Large Number of deleted records delaying EOF on a read?

As part of our Y2K changes we had to mirror 6digit versions and 8 digit
versions of some files. We set this up so that a trigger program would write
the records to a bucket file, and a never ending program would pick them up
and then process and pass them along to the mirror image file. Then delete
it form the bucket. The bucket file was unkeyed, so that FIFO processing
took place and updates stayed in sync.

Curiously enough after a couple weeks the whole thing slowed down
drastically. After much monitoring and study we found that because of the
large number of deleted records in the bucket file, the never ending program
read a record, delete it, then read the next record, but would delay the EOF
indicator coming on. Basically the program just seemed to wade through empty
deleted records before noting that the file was empty.

Once we re-organized the file all was well. So we set up regular, twice a
day re-org on the file and all seems Ok.

Question is, does the AS400 have a problem here, ie difficulty in
recognizing EOF on file with large (we're talking very large) numbers of
deleted records?
krisV
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krishnan@ozemail.com.au
http://www.ozemail.com.au/~krishnan



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