Dictionary D-Type Records  -  Data Items

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A D-type record defines a field stored in a data file and has up to 8 fields:

 

1:D  { descriptive text }
2:Field number. This is the position in the data record at which the field described by this dictionary entry can be found. A value of zero denotes the record id.

For compatibility with other multivalue database products a value of 9998 or 9999 will be recognised by the query processor as references to the item number within the query and the length of the record respectively. Both of these special cases are better implemented using I-type records.

3:{ Conversion code }
4:{ Display name. This will be used as the default column heading by the query processor. A special value of a backslash character can be used to specify that no heading is to be displayed. The text can commence with 'R'  (including the quotes) to right justify the heading, 'X' to suppress the normal dot filler characters, or 'RX' to apply both modifications.}
5:Format specification
6:Single/multi-value flag. Set as S if the field is always single valued or M if it can be multi-valued.
7:{ Association name. Where a multi-valued field has a value by value relationship with some other multi-valued field defined in the same dictionary, this name links the fields together. See Associations for more details. }
8:{Available for user use in any way. Not referenced by QM.}

 

Fields 9 onwards are reserved for internal use and users should not assume anything about their content.