RE: SQL vs. traditional I/O?

["Dan Bale" <dbale@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

> -----Original Message-----
> From: midrange-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx / Carel Teijgeler
> Sent: Friday, July 23, 2004 1:20 PM
>
> Jim,
>
> It depends on what Os release you are. With V5R2 SQL has been
> enhanced to refer to columns (fields) in other tables when
> creating tables (files). I still think that that enhancement is
> more cludgy and cumbersome than the traditional field reference file.
>
> I wish there was a repository of fields (columns) somewhere to
> use for reference, both in SQL and DDS (file SYSCOLUMNS (an LF
> IIRC) perhaps?). Was IDDU not developped for that purpose?
>
> Regards,
> Carel Teijgeler.

I've never been a fan of the AS/400's implementation of FRFs.

 * You make a change to a field, or add one, in the FRF
   source, compile that, then compile the database file.

 * Try finding an appropriate field to reference in an FRF.

 * Limits on record length mean that FRF's usually take
   more than one file to accomplish.

It just seems real kludgy to use.

I would like to see FRFs utilized where a data file for storing FRF info is
defined, i.e.:
   A          R FRF@
   A            FRFFIELD      10
   A            FRFLENGTH      5  0
   A            FRFDTATYPE     1
   A            FRFDECPOS      2  0
   A            FRFTEXT       50
   A            FRFCOLUMN1    20
   A            FRFCOLUMN2    20
   A            FRFCOLUMN3    20
   A            FRFEDITCDE     1
   A            FRFEDITWRD    50
   A            FRFDATEFMT     5
   A            FRFTIMEFMT     5
   A            FRFDATACTG     2
   A            FRFLONGDES  2000

An application would be used to design data files and would use this "FRF"
file (it would NOT be SEU!).  Probably WDSCi / Code/400 does something along
these lines, although probably still is limited to the traditional FDF.  The
"design" application would then generate the required DDS or DDL, as
requested.  There's other stuff as well, I'm sure, that could be added to
that format, but it gives the gist of what I'm talking about.

IDDU?  With all due respect Carel, if I wanted to torture myself, I'd rather
listen to the Bee Gees.  It's been so long that I checked it out after your
post, created three field defs, a record format def, and a file def, but
darned if I can figger out how to create the file object!  IDDU is so
obscure after all these years because, IMO, it was such a kludge to begin
with.  And it never got better.  Might as well stick with SEU DDS specs!

db