You can store the output from many control language (CL) commands
in an output physical file by specifying the OUTFILE parameter on the commands.
You can then use the output files in programs or utilities (for example, Query)
for data analysis.
For example, you can send the output of the Display Program References
(DSPPGMREF) command to a physical file, then query that file to determine
which programs use a specific file.
The physical files are created for you when you specify the OUTFILE parameter
on the commands. Initially, the files are created with private authority;
only the owner (the person who ran the command) can use it. However, the owner
can authorize other users to these files as you would for any other database
file.
The system supplies model files that identify the record format for each
command that can specify the OUTFILE parameter. If you specify a file name
on the OUTFILE parameter for a file that does not already exist, the system
creates the file using the same record format as the model file. If you specify
a file name for an existing output file, the system checks to see if the record
format is the same record format as the model file. If the record formats
do not match, the system sends a message to the job and the command does not
complete.
Note: You must use your own files for output files, rather than
specifying the system-supplied model files on the OUTFILE parameter.
See the Control language (CL) topic for a list of commands
that allow output files and the names of the model files supplied for those
commands.
Note: All system-supplied model files are located in the QSYS library.
You can display the fields contained in the record formats of the system-supplied
model files using the Display File Field Descriptions (DSPFFD) command.