This document covers the following topics:

• Common File Attributes

• Defining Basic File Attributes

For general information on how to manage objects (for example, how to add or copy an object), see the Predict Object Description documentation.

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Common File Attributes

The following attributes are applicable to all or most file types.

• File ID

• File Type

• File number

• Natural Construct Parameters

File ID

For naming conventions valid for all object types see Naming Conventions.

Special naming conventions apply to SQL file types. See overview in the section Naming Conventions for SQL Objects.

File Type

A file object has one of the following types. The file type must be compatible with the database in which it is contained.

File Type	Description
A	Adabas File
AT	Adabas Cluster Table
B	Adabas SQL view
C	Conceptual File
D	DB2 table
E	DB2 view
F	rdb file
I	IMS segment
J	IMS segment layout
K	IMS userview
L	Logical VSAM file
M	ISAM file
O	Other file
P	Entire System Server file
Q	Entire System Server userview
R	Logical VSAM view
S	Sequential file
T	RMS file
U	Adabas userview
V	VSAM file (physical)
W	VSAM userview
X	General SQL file
Z	Standard file
1	LEASY
2	ISAM BS 2000
OT	Oracle table
OV	Oracle view
BT	Adabas D table
BV	Adabas D view
JT	Ingres table
JV	Ingres view
YT	Sybase table
YV	Sybase view
XT	Informix table
XV	Informix view
IT	Intermediate table
IV	Intermediate view
MT	DB2 query table

File number

The number of the file. The possible value depends on the file type:

File Type	File Number
AT, J, K, Q, R, U	File number is taken from the specified master file
B, D, E, I, X, BT, BV, IT, IV, JT, JV, OT, OV, XT, XV, YT, YV, MT	not applicable
A, V, L, T, P, 1, 2	1 - 32767
Other file types	1 - 99999

Natural Construct Parameters

The following parameters are only relevant if you are using Natural Construct.

Parameter	Description
Literal name	String to be used by Natural Construct in messages issued to confirm (un)successful access of a file via a DDM generated from the Predict file object.
Average count	The average number of records contained in the file.
Stability	Indicates how permanent the data contained in the file is. F Fixed. The file contains information which will always be valid, for example days of the week. S Stable. The file contains information which does not change very often, for example file EMPLOYEES. V Volatile. The file contains information which is constantly being updated, for example an invoice file. blank Not specified (default value).

Defining Basic File Attributes

When you add a file, you first have to specify the file type in the New Predict Object dialog box.

When you choose the OK button, a file type-specific window appears. The file type is indicated in the title bar.

The following sample window shows the parameters which apply to all types of files.

General Parameters
Has Master Files	This parameter can be found in the Mandatory Association section. This section is only shown for the file types listed below. For the file types listed below, enter the ID of the related file. The type of related file is given below: File Type Type of Master File AT A Adabas File J and K I IMS segment L and W V Physical VSAM File Q P Entire System Server File R L Logical VSAM File U A Adabas File
File number	See the table of possible values in the section File number.
Logical distribution type	How the logical file is to be stored: E Expanded P Partitioned N Propagator file. Not applicable when defining data distribution for Adabas Vista. blank Simple file (default). Note: This parameter is only applicable to files of type Adabas. For files of other types, this parameter must be blank.