Re: Expanding a field in a file or adding a new field to the file

Opinion based or fact based - What would be better -

1. expanding the present field from 17 to a much larger field (say 50 - just in case of future increases)

2. Adding a new field (at the end of all the files)

If you have a view layer (could consist of SQL views and DDS LFs) and no
programm is using the PF the impact is minimal and only programms needing
the new info need change (and testing). Adding a field, the view layer is
getting an additional view, changing the length from 17 to 50, the change
could be masked in the view layer.

If you don't have a view layer, my recommendation is to introduce a view
layer, so that no programm is seeing, that it uses a view (LF) instead of
the underlaying PF. Afterwards you could change the programms working with
the full length of 50 one by one and when you are done, you could migrate
the data.

D*B