What you can do with an exported file, data set, or CICS data queue

The import/export facility lets you:

• Provide query results to your application

  The purpose of many applications is to use the data produced by a QMF query. Use the QMF EXPORT command to get data out of the database and into your application.

• Create objects within your application and use them in QMF

  You can create an object outside of the QMF environment using the appropriate format for the object. When you import the file, data set, or CICS data queue containing the object into QMF, a new QMF object is created.

  You cannot import reports and charts into QMF.

• Store non-QMF objects in the database

  When you import an object as a procedure or query object, QMF brings it into the QMF environment as is; it does not insert additional records or fields into the imported file. You can import any program or file that has a record length of 79 bytes or less.

• Make QMF objects available to other environments or products.
  CAUTION:
  Exported objects transfered between systems or environments are exposed to translation risks that can alter or destroy the exported object. IBM does not recommend transfering exported objects between environments running with different CCSIDs or character sets, such as between EBCDIC and ASCII systems, or between different NLF environments.

  You can use the CONVERT QUERY command to convert a prompted query or QBE query to an SQL query that you can export and use in other products. For more information on the CONVERT command, see QMF Reference.

  You can transfer QMF objects:

  • Between CMS sessions in VM
  • Between QMF under TSO, or native OS/390 batch and QMF under CICS using CICS extrapartition transient data queues
  • Over networks with SENDFILE
• Save objects and data outside of the database

  For example, in the middle of a program, you can export your data so that an external program can manipulate it.

• Create bilingual applications

  You can create a QMF form in your presiding language, and translate it to English using the LANGUAGE= option on the EXPORT command. You can also use the LANGUAGE= option on the IMPORT and EXPORT commands to translate an English form to your presiding language.