groups and for fields within a redefinition, this attribute must be blank. For other fields, one of the following values can be specified:
| F | Fixed length |
| N | Null value suppression |
| R | Not null |
| U | Null counted |
| blank | Normal suppression |
| Parameter | SQL File Types | Other File Types |
|---|---|---|
| Null value suppression | N | |
| Fixed Length | F | |
| Null allowed | U | U |
| Not null | R | R |
| Normal suppression | blank |
With the profile parameter Automatic null value you can determine an automatic Suppression/Null Value option when fields are added in Predict. See Customizing Predict with Profiles in the section Predict User Interface in the Introduction to Predict documentation.
The value depends on the file type. See table below.
Dictionary View by default uses the profile SYSTEM.
| Parameter | All SQL File Types except X | File Type X | Other File Types |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unique option = Unique or Descriptor type = Primary or Field format = serial |
R | R | N |
| Others | U | blank | N |
Note:
SQL file types include files of type A with parameter Adabas
SQL usage set to Y.
For DB2 fields with Unique option = unique, values R and U are possible.
The variable length option for IMS fields is indicated in column S of the Field List tab. The following values are valid:
| Y | Variable length |
| blank | Fixed length |
The NULL default option for fields of SQL tables/views is indicated in the column Df of the Field List tab. Possible values:
| N | No default |
| Y | With default |
| blank | none |
For Ingres fields with format OK or TK, the following additional values are possible:
| S | SYSTEM_MAINTAINED |
| T | not SYSTEM_MAINTAINED |
| U | with default SYSTEM_MAINTAINED |
| V | with default not SYSTEM_MAINTAINED |
| W | not default not SYSTEM_MAINTAINED |
This parameter must be blank for fields within a redefinition.
The Natural field length is shown in the dialog box which appears when you open a field (see Defining Additional Attributes of Fields). You can define it on the Base Extensions tab. The following rules apply:
The parameter has to be specified if the field can be:
alphanumeric and greater than 253
graphic and greater than 126
numeric p.q (m/n) where p+q > 29 or q > 7.
See table of valid formats and lengths in the section Field Length.
The value specified here is the length that Natural can use for the field as defined in the DDM.
The "do not convert" option is allowed for A and AV format fields of the following file types:
Adabas file/userview
Conceptual file
This option is shown in the dialog box which appears when you open a field (see Defining Additional Attributes of Fields). You can define it on the Base Extensions tab.
This parameter is described in the section Rippling.
This parameter is described in the section Rippling.
The following attributes can be defined in the Natural Attributes tab:
The Natural headers are shown in the dialog box which appears when you open a field (see Defining Additional Attributes of Fields).
The Natural headers 1 - 3 are included in DDMs generated from the file containing the field.
Alphabetic characters in Natural headers are converted to upper-case if the Predict parameter Upper/lower case has been set to Y. See the section Defaults in the Predict Administration documentation.
This parameter is shown in the dialog box which appears when you open a field (see Defining Additional Attributes of Fields).
If this parameter is left blank (default), the maximum occurrences is generated for each element in the group.
The Natural edit mask. See the description of the DISPLAY statement in the Natural Statements documentation for further details.
This parameter is shown in the dialog box which appears when you open a field (see Defining Additional Attributes of Fields).
Alphabetic characters in the Natural edit mask are converted to upper-case if the Predict parameter Upper/lower case has been set to Y. See the section Defaults in the Predict Administration documentation.
This parameter is shown in the dialog box which appears when you open a field (see Defining Additional Attributes of Fields).
Specifies that the column is not visible in the result for SQL statements unless you explicitly refer to the column by name.
If you check the box, columns are not visible.
