Work Files

Dialogue Manager uses a memory stack for work space with a default size of 8K bytes. However, if this is exceeded, FOCUS allocates a work file with ddname STACK as a temporary data set.

The TABLE, TABLEF, GRAPH, and MATCH commands may require a sort work file. This is allocated under the ddname FOCSORT when required. If FOCSORT is allocated to a sequential file, FOCUS respects the allocation.

The FOCSORT file can grow to any size allowed by the operating system running and the available disk space. The user does not have to break a request up to accommodate massive files. With no limit enforced by FOCUS, the operating system provides whatever warning and error handling it has for the management of a FOCSORT file that exceeds its limits.

If your original allocation is too small to accommodate the records retrieved, FOCUS allocates up to 15 additional extents based on the space attributes of the original allocation. For very large reports, more space may be required (the default is 5,5 cylinders). Allocate additional space as follows:

ALLOC F(FOCSORT) SPACE(10,10) CYLINDERS UNIT(SYSDA)

Note: Before you use the COMBINE command, FOCSORT must be allocated to the FOCUS database server.

When Financial Modeling Language is used, a work area with ddname FOCSML is automatically allocated by FOCUS when the FML command FOR is used.

If Financial Modeling Language options POST or PICKUP are used, a sequential output file must be allocated under ddname FOCPOST:

ALLOC F(FOCPOST) SP(1 1) TRACKS
//FOCPOST DD SPACE=(TRK,(1,1)),UNIT=SYSDA

The REBUILD command options REBUILD and REORG require that a work file be allocated under the ddname REBUILD. (See the Maintaining Databases manual for detailed information on the REBUILD command.) FOCUS allocates this file as a data set when you execute the REBUILD command for options REBUILD and REORG. All REBUILD options require a Master File for the data source being rebuilt, a data source to process, and a REBUILD work file. In addition, the REORG load phase requires a new data file for the reorganized FOCUS data sources. The INDEX option requires you to allocate the following SORT files: SORTIN, SORTOUT, and SYSOUT.

Sample allocations are illustrated below:

TSO FREE  F(SORTIN SORTOUT SYSOUT)
TSO ALLOC F(SORTIN)  SP(5 5) TRACKS
TSO ALLOC F(SORTOUT) SP(5 5) TRACKS
TSO ALLOC F(SYSOUT)  DA(*)

File SYSOUT is for critical sort error messages and, if allocated to a disk file, needs only a minimum amount of space (1 track).

FOCUS automatically allocates SORTWORK files. The space requirements of the work files SORTWK01 through SORTWK06 depend on the volume of data being sorted. If your application requires more SORTWORK space than FOCUS allocates, you must allocate these files with the necessary space parameters.

SORTIN and SORTOUT may be allocated to disk or to tape. As disk files, they have identical space requirements which can be estimated very accurately, as follows:

• Records are fixed blocked, 100 to a block.
• Each record consists of a value of the field being indexed, rounded up to a 4-byte multiple, plus 8 bytes. The minimum record length is 18 bytes.
• The number of records can be obtained in response to the ? FILE file name command. It is the number of active instances of the segment in which the field to be indexed resides.

All must be allocated without DCB parameters.

You can only REBUILD one portion of a partitioned data source at one time. You must explicitly allocate the file containing the partition to use in the REBUILD request. You should REBUILD/REORG to a new file in sections, to avoid having to allocate large amounts of space to REBUILD. To do this, in the dump phase use selection criteria to dump a section of the data source. In the LOAD phase, make sure to add each new section after the first. To add to a data source, you must issue the LOAD command with the following syntax:

LOAD NOCREATE

This file is used for storing the procedure to be executed from within TableTalk. This is a sequential file, dynamically allocated, used by TableTalk.