An SQL table is a database physical file with one member (partition). Therefore, when the file is accessed by a native application, the native application reads and writes to the member by opening the file's member.
When the file (SQL table) becomes partitioned, the file becomes a multimember file and the native application needs to specify the member name (partition name). The native application can avoid having to specify a member name when reading or writing data by changing the application to use an SQL index that is based on all the members of the physical file.
CREATE INDEX LIBNAME.INDEXNAME ON LIBNAME.TABLENAME(COLUMNNAME) NOT PARTITIONEDThe native application can read and write data from the partitioned table without having to know how the data is partitioned.
When the table becomes partitioned (becomes a multimember file), any native operation that was previously done to the table must be done for each member of the multimember file. For example, RGZPFM FILE(LIBNAME/TABLENAME) only reorganizes the *FIRST member. For a partitioned table, you need to use the Reorganize Physical File Member (RGZPFM) command for each member. The Display File Description (DSPFD) command, DSPFD FILE(LIBNAME/TABLENAME) TYPE(*MBRLIST), lists all members of the file.