Re: Using generic program to read multiple file formats -- MIDRANGE-L

More BS from Al Macintyre

Products we used in our last conversion included documentation from ASNA, the 
FILE TRACK jigsaw puzzle tool I previously mentioned, and NCS Professional 
from Applied Logic of Salem Oregon ... they also have some other tools such 
as FEU = File Edit Utility.  Basically, with NCSPRO, we were able to take raw 
files that had been ported to AS/400 via restore 36 with no external 
definitions, analyse the content with a variety of options on the fly, 
creating both DDS and programs to create DDS with the data, removing stuff 
that might cause decimal data errors because of it being in a form not 
supported by AS/400.

There is an infinity of products to take AS/400 reports or data & put it into 
a file format that is acceptable to any PC application.  You'll find Buyer's 
Guides & comparisons of features for this type of product from such 
internet/400 resources & trade press as
http://www.midrange.com
http://www.midrangecomputing.com
http://www.as400network.com
http://www.forums400.com
http://400times.co.uk
http://www.ignite400.org/

But what you really need is a product to take the information in the OPPOSITE 
direction, from any PC application to the 400.  Some such products exist, but 
they are much rarer.  For example, 
http://www.unbeatenpathintl.com/services.html "Bells & Whistles" can take 
ERP/400 data to PC to produce user friendly reports, massage the data like 
simulation form & return it to the 400, without messing up the original 400 
package.  But in this scenario, the developer knows the application on both 
PC & 400.

You want to be able to work it without advance knowlege of how the data on PC 
was organized.

The best route you might take towards that goal is to look at those products 
designed to accept data on a web site powered by PC software & input it in 
meaningful form to the 400, such as those provided by http://www.lansa.com & 
http://www.seagullsw.com

I hope that my insight into your challenge has offered up some worth while 
nuances.

>  From:    Al Macintyre earlier on this topic said
>  
>  My experience may not be in the right areas, but what I have seen is that 
>  even though AS/400 promotes externally described files, you CAN do 
> internally described on AS/400 ... 
> in a few cases where I have converted S/36 RPG to run 
>  on AS/400, it has been less trouble to leave some stuff as internally 
>  described than convert it all the way to AS/400 format.
>  
>  However, the LENGTH of the file is not a variable that can be altered at 
run 
>  time as far as I can see.  You have to create a program with a generic 
>  length, then populate your file so that it fits into that generic length. 
>  then the program should run fine.
>  
>  I am thinking that if you do RPG on 400 in which the file is defined 
>  internally rather than externally & the contents are 1 humongous alpha 
field,
>  that might be a good starting point.
>  
>  You might look at what utilities exist for migrating software from OS that 
>  did not have externally described files to those that do ... as I recall 
when 
>  we were coming from S/36 there were an abundance of tools that could 
access 
>  programs written in RPG/36 & construct external description DDS from the 
>  aggregate of several RPG/36 programs that contained between them all the 
>  fields described using internally described files.
>  
>  I think you need to get at similar packages that can read whatever passes 
> for source code on PC so that it feeds in the specifications that the PC or 
MAC 
>  used for that file & get the AS/400 data base equivalent.
>  
>  You might find helpful http://www.outlookcomputing.com
>  
>  With this tool you can play jig saw puzzle with data coming from different 
>  file layouts  to populate final target based on business rules that you 
>  establish.  I like the product & have used it on major conversion projects.
>  
>  >  From:    rob.dixon@erros.co.uk (Rob Dixon)
>  
>  >  Al
>  >  
>  >  Many thanks to you and to the others who have replied for your
>  >  suggestions.
>  >  
>  >  I want to read a file that did not exist when the
>  >  generic program was compiled, by using a file override.  
>  >  The files will probably be sequential files without a keyfield.  
>  >  They may have come from PC or MAC
>  >  database files converted to TAB or COMMA delimited (variable length
>  >  records) or if they are not too large may have been converted
>  >  via a spread sheet into fixed
>  >  length records.  No DDS exists for them.  
>  >  I wish to read them just once to
>  >  convert them for loading into my Neural Database.  I will define the
>  >  fields within the Neural Database so that I don't need to do any program
>  >  writing or recompilation.
>  >  
>  >  I would also like to be able to read DB2/400 files in a generic program 
by
>  >  reading in the field descriptions and breaking down the record using
>  >  these within
>  >  the generic program without recompilation.  I know that there are/have
>  >  been utilities that do this.  
>  >  
>  >  It maybe that if I did it before successfully, which may well have been
>  >  on a System /38, that I used program defined files whereas now I have 
tried
>  >  with an externally defined file.

Al Macintyre  ���
MIS Manager Green Screen Programmer & Computer Janitor of BPCS 405 CD Rel-02 
running on AS/400 V4R3 http://www.cen-elec.com Central Industries of 
Indiana--->Quality manufacturer of wire harnesses and electrical 
sub-assemblies
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