Maintaining Databases

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Copyright © 2013 Information Builders

This documentation describes FOCUS data management facilities and environments for FOCUS Version 7.7. It is intended for database administrators, application developers, and other information technology professionals who will be creating, restructuring, or directly editing FOCUS and XFOCUS data sources. This manual is part of the FOCUS documentation set. References to z/OS apply to all supported versions of the OS/390, z/OS, and MVS operating environments. The documentation set consists of the following components:

How This Manual Is Organized

This manual includes the following chapters:

Chapter/Appendix

Contents

1

Introduction to Maintain

Provides an overview of Maintain, FOCUS's premier facility for developing database transaction applications.

2

Maintain Concepts

Explains essential Maintain concepts including stacks and set-based processing, Winforms and event-driven processing, transaction integrity, and classes and objects.

3

Tutorial: Coding a Procedure

Demonstrates how to code a simple Maintain procedure using basic Maintain logic to read and write to a data source.

4

Tutorial: Painting a Procedure

Demonstrates how to develop an event-driven Maintain procedure, including forms, using the Winform Painter.

5

Using the Winform Painter

Describes how to use the Winform Painter to develop Maintain procedures, including Winforms.

6

Language Rules Reference

Describes the rules for using the Maintain language.

7

Command Reference

Describes the purpose, syntax, and usage notes of all Maintain commands and system variables.

8

Expressions Reference

Describes the rules for combining variables, constants, operators, and functions to produce different types of expressions.

9

Modifying Data Sources With MODIFY

Describes all Maintain built-in functions, including arguments and return values.

10

Designing Screens With FIDEL

Describes how to create full-screen data entry forms for MODIFY and Dialogue Manager procedures.

11

Creating and Rebuilding a Data Source

Describes utilities to create new FOCUS data sources and to refresh existing data sources after the structure has changed.

12

Directly Editing FOCUS Databases With SCAN

Describes how to use SCAN, an interactive line editor, to edit FOCUS data sources.

13

Directly Editing FOCUS Databases With FSCAN

Describes how to use FSCAN, an interactive full-screen editor, to edit FOCUS data sources.

A

Master Files and Diagrams

Contains Master Files and diagrams of sample data sources used in the documentation examples.

B

Error Messages

Describes how to obtain information about error messages.

Documentation Conventions

The following table lists and describes the conventions that apply in this manual.

Convention

Description

THIS TYPEFACE

or

this typeface

Denotes syntax that you must enter exactly as shown.

this typeface

Represents a placeholder (or variable) in syntax for a value that you or the system must supply.

underscore

Indicates a default setting.

this typeface

Represents a placeholder (or variable), a cross-reference, or an important term. It may also indicate a button, menu item, or dialog box option you can click or select.

this typeface

Highlights a file name or command.

Key + Key

Indicates keys that you must press simultaneously.

{  }

Indicates two or three choices; type one of them, not the braces.

[  ]

Indicates a group of optional parameters. None are required, but you may select one of them. Type only the parameter in the brackets, not the brackets.

|

Separates mutually exclusive choices in syntax. Type one of them, not the symbol.

...

Indicates that you can enter a parameter multiple times. Type only the parameter, not the ellipsis points (...).

.

.

.

Indicates that there are (or could be) intervening or additional commands.

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