DDBuilder: Defining General Table Attributes (Superseded)
DDBuilder has been superseded by the BASIS DBMS Data Dictionary module accessible from the BASIS IDE or the Enterprise Manager. Recommended for usage with ODBC/JDBC access to PRO/5, Visual PRO/5, BBj application data. DDBuilder is no longer included in the BBj download package as of version 12.0 but can be downloaded with Visual PRO/5.
To define the attributes (i.e, file type, name, and physical table attributes) for a table, do the following:
-
In the tree view, select the desired table to display the General Table properties page.
-
Enter data into the appropriate fields (each field is described under Fields).
Fields
Description
Enter a description of the table. This field can contain up to 128 characters.
Key Size
Define the table key size for DIRECT, SORT, C-ISAM, and single-key mode MKEYED files only. DIRECT and SORT file key sizes can range from 1-60 bytes. C-ISAM and single-key mode MKEYED file key sizes can range from 1-120 bytes.
Path
Enter the directory and file name of the data file associated with this table. By default, a name is generated based on the (DATA) global path.
Record Length
Define the physical record size of the table. The default is 0.
For DIRECT files, entering 0 defines the file as a SORT file. Record length is displayed as 0 for previously defined SORT files.
Type
Select the file type from the list box. The default file type for newly created files is multiple- key MKEYED.
|
File Type |
Description |
|---|---|
|
INDEXED |
A fixed record length file that can contain a dynamic number of records that can be accessed in sequential or random order. |
|
SERIAL |
A sequential file with variable length records and a dynamic file size. |
|
DIRECT/SORT |
Selecting this file type and setting the Record length to a value greater than 0 creates a DIRECT file. These files have a fixed number of records and fixed record length. DIRECT files have been largely superseded by MKEYED files but are often needed to describe existing files. |
|
STRING |
A file that contains a continuous string of characters, has no defined records, and grows dynamically as it is written. Also known as an ASCII file. |
|
DIRECTORY |
A DIRECTORY file contains lists of file names. Directory files can only be accessed as read-only sequential-access files. They cannot be created by using the Make command. |
|
MKEYED |
A single-key MKEYED file is created if a value is entered in the KeySize field, or a multiple-key MKEYED file is created if the Key Size field is set to 0. Multi-keyed MKEYED files can contain up to 16 indices, composed of up to 48 segments, per record. (These limits are not imposed by DDBuilder but are limitations of MKEYED files.) Although MKEYED files have a fixed record length, the number of records can grow dynamically. |
|
C-ISAM |
Keyed files similar to MKEYED files that are compatible with INFORMIX C-ISAM files. |
# of Records
Define the number of expected records based on file type. For INDEXED, C-ISAM, or MKEYED files, enter 0 for a dynamically created file, or a positive number from 1 to 999,999,999 for a fixed-length file.