Re: Quick field scan

I use a method for customer selection, that creates a word key file, as defined 
below, JDE Edwards uses a similar technique . I used this technique to allow a 
word search through thousands of C.V. on a System 36. The performance is 
excellent, a section of the technical documentation is included

A new customer search facility has been added. This uses a word search 
technique. It works as follows

The Customer Word Search (LABCWD) is built, for all customers on the customer 
master (LABCUS). The program scans through the Customer Name, Worksite name, 
Address line 1, Address line 2, City, Postal code and State on LABCUS and the 
recipient name, phone number and old customer number, of the main
lab contact off the recipient file.

Layout of search Word file.
ACWORD     CHAR    10    B  Word Key
ACCUST     PACK     8.0  B  Customer Number
ACWFLD     CHAR     4    B  Word Field Name
ACWCTP     CHAR     1    B  Word Customer Type

A record is added to the LABCWD for each word that is found  in each of the 
above fields. A list of stop words is held on system code table prefix SW, 
these words are ignored for this build e.g. LTD STREET BOX  . Various special 
characters are determined to be word delimiters . These include '
',Comma, (,),- etc.

The user can then enter a word and a search is made using the keyed file, if 
the search is split up into separate words then after the first word is 
selected each found record can be checked against the 2nd, 3rd word etc.  This 
can be used where you have a customer with may locations, e.g. Ford, NY,
first all Fords are found then this list is filtered by use of NY - New York 
State. If you need further info Email me direct.

The performance is very fast, the file LABCWD can be built in batch overnight 
or on the fly in customer maintenance.



                                                                  
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Please respond to MIDRANGE-L@midrange.com

To:   MIDRANGE-L@midrange.com
cc:    (bcc: Nick Runnalls/BCTL/BurmahCastrol)
Subject:  Quick field scan




I need to provide a method to scan for a character string
contained anywhere within a field 25 characters long..
The user wants this to be an INTERACTIVE process.

the file contains around 75k to 100k records.

I have a rpg program that uses the scan op code within a do loop.

I run this program interactivelyand I get my results in about
 3 minutes (48cpw).
I say "Sorry, we are not going to eat up that many cycles for
this interactivly, we will run this in batch."

So my user asks:  "Well then, why is it that I can look at a
report in my outq with all the data (1400 pages) and scan
and find the data in 30 to 50 seconds, and It takes you 3
minutes?"

I know that there is something about spool files that makes
this type of scanning much faster.

so the questions are:
    Is there a method to perform this type of scan interactivly?
        (by interactive I mean, to go through 75k records in 30 to
         50 seconds)

    What is the reason that the spool file find is so much faster?


Thank you...


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