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  • Subject: Re: Re[2]: CHGPF Question
  • From: DAsmussen@xxxxxxx
  • Date: Fri, 19 Sep 1997 20:03:59 -0400 (EDT)

Buck,

In a message dated 97-09-19 14:34:57 EDT, you write:

> >On 19 Sep 97 at 9:12, Buck Calabro wrote:
>  >
>  >> >And still others (myself included) consider it to be punishable by
>  >> >death...
>  >>  Why?  LVLCHK(*NO) is just another attribute of a file, like SIZE or
>  >> MAXMBRS...  If I create a file with 10 fields, write a hundred
>  >> programs, then add an eleventh field to the end, why should I be
>  >> forced to re-compile all one hundred programs, when I already KNOW
>  >> that none of them uses the new field?  I have never given this
>  >> question much thought before; seeing these quite strong responses
>  >> against the practise gives me pause....
>  >
>  >Buck:
>  >
>  >IMHO, Level Checking is one of the shining features of the AS/400. 
>  >It gives you the security of knowing that your files and programs
>  >are compatible.   I would far prefer to have a program fall over
>  >dead because of a level check error, than run the program w/o LVLCHK
>  >and run the risk of SOME OTHER program screwing up the data. 
>  >
>  >If you defeat this feature, you throw your entire database's 
>  >integrity into question..
>  >
>  >Again, this is all IMHO..
>  
>  David,
>       I understand where you're coming from, and I completely agree
>  with the basic idea, but consider my particulars:
>  * No documentation tool.  Finding all the programs that reference a
>     file is an arduous chore.  This means I'm not going to miss a few
>     programs; I'll miss a bunch.  The client is _very_ impressed by 
>     the quality of my work when her billing fails to run...

Use DSPPGMREF to an outfile.  It creates an easily-queryable data file.

>  * Some of my jobs do a SBMJOB CMD(CALL someRPG)  No CL.  That
>     means if it falls over, the client never knows about it until the data
>     is whacked.   Yes, I fix 'em when I find 'em, but they're still out
there.

Wouldn't be a problem if you included your own error-handling routines ;-)!

>  * The integrity problem is already worse than you probably imagine:
>     Because this stuff was mostly converted from S/36, the folks who did
>     the original AS/400 work did not understand decimal data errors very
>     well.  They changed the default CRTRPGPGM command to 
>     IGNDECERR(*YES).  That's right: we ALLOW decimal data errors in
>     the database.  (NOT my idea!!!)  If I can't make headway against THAT, 
>     then I have little hope against something that's less harmful 
>     (adding a field to the end.)

Well, this just proves my original point about the /34/36 vs the /400.  If
YOU, who (we will assume) know the database intricately don't know how to
eliminate the DDE's WHO DOES?  If you had LVLCHK and IGNDECERR(*NO) in place,
the task might not be so difficult.

>  When I was with my previous employer, we used Pathfinder and NEVER
>  did LVLCHK(*NO) because we were very confident that we knew all the
>  programs involved...  I wish I could do that again, but that is "pie in
the 
>  sky."

Again, use DSPPGMREF to an outfile.  Pathfinder ain't that hot (they use MI
programs if you're not at level 40 -- but 40 is a REQUIREMENT).  Pathfinder
also provides NO functionality that doesn't COME with the AS/400, they just
organize it neatly.

JMHO,

Dean Asmussen
Enterprise Systems Consulting, Inc.
Fuquay-Varina, NC  USA
E-Mail:  DAsmussen@AOL.COM

"Everywhere is walking distance if you have the time." -- Steven Wright
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