I am using Focus in Mainframes.
I want to allocate a same MFD file to five focus files and join them all to a single input file. One way which i used is to allocate the MFD file to one focus file and then use it in program and then free it. Then again allocate it to next and repeat the code. This works but it requires code repetition.
Is there any other efficient way to do it?

Manash

If these are FOCUS data files, then they can be concatenated in the USE command

USE
CAR1 AS CAR
CAR2 AS CAR
CAR3 AS CAR
END
JOIN COUNTRY IN CAR TO COUNTRY IN otherfile AS J1.
TABLE FILE CAR
.
.

This is fine if you want to JOIN from this structure. However you cannot JOIN directly to it from another file.

In a CLIST:

ALLOC F(CAR) DSNAME
('&SYSUID.CAR1.FOC' - OR +
'&SYSUID.CAR2.FOC' - OR +
'&SYSUID.CAR3.FOC') SHR REUSE

In JCL:

//CAR DD DSN=&SYSUID.CAR1.FOC,DISP=SHR
// DD DSN=&SYSUID.CAR2.FOC,DISP=SHR
// DD DSN=&SYSUID.CAR3.FOC,DISP=SHR

Tom

Your above technique will work with flat files but not with focus databases.

focus needs to find the fdt in the first page of the physical file and so will only be able to find it for the first in the concatenated list. The fdt's for the 2nd and 3rd files will be embedded somewhere in the concatenated file and never accessed.

This is why you use Alan's syntax where is file is picked out separately by a use command

John

I have not used USE command till now.Can anyone please elobrate how to use USE command in this case. My MFD file is 'country'.
And i have five FOCUS files -
myname.us1.focus
myname.us2.focus
myname.us3.focus
myname.us4.focus
myname.us5.focus
I need allocate the same MFD (i.e. 'country') to these five files and need to join the input file to these five files in my program.

Manash,

If you had your signature updated with your release and platform then someone might be able to give you specifics.

In this instance it would be a good idea to look at the documentation first and understand the command in your environment.

Click on the "Search the Technical Documentatin Library" link above and search on "USE" or "Identifying a FOCUS Data Source".

T

John,

You are correct, I had flat files on my mind. FOCUS DB's still need to be allocated, though, for each dataset...

... and this is where the signature piece comes in - knowing what platform someone is on when they ask a question.

Tom is giving an answer from a Z/OS platform point of view whereas on windows it would be different.

Help us to help you by changing your signature to include platform and release.

T

Sorry guys!
I have updated my signature now.

I tried the above case using 'USE' command but I am getting the following error

(FOC1850) MISMATCH IN NUMBER OF FILES IN COMPONENT OF CONCATENATION

The "USE" command is running fine in this case but when i am joining the input file to 'Country' after the 'USE' command, I am getting the above error.

Can anyone please tell me what could be the possible reason for this error?
In the above case -
the MFD 'Country' has a single cross reference file 'State'.

As Alan states above,

quote:

This is fine if you want to JOIN from this structure. However you cannot JOIN directly to it from another file.

I need to JOIN TO this structure not JOIN FROM this structure. Any way to do it?

Manash

MATCH FILE is a merge based JOIN facility that allows you to perform UNIQUE JOINs. (JOIN to MULTIPLE|ALL is not supported)

Because it is merge based it also allows FULL OUTER joins (not available any where else). However being merge based means that it may not be as efficient as index based joins.

BUT ITS GREATEST ADVANTAGE IS THAT IT PLACES NO RESTRICTIONS ON THE DATA SOURCES TO BE JOINED. THEY CAN BE FLAT FILES OR UNINDEXED DATA OR DATA THAT IS A CONCATENATION FROM MANY INDIVIDUAL DATABASES.

To convert

JOIN [INNER|LEFT_OUTER] fld1a [AND fld1b]... IN table1 TO UNIQUE fld2a [AND fld2b]...IN table2
TABLE FILE table1
{WebFOCUS request}
END

Here is the equivalent MATCH based JOIN.

MATCH FILE table2
SUM
{list of fields required from table2}
BY fld2a
[BY fld2b]...
RUN
FILE table1
PRINT
{list of fields required from table1}
BY fld1a AS fld2a
[BY fld1b AS fld2b]...
AFTER MATCH HOLD AS holdfile [NEW|OLD AND NEW|OLD OR NEW]
END
-RUN
TABLE FILE holdfile
{WebFOCUS request}
END

The MATCH options correspond to the JOIN options.

NEW = LEFT_OUTER
OLD-AND-NEW = INNER
OLD-OR-NEW = FULL_OUTER - Not supported under wf JOIN syntax - the only way to accomplish is via MATCH FILE.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: hammo1j,