You use the Classic Data File Tools to convert, browse, edit and create data files used by an application.
Using the Classic Data File Tools, you can examine data files to see how an application has updated them, or create and edit a file to provide test data for an application. Files can be in any COBOL format and you can view them at both the record and field levels. You can convert between formats and character sets.
The demonstration application used in this tutorial consists of a data file and the COBOL source program that maintains it. The data file is a variable length sequential file, containing details of staff in three record types: employee, manager and executive. In this session you convert it to a variable length indexed sequential file, and then view it in various ways, formatted and unformatted, using the Data File editor.