How does Acu4GL manage the differing ways that COBOL and databases store data?
Acu4GL makes use of extended file description (XFD) files to “translate” from COBOL data types to RDBMS data types. The compiler produces these XFD files automatically when the “-Fx” compiler option is used. The exact data types used are database dependent. Back to top • Can I affect the way that XFD files are generated? To some extent, yes. The programmer can make use of XFD directives to influence the compiler’s output. This can be used (for example) to store items at group level, change the database table names, or store dates as database “date” fields. For more information, see Chapter 4 of the Acu4GL User’s Guide. Back to top • My application makes use of multiple record types and REDEFINES. How does Acu4GL cope with this? Acu4GL makes use of an XFD directive, the “WHEN” directive to manage multiple record types and REDEFINES clauses. You should be aware that this can lead to very “wide” tables and you may wish to consider restructuring any particularly complex tables for performa
