RE: Separate program for File retrieval

"when a new field is added to the file, you shouldn't have to recompile existing programs"

FWIW, SQL does that without externalizing your I/O.



-----Original Message-----
From: Vinay Gavankar [mailto:vinaygav@xxxxxxxxx]
Sent: Friday, June 30, 2017 8:33 AM
To: RPG programming on the IBM i (AS/400 and iSeries) <rpg400-l@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: Separate program for File retrieval

At my client, people are kicking around the idea of having a separate program (module) that will do any required I/O. Existing files already have tons of programs using them, so it would be done only for new files that get created.

The idea is that by doing that, if and when a new field is added to the file, you shouldn't have to recompile existing programs, unless they require the new field.

Nobody of knows what would be the performance implications of doing it.

Client does not allow compiling files with *lvlchk(*no) and any new fields are not necessarily added at the end of the file (they want keep the Audit Stamp fields always at the end of file).

Questions I have is:
1. Is it feasible
2. Is it worth it from performance enhancement/degradation standpoint 3. If yes, how would you actually code it (in RPGLE) so that all programs need not be recompiled.

Thanks in advance for any advise.
Vinay