Data Source Files

Restriction: This topic applies only when the AppMaster Builder AddPack has been installed, and applies only to Windows platforms.

Each data view you create is defined by the addition of one or more native data source files and/or manually coded Database Definition Interface (DDI) files. You can create new data source files from the Data View Explorer using the editor in AppMaster Builder, or you can add existing data files coded elsewhere.

Native data source

AMB supports the following types of native data source you can add to a data view:

IMS PSB and DBD sources
You can add native IMS PSB and DBD data source directly into AppMaster Builder as is - no changes required.
SQL DDL source
You can add native SQL DDL to AppMaster Builder data views using code that follows accepted SQL DDL coding practices with the following additional requirements:
  • Do not use TIMESTAMP as a column name. AppMaster Builder recognizes TIMESTAMP as a data type.
  • If you have the Micro Focus Generator (MFG) turned off, table names cannot exceed 18 characters.
  • If you have the MFG turned on, table names cannot exceed 128 characters.
  • Column names cannot exceed 30 characters.
Note: Tables that use reserved COBOL data names for column names are added to data views with -cpy appended to the column name.

DDI data source

The following DDI source files must be manually coded:

DDI VSAM
DDI VSAM source files define your VSAM files, record indexes, and COBOL record descriptions. See Coding DDI VSAM Sources for details.
DDI IMS DB
These DDI files identify DBD IMS segments and their corresponding COBOL copybook record descriptions. To facilitate the easy addition of these files to data views, name each DDI IMS DB file using the same name as the DBD it references. For complete details on DDI IMS DB code, see Coding DDI IMS DB Sources.

SQL SCHEMA data source

A SQL SCHEMA data source is a single source file that references one or more tables contained in one or more SQL DDL sources. The advantage to using a SQL SCHEMA source, in addition to SQL DDL native source, is that it facilitates easier table maintenance. For example, when a table referenced in a SQL SCHEMA requires a change, you only need to edit the table referenced in the SQL SCHEMA file instead of editing each SQL DDL file that includes it. You have the option to code SQL SCHEMA files manually (see Coding SQL Schema Sources for details), or to assemble them using the SQL Schema Maintenance dialog box (see To define or modify a SQL Schema file for details).

Data source locations

AppMaster Builder looks for all data source files in the following project\group subdirectories. Therefore, be sure to copy all data source files, with the exception of SQL SCHEMA data sources you intend to generate as you add them to the data view, to their appropriate project directories before you add data sources to your data views:
Source Type Project\Group Subdirectory
IMS PSB PSBSRC
IMS DBD DBDSRC
DDI IMS DB DDISRC
DDI VSAM DDIVSAM
SQL DDL SQLDDL
SQL SCHEMA SQLSCHEM