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Focal Point    Focal Point Forums  Hop To Forum Categories  WebFOCUS/FOCUS Forum on Focal Point     [CLOSED] Master file description change

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[CLOSED] Master file description change
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Gold member
posted
Hello All -

My requirement is increase a length of the input screen. currently STATE field length is 2 and the master file description is
FIELDNAME=STATE ,ALIAS=ST ,FORMAT=A2 ,FIELDTYPE=I,

Now it needs to be changed to length of 3.

I have increased the length to 3 as below
FIELDNAME=STATE ,ALIAS=ST ,FORMAT=A3 ,FIELDTYPE=I,

while I was issuing the TABLE FILE command I'm getting the junk values along with states values AZù. can anyone suggest me how to avoid this?

Please need your valueable suggestions.

Best Regards,
Poryes

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


WebFOCUS 7.6.13

Mainframe
all output (Report in mainframe)
 
Posts: 64 | Registered: February 24, 2010Report This Post
Virtuoso
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I suppose your database is a Focus database.
Did you make a backup before you changed the format?
How about running a rebuild?

If it is not a focus database, what does the DBA say about this action?




Frank

prod: WF 7.6.10 platform Windows,
databases: msSQL2000, msSQL2005, RMS, Oracle, Sybase,IE7
test: WF 7.6.10 on the same platform and databases,IE7

 
Posts: 2387 | Location: Amsterdam, the Netherlands | Registered: December 03, 2006Report This Post
Gold member
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Yes Frank, Its a Focus database.
No I didn't take a backup & running a rebuild.


WebFOCUS 7.6.13

Mainframe
all output (Report in mainframe)
 
Posts: 64 | Registered: February 24, 2010Report This Post
Expert
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Have you actually changed the data base or just the master? If the latter, make a copy of it and change the original back to what it was and see if you can TABLE the file. Hopefully that will go well.

If it does, please, please, please read the documentation on REBUILD REORG. Then back up your file. If your file is corrupted, please restore from backup. Then back it up.

To do the REBUILD REORG, you will need the old and the new master. Do the REBUILD unload with the old master and the load with the new master. When this part is done, rename the 'new' to the 'old' names and you should be ready to go.

As a caution to you, FOCUS data bases are a proprietary format. Please take copious backups and know what you are doing before you begin. I've been doing FOCUS for 26 years and still double-check everything before messing with a FOCUS file.

Good luck.


Ginny
---------------------------------
Prod: WF 7.7.01 Dev: WF 7.6.9-11
Admin, MRE,self-service; adapters: Teradata, DB2, Oracle, SQL Server, Essbase, ESRI, FlexEnable, Google
 
Posts: 2723 | Location: Ann Arbor, MI | Registered: April 05, 2006Report This Post
Virtuoso
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If what you are trying to do is increase the size of the input box on a CRTFORM, then changing the size of the field in the database file is not the way to go. Instead use the length attribute on your CRTFORM. For example:

"State: <STATE/3"


WebFOCUS 7.7.05
 
Posts: 1213 | Location: Seattle, Washington - USA | Registered: October 22, 2007Report This Post
Virtuoso
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Dan

What you suggest is IMHO not the way to go.
When you do that the user will insert a value ABC that is not accepted in teh database, since it is longer then A2.

After the database is changed (Backup, Rebuild) the next step might be an CRTFORM change.




Frank

prod: WF 7.6.10 platform Windows,
databases: msSQL2000, msSQL2005, RMS, Oracle, Sybase,IE7
test: WF 7.6.10 on the same platform and databases,IE7

 
Posts: 2387 | Location: Amsterdam, the Netherlands | Registered: December 03, 2006Report This Post
Gold member
posted Hide Post
Thanks Ginny and Dan for your prompt response.

Ginny I have changed only the master file not the database.

Dan, I'm using -PROMPT.
-PROMPT &&DST.ENTER 2 DIGIT STATE (GA NY).


WebFOCUS 7.6.13

Mainframe
all output (Report in mainframe)
 
Posts: 64 | Registered: February 24, 2010Report This Post
Virtuoso
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Changed only the master file.....

you should keep in mind the "MASTER" file means that it describes the file records, length, format etc in the real file.
If you change that, the application that reads that master file will think that the fieldlength IS 3 characters, where in real the next field starts in the last position of the described 3 char field.

The REBUILD command will change the fysical file structure, but as Ginny described do it as it needs to be done, CAREFULL.
Ginny told you she has 26 years of experience.....(so di I)
Go to your boss and demand some basic training.
(Web)Focus is not something like Excel!




Frank

prod: WF 7.6.10 platform Windows,
databases: msSQL2000, msSQL2005, RMS, Oracle, Sybase,IE7
test: WF 7.6.10 on the same platform and databases,IE7

 
Posts: 2387 | Location: Amsterdam, the Netherlands | Registered: December 03, 2006Report This Post
Virtuoso
posted Hide Post
Basically there are two ways of changing the record layout of a focus database.
1 - TABLE the file, store in a hold file; change the master; recreate the data base file with the CREATE command; reload the database with MODIFY (or MAINTAIN)
2 - do a rebuild, dump; change tha master file; recreate the data base file as above; do a rebuild, load.
Only changing the master is asking for problems and corrupted data base files.
Heed Frank's advise: make backups of your data regularly.
And: I second Frank's opinion that you really should demand some basic training.


GamP

- Using AS 8.2.01 on Windows 10 - IE11.
in Focus since 1988
 
Posts: 1961 | Location: Netherlands | Registered: September 25, 2007Report This Post
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