New Data Element wizard

Enter the fields of this wizard to create a Data Element.

Project
Select a project in the list or enter the name of the project in which the instance is to be saved.

A project represents the physical distribution of your instances in your workspace. It groups directories and files. It is used to organize resources that can be built, shared, or versioned.

A Pacbase project contains a subset of file that correspond to the models and the generated sources that constitute an application.

Package
A package corresponds to a logical group of information in a project.

If you are maintaining a Pacbase application, selecting a package is not advised. The instance override mechanism is then made easier because the overriding instance is always in the same package as the overridden instance. You do not need to manage the presence of both the instances in the same package, which is the requirement of an override.

Name
This name references the Data Element independently of any Data Structure, Report, or Screen to which the Data Element might belong. Including a Report, Screen or Segment name in the Data Element name is not necessary because it is automatically performed.

This name consists of alphabetic or numeric characters only. The following table lists the Data Element names that cannot be created:

Table 1. List of reserved Data Element names
Name Reserved for
FILLER Field alignment

ENPR

GRPR

ERUT

Error check fields on transaction files (options of the Batch Applications function)

Data Element error check

Segment error check

User-defined errors

Inherits from
A Data Element is an elementary concept. In your applications, you might want to use several technical variants of this concept. So to guarantee the coherence of your data, you manage these variants by creating parent and child Data Elements.

All Data Elements from the same family are logically linked in the database. A child Data Element cannot be a parent as well. The inheritance tree of the current instance displays its parent, if any, and its children, if any.

To specify a parent Data Element, click Change and select a Data Element in the selection wizard.

Internal format
This format, which is displayed in the Overview tab, is required, except if the Data Element is a Property.

The internal format is used when the Data Element is called in one of the following components:

  • An application file (permanent file, database, temporary file)
  • A Screen as a data-entry field, if no conversational format was specified. See the type of line field in the -D Lines tab of the Data Element editor.
This format is automatically transferred into the Segments where the Data Element is called. But you eventually select the appropriate format in the -CD Lines tab of the Programs that call these Segments.

You must ensure the compatibility between the input and internal formats.

The internal format must be coded like a COBOL picture (without print characters).
Notes:
  • If the format of a numeric Data Element is more than 10 characters long, you must omit the 9 that would normally be entered after the V. For example, S9(10)V9(3) must be entered as S9(10)V(3). This way of coding must not be used when the format is shorter than 10 characters
  • For Unicode-type Data Elements, you must indicate N(n) or a signed or unsigned numeric format.
The INTERNAL USAGE clause is associated with this format.
Note: If a Unicode-type Data Element has a signed numeric internal format, its internal usage must be X or 1.
Data Elements that represent a date can be assigned a symbolic format:
Table 2. Symbolic formats for dates
Symbolic value Meaning
D Without century (DDMMYY or MMDDYY)
I Without century (YYMMDD)
E Without century (DD/MM/YY or MM/DD/YY)
S With century (CCYYMMDD)
C With century (DDMMCCYY or MMDDCCYY)
M With century (DD/MM/CCYY or MM/DD/CCYY)
G Gregorian format (CCYY-MM-DD)
T Time format (HH:MM:SS)
TS Timestamp format
Note: For the formats that include a separator (E, G, M, and T), you can specify a separator after the character that represents the format, if you do not want to use the separator included by default in the format. For example, a G/ format generates CCYY/MM/DD instead of CCYY-MM-DD, which is the default Gregorian format.

For details on the use of the formats with the various types of Database Blocks, see the summary tables in chapter Columns: Data Elements of the Relational SQL Database Description manual at this URL:

http://www-01.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?rs=37&uid=swg27005477

Generation parameters
Generation parameters are specified in Libraries. These parameters are related to the adaptation to the operating system in use.

You select the Library by clicking Browse.

Label
Enter the label that identifies the instance. It will constitute a search criterion for a subsequent search.
Open editor on finish
Select this check box if you want to open the editor of the instance you are creating. The editor opens on the Overview tab. From there, you can access the other tabs to specify all the characteristics of the instance.

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