Re: Stupid question of the century

[Charles Wilt <charles.wilt@xxxxxxxxx>]

Alan,

If you use SQL instead of RPG's RLA op-codes, you don't have to
recompile anything.

Another option, if you want to continue to use RPG's RLA, is to have
all your RPG program access through a logical file with an explicit
format, ie. define all the fields again.  This way you can change the
physical without changing any logicals and thus without requiring any
recompiles.  You could easily move to such a configuration simply by
renaming the current physical and creating a new logical with the name
of the old physical.  (Note: I recommend using SQL DDL to define the
physicals and logicals)

Lastly, if you had a CMS, the CMS should be able to automatically
recompile anything that needs to be recompiled.

I'm pretty sure there is no RDBMS on the planet that will let you
change a file while it is in use.

Charles

On Sat, May 9, 2009 at 2:05 PM, Alan Shore <AlanShore@xxxxxxxx> wrote:
> Thanks for your reply Neil
> What you have described can be somewhat circumvented by using level check
> of *NO (audible gasps and shouts of "heretic") and adding only alpha fields
> (even if a numeric field is what is desired)
> The boss's boss wants a quicker turnaround of projects, so much so that we
> have been asked to look into other languages available on the AS/400 (EGL
> is the first one and that might mean another thread in and of itself)
> He is tired of having to wait to change/recompile  ALL the applicable
> programs for a change to a file, then having to push the appropriate people
> off the system so that these changes can be applied to the files on the
> production system
>
>
> Alan Shore
> Programmer/Analyst, Distribution
> E:AShore@xxxxxxxxxxx
> P:(631) 200-5019
> C:(631) 880-8640
> "If you're going through Hell, keep going" - Winston Churchill
>
> midrange-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx wrote on 05/09/2009 01:52:52 PM:
>
> > Let me get this straight.
> >
> > I am an RPG program that has an internally described file open that the
> > operating system has checked has the same format level ID as the file I
> was
> > compiled against.
> >
> > And you now want to change that file so that the program will either A)
> Fall
> > over in a heap on the next read or write operation or B) continue to
> process
> > as normal but silently corrupt data all over the place.
> >
> > I really would advise your bosses, bosses that want he wants is a bad
> > idea!!!!
> >
> > Can we have the context of why your boss wants this? There might be a
> less
> > risky solution.
> >
> > That said I'll be shocked if anyone knows how to do want you need :-)
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: midrange-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx
> > [mailto:midrange-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Alan Shore
> > Sent: 09 May 2009 18:18
> > To: Midrange Systems Technical Discussion
> > Subject: Stupid question of the century
> >
> > Hi guys
> > I've just been asked the following question by my boss's boss
> > Is there anyway to add new fields (columns) "on the fly" to an existing
> > file, without having an exclusive lock on that file.
> > In other words, the file is still being used while the field is added
> > I know that chgpf is out of the question (unless someone proves me
> wrong).
> > I know that SQL is also out of the question (ALTER TABLE x ADD EXTRAFIELD
> > DEC(7, 2) NOT NULL DEFAULT 0) - again unless someone proves me wrong
> > If anyone knows of any way, any language, any procedure, any function to
> > achieve this, please drop me a line.
> >
> > Thanks in advance
> >
> >
> > Alan Shore
> > Programmer/Analyst, Distribution
> > E:AShore@xxxxxxxxxxx
> > P:(631) 200-5019
> > C:(631) 880-8640
> > "If you're going through Hell, keep going" - Winston Churchill
> > --
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