RE: how many item master files is too many?

>You'd be better off using the select count(*) as num_part from itemmast

Don't know about that. That would tell you how large your item master is
-- or more accurately, how many items you have in the master. I think
Joel is looking for how many instances of the item master you have on
the system. For example, 1 in production, 1 in training, 1 in QA, and 3
in developer libraries. 

However, I'm not sure I like the query he's running to find that out
(sorry Joel). While he's not looking directly at the record format level
id, he is looking at two of the key components of it, the number of
fields and the record length, and he's only looking for files w/the same
name, number of fields and length, and only physicals. 

I'd be less concerned about a system that had 10 copies of ITEMMAST that
were all the same than a system that had 4 copies all with different
record lengths and one of which was a logical. 

The more mature a development process is the more likely you'll have
multiple copies of a file, to support development & unit testing,
integration testing, QA testing, training, and production, for example.
However, if you have multiple files with the same name but different
record lengths I'd be really worried.

Oh, and if you're looking for complexity, don't forget to ask how many
files make up the "item master" file. I've seen situations that had:
ITEMMAST - the original file
ITEMMAST1 - new fields that are needed to describe an 
        item, but they didn't want to change ITEMMAST
ITEMMAST2 - more new fields, came about 2 years after ITEMMAST1,
        again, didn't want to change ITEMMAST or ITEMMAST1.

An "item" is made up of fields from all three files. Now we're getting
complex.

-Walden

------------
Walden H Leverich III
President & CEO
Tech Software
(516) 627-3800 x11
WaldenL@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
http://www.TechSoftInc.com

Quiquid latine dictum sit altum viditur.
(Whatever is said in Latin seems profound.)
  


-----Original Message-----
From: midrange-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:midrange-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Steve Dodkins
Sent: Thursday, 10 February, 2005 03:47
To: 'Midrange Systems Technical Discussion'
Subject: RE: how many item master files is too many?

You'd be better off using the select count(*) as num_part from itemmast




-----Original Message-----
From: Stone, Joel [mailto:StoneJ@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx]
Sent: 09 February 2005 18:25
To: Midrange Systems Technical Discussion
Subject: how many item master files is too many?


I would like to find out if my company's database is a bit too complex
(as
I'm sure many are).

One simple test I thought of comparing is: How many physical files of
one
type are a company's server.

For a simple sampling of other companies, I would like to know how many
item
master (product) files your company has on its AS/400.

If you would be able to provide this info (I will keep this anonomous of
course), I would be grateful.

Please do the following steps if you could:

1)      Identify the name of your item master file (to yourself), lets
call
it ITEMMAST

2)    Find out the number of fields in the file ITEMMAST, call it
#fields

3)    Find out the record length of ITEMMAST, call it reclen

4)      Run the following SQL statement

        runsql 'select * from qsys/qadbxref where dbxnfl=<#fields> and
dbxrdl=<reclen> and dbxatr=''PF'''


5)      jump to the bottom of the list

6)      make sure that the files appear to be actual item-master type
files

6)      Email the number of records to me.


Thank you so much for your assistance!
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