I'm still working in an old version of mainframe FOCUS and am trying to run a program that uses a huge (350 cylinders!) flat file. When I try t0o do a simple TABLE FILE against the flat file, with no criteria, I get absolutely nothing for my output. I've increased the size of my sort regions, but still, nothing.

If anyone has an idea or two, I'd love to hear it. Thanks in advance!

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

Is there data in the file?
Did you try a recordlimit of 1 or 10?
Are you sure it is reading the correct mfd?
Do you have the file allocated correctly?
Did you try tableF so it does not use the internal matrix?

Hi, Kathy,

01) Yes
02) No
03) Yes
04) Yes
05) No

Thanks for the great suggestions. I'll work with the ones I replied to with "No" and see what comes out. It's just interesting that when I had a file with about half as many records that the program worked well. I appreciate your replying.

Can you show us the maser file? I would suggest putting the location of the data file into the master file just to make sure the MFD you are using is pointing to the correct location of its data. This would look something like:

FILE=FLATFILE, SUFFIX=FIX, DATA=WF.PROD.DATA.FLATFILE

where the DATA= is the location of the dataset holding the flat file

Sure! Here's the master I've been using:

 $*****************************************************************        
 $***                                                                      
 FILENAME=STUDENT,SUFFIX=FIX                                               
 $*****************************************************************        
 SEGNAME=ONE,SEGTYPE=S0                                                    
   FIELD=STUDSSN      ,ALIAS=STUDSSN  ,A09  ,A09  ,TITLE='STUDENT SSN  ',$ 
   FIELD=STUDID       ,ALIAS=STUDID ,  A09  ,A09  ,TITLE='STUDENT ID   ',$ 
   FIELD=STUDNAME     ,ALIAS=STUDNAME  A60  ,A60  ,TITLE='STUDENT NAME ',$ 
 

The program is run in an MVS/TSO environment, and so my data file is a cataloged data set, which should be found by the program. I get absolutely no errors, but as my log file shows, I get no records:

 
                                                       
  TABLEF FILE STUDENT                                  
  PRINT STUDID STUDNAME                                
  BY STUDSSN                                           
  WHERE RECORDLIMIT EQ 1000                            
  ON TABLE HOLD AS STUD FORMAT FOCUS INDEX STUDSSN     
  END                                                  
0 HOLDING FOCUS FILE...                                
1                                                      
0 NUMBER OF RECORDS IN TABLE=        0  LINES=      0  
0                                                      
 

This has me confused...

So do you have a DYNAM ALLOC (FILEDEF) somewhere to associate the data file with the master file? WF will not find the data for a flat (FIX) file without one. As I mentioned earlier, try putting the DATA= section in the MFD. That should resolve the problem.

Yes, my DYNAM ALLOC (FILEDEF) is in my FOCEXEC. Incidentally I am running mainframe FOCUS, not WF but I guess it would be similar.

Please show us the DYNAM ALLOC command.

Actually, I got it working! What I did was to delete the MVS/TSO file I had previously uploaded, reallocated the file to have 80 character records with a blocksize of 80, and then FTP'ed my PRN file back onto MVS/TSO. That solved my problem. Not really sure, but it looks like the blocksize I was previously using caused records to be stair-stepped and so when I smoothed out records to be 80 characters, the stair-stepping disappeared.

I wish to thank all of you who replied to my plicht and to all who offered help, thoughts and suggestions. Thank you all so very much!

do you have something like an ACX file?

It would have been interesting to see the DCB's of the dataset.

Also, you could have checked the file by, assuming you have ISPF, editing the file.

I think that you could have read the file if the correct DCB info was given in your DYNAM ALLOC, that is LRECL and RECFM

Frank,

I don't have any idea what an ACX is. I'm running an antiquated version of mainframe FOCUS.

Waz,

Those thoughts are good, but a little "after the fact," so to speak. In any case, re-allocating the file prior to loading it to the mainframe gave it a good DCB. And, the way we discovered the problem was by editing the file and looking to the rightmost "edge" of the file.
It was little frustrating, especially when we got no error messages.

Thanks to you both for replying...it's appreciated.

quote:

I don't have any idea what an ACX is

An ACX file is a file describing where the data is coming from. These usually are used for RDBMS's, and some other file types.


For a flat file, you won't need it.