DDM files can be used as data files or source files by high-level language (HLL) programs.
However, for CL, data description specifications (DDS), and BASIC, if a DDM file is to be used as a source file, the target server must be an iSeries™ server or a System/38™, and the file referred to by the DDM file must be defined on the target iSeries server or System/38 as a source file. That is, the remote file must have been created either by the Create Source Physical File (CRTSRCPF) command or as FILETYPE(*SRC) by the Create Physical File (CRTPF) command. These restrictions are not enforced by the ILE RPG, ILE COBOL, and ILE C compilers, which allow source files to be used from both iSeries and non-iSeries target servers.
If a source file member name is specified when the target server is not an iSeries server or a System/38, all the HLL compilers end compilation if the name of the source member specified on the SRCMBR parameter is different from the name of the DDM file specified on the SRCFILE parameter.
If programs that accessed local files are to access remote files, certain restrictions might require that a program be changed and recompiled. And, if the target server is not an iSeries server or a System/38, externally described data must, in some cases, reside on the local (source) server. All of these restrictions are described under the topic Program modification requirements for DDM.
If the target system is not an iSeries server or a System/38, the number of records returned in the open feedback might not be valid.
If you do not specify a library name for the SRCFILE parameter, the first file found in the user's library list with the same name as the file you specified for the SRCFILE parameter is used as the source file.