Copy files

The copy function on iSeries™ can copy physical and logical files, copy members and records, copy complex objects, and copy files between servers.

You can use the copy function to move data between device files, database files, or both device and database files with the iSeries field-level sensitive copy function. This function allows you to rearrange, enlarge, or drop any of the fields. You can also define database files.

• Copy files: overview
  You can use the copy function to move data between device files, between database files (including distributed DB2^® Multisystem files), or between device and database files.
• Copy physical or logical files
  To copy a physical or logical file (the from-file) on iSeries into another physical file (the to-file), which does not yet exist, you can use the CPYF command.
• Create the to-file (CRTFILE parameter)
  To copy a physical or logical file when no to-file exists to receive the data, you can create the to-file by specifying CRTFILE(*YES).
• Add, replace, and update records (MBROPT parameter)
  Many iSeries copy commands allows you to add or replace existing data in the to-file specifying different attributes on the MBROPT paramete.
• Select the records to copy
  You can use parameters on the copy commands to select only the specific records that you want to copy.
• Print records (PRINT, OUTFMT, and TOFILE(*PRINT) parameters)
  You can print a list of all records copied, all records excluded, or all records causing ERRLVL output errors. You do this by specifying PRINT special values on a copy command.
• Select members to copy
  iSeries gives you several options for copying file members.
• Copying between different database record formats (FMTOPT parameter)
  When you copy from a database file to a database file, you must use the FMTOPT parameter if the record formats are not identical or if the files are different types (source or data). If either file is a device file or inline data file, the FMTOPT parameter does not apply. The records are truncated or padded with blanks or zeros when record lengths are different. A message is sent if the records are truncated.
• Add or changing source file sequence number and date fields (SRCOPT and SRCSEQ Parameters)
  You can perform additions or changes to sequence number fields and date fields sequence number and date fields when you are copying files.
• Copy complex objects
  You can copy from and to files that contain user-defined functions (UDFs), user-defined types (UDTs), DataLinks (DLs), large objects (LOBs), identity columns, or ROWIDs.
• Copy between different servers
  You can use the CPYFRMIMPF and CPYTOIMPF commands discussed in this topic to import (load) or export (unload) data to and from iSeries.