EDIT/FDL INVOKE — VMS 5.5
The Invoke function starts a pre-defined interactive session called a script. The FDL Editor uses scripts to ensure that complex operations, (like designing a new FDL file) are completed in a logical fashion. If a script is aborted with a control/Z, the operations and calculations performed within that script are discarded (except for the clearing of the previous definition, which can't be undone). These scripts assume that the files being designed reside on a Files-11 disk.
Additional information available:
ADD_KEYDELETE_KEYINDEXEDOPTIMIZERELATIVESEQUENTIAL
TOUCHUP
ADD_KEY
Modeling and addition of a new index's parameters. See documentation under the "INDEXED" script for more information about the design modes used in this script.
DELETE_KEY
Removal of the highest index's parameters
INDEXED
The FDL Editor asks several questions and then enters a graphical design mode that allows modeling of the indices of the file. Two such modes are available: Line_plot and Surface_plot modes. These refer to the type of graph on which EDIT/FDL will display its calculated design choices. The basic goal of these plots is to allow you to choose the best trade-off between index bucket size versus index depth. While many of the other file parameters have a significant effect on file performance, these two are the most important.
Additional information available:
Line plot
This design mode uses a graph that responds to adjustments in the file design parameters. The current values of the parameters are shown at the bottom of the screen and you set them to new values to see their effect on the depth of the index.
Surface plot
This design mode will graph a surface that indicates index depth versus bucket size versus one other parameter, which is swept through a range of values. The choice of the 'other parameter' which is swept through a range is: Load Fill Percent, Key Length, Record Size, Initial Load Record Count, and Additional Record Count. To aid in selecting an optimal bucket size for a particular value of 'other parameter', a Recommended Range is delimited on the surface plot. Bucket size values within this range should provide a reasonably good trade-off between a flatter index (less I/O) and larger buckets (more RMS processing). Depending on your terminal's capabilities, the Recommended Range is delimited either with "/"s on either side or by the lightest or green shading. The left-most edge of the Recommended Range will produce the flattest file for a given bucket size, but if you're not very sure of the real-life accuracy of all the answers given about the application environment, it is better to be more conservative and choose a value somewhere closer to the middle of the Recommended Range. The default answer to the bucket size question is equivalent to the left-most edge of the Recommended Range.
OPTIMIZE
This script is basically a Redesign of a particular index, with the additional feature of using actual file structure data. The ANALYZE/RMS_FILE utility can gather the required statistics with the DCL ANALYZE/RMS/FDL command (which produces an FDL file containing Analysis_of_area and Analysis_of_key Primary sections). The /ANALYSIS=file-spec qualifier of the DCL EDIT/FDL command is used to input that information into the FDL Editor.
RELATIVE
Selection of parameters for a Relative file
SEQUENTIAL
Selection of parameters for a Sequential file
TOUCHUP
This script allows the modification of one index's parameters at a time. Only those FDL attributes pertaining to the chosen index are changed. See documentation under the "INDEXED" script for more information about the design modes used in this script.