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<h1 class="topictitle1">Record format description</h1>
<div><p>When you describe a database file to the system, you describe the
two major parts of the file: the record format and the access path. The record
format describes the order of the fields in each record. </p>
<p>The record format also describes each field in detail, including: length,
data type (for example, packed decimal or character), validity checks, text
description, and other information.</p>
<p>The following example shows the relationship between the record format
and the records in a physical file:</p>
<br /><img src="rbafo501.gif" alt="Specifications for record format" /><br /><p>In this example of specifications for record format ITMMST, there are three
fields. Field <em>ITEM</em> is zoned decimal, five digits, with no decimal position.
Field <em>DESCRP</em> is character, with 18 positions. Field <em>PRICE</em> is
zoned decimal, five digits, with two decimal positions.</p>
<p>A physical file can have only one record format. The record format in a
physical file describes the way the data is actually stored.</p>
<p>A logical file contains no data. Logical files are used to arrange data
from one or more physical files into different formats and sequences. For
example, a logical file can change the order of the fields in the physical
file, or present to the program only some of the fields stored in the physical
file.</p>
<p>A logical file record format can change the length and data type of fields
stored in physical files. The system does the necessary conversion between
the physical file field description and the logical file field description.
For example, a physical file can describe a field <em>FLDA</em> as a packed
decimal field of five digits and a logical file using <em>FLDA</em> might redefine
it as a zoned decimal field of seven digits. In this case, when
your program uses the logical file to read a record, the system automatically
converts (unpack) <em>FLDA</em> to zoned decimal format.</p>
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<div class="parentlink"><strong>Parent topic:</strong> <a href="rbafodeffi.htm" title="This topic discusses the ways to describe records in database files.">How database files are described</a></div>
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