RDB/VMS Relational Database Operator CREATE_SEGMENT — VMS RDB_4.0B
Allows you to store segments in a segmented string.
Storing into a segmented string field requires two steps:
1. Storing the segments into the string
2. Storing the string field into the relation
Example
RDO> CREATE_SEGMENTED_STRING RESUME_HANDLE
Additional information available:
More
If you have invoked a database, you have the necessary privileges to use the CREATE_SEGMENTED_STRING statement. You cannot modify a segmented string. When using the RDML and RDBPRE precompilers, be sure to define a sufficiently large value for the RDMS$BIND_SEGMENTED_STRING_BUFFER logical name. An adequate buffer size is needed to store large segmented strings (using segmented string storage maps) in storage areas other than the default RDB$SYSTEM storage area. The minimum acceptable value for the RDMS$BIND_SEGMENTED_STRING_BUFFER logical name must be equal to the sum of the length of the segments of the segmented string. For example, if you know that the sum of the length of the segments is one megabyte, then 1,048,576 bytes is an acceptable value for this logical name. You must specify the logical name value because when RDML and RDBPRE precompilers store segmented strings, Rdb/VMS does not know which table contains the string until after the entire string is stored. Rdb/VMS buffers the entire segmented string, if possible, and does not store it until the STORE statement executes. If the segmented string remains buffered, it is stored in the appropriate storage area. If the string is not buffered (because it is larger than the defined value for the logical name or the default value of 10,000 bytes), it is not stored in the default storage area and the following exception message is displayed: %RDB-F-IMP_EXC, facility-specific limit exceeded -RDMS-E-SEGSTR_AREA_INC, segmented string was stored incorrectly To avoid this error, set the value of the RDMS$BIND_SEGMENTED_STRING_BUFFER logical name to a sufficiently large value. Note that a value of up to 500 MB can be specified for this logical name. You must execute this statement in a read/write transaction. If there is no active transaction and you issue this statement, Rdb/VMS starts a read/write transaction implicitly. In order to store the segments into the segmented string, the string must have a name. The CREATE_SEGMENTED_STRING statement initializes a segmented string and gives it a handle, so you can store segments into the field. After you are finished storing segments, you store the entire field into the relation, using the handle to relate the newly built string to the field in which it belongs. Finally, you use the END_SEGMENTED_STRING statement to close the block. See the example.
Format
CREATESEGMENTEDSTRING ──┬────────>────────┬─┐
└─> db-handle . ──┘ │
┌────────────────────<─────────────────────────┘
└─> ss-handle ───┬───────>──────┬──────>
└─> on-error ──┘
Additional information available:
on-error
Specifies host language statements or Rdb/VMS data manipulation statements to be performed if an Rdb/VMS error occurs. For more information, ask for HELP on ON_ERROR.
ss-handle
A host language variable or name used to refer to the segmented string.
db-handle
A host language variable or name used to refer to the database. You can specify a database handle as part of the segmented string handle if you have invoked more than one database.
Examples
Example 1:
The following example stores a segmented string:
START_TRANSACTION READ_WRITE RESERVING
RESUMES FOR EXCLUSIVE WRITE
!
! Start a stream of segments. Give the stream a name.
!
CREATE_SEGMENTED_STRING RESUME_HANDLE
!
! Store the segments in the field.
!
STORE SEG IN RESUME_HANDLE USING
SEG.RDB$VALUE =
"This is the first line of an employee's resume."
END_STORE
!
STORE SEG IN RESUME_HANDLE USING
SEG.RDB$VALUE =
"This is the second line of an employee's resume."
END_STORE
!
STORE SEG IN RESUME_HANDLE USING
SEG.RDB$VALUE =
"This is the third line of an employee's resume."
END_STORE
!
STORE SEG IN RESUME_HANDLE USING
SEG.RDB$VALUE =
"This is the fourth line of an employee's resume."
END_STORE
!
! Store the segmented string field in the relation.
!
STORE R IN RESUMES USING
R.EMPLOYEE_ID = "00164";
R.RESUME = RESUME_HANDLE
END_STORE
!
END_SEGMENTED_STRING RESUME_HANDLE
COMMIT
This sequence of statements demonstrates the steps required to store
a segmented string:
o CREATE_SEGMENTED_STRING starts a "stream" so that you can store
the segments into the field. The segmented string handle gives
the stream a name.
o Each segmented string STORE statement stores a text string in a
segment. The context variable SEG relates the values being
stored to the stream.
o The final STORE statement stores the segmented string field into
the relation, along with the other field, ID_NUMBER. Note that
this STORE uses the segmented string handle as the value
expression in the STORE assignment.
In most cases, this set of statements would be part of a program that
reads lines from a text file and stores each line in a segment of the
segmented string field.
Example 2
The following program reads a file and loads it into the specified
employee's RESUMES record in the PERSONNEL database.
program STORE_RESUME
!
! STORE RESUME
! This program reads a file and loads it into the specified
! employee's RESUMES record in the PERSONNEL database
!
option type = EXPLICIT
declare long constant TRUE = -1%, FALSE = 0%
declare &
string &
employee_id, resume_file, text_line, &
last_name, first_name, &
long &
found, line_count
&RDB& INVOKE DATABASE FILENAME "DB$:PERSONNEL31"
print "** Personnel RESUME Load **"
when error in
input "Enter EMPLOYEE_ID"; employee_id
use
print "Program terminated"
continue END_PROGRAM
end when
&RDB& START_TRANSACTION READ_WRITE
&RDB& FOR E IN EMPLOYEES WITH E.EMPLOYEE_ID = employee_id
&RDB& GET
&RDB& last_name = E.LAST_NAME;
&RDB& first_name = E.FIRST_NAME;
&RDB& END_GET
found = TRUE
&RDB& END_FOR
if not found then
print "Error - employee " + employee_id + " not found"
exit program
else
!
! Display the employees name
!
print "Loading RESUME for employee " + &
TRM$(first_name) + ", " + TRM$(last_name)
!
! Read the name of the resume source file
!
GET_NAME:
when error in
input "Enter the resume file name"; resume_file
open resume_file for input as file #1, &
organization sequential, recordtype ANY
use
if err = 11% then
print "Program terminated"
continue END_PROGRAM
else
print "Error - " + RIGHT(ERT$(err),2%)
continue GET_NAME
end if
end when
&RDB& CREATE_SEGMENTED_STRING RES
!
! Loop and read each line from the resume, and store
! it in the segmented string
!
line_count = 0%
while TRUE ! indefinite loop
when error in
linput #1, text_line
use
continue EOF
end when
text_line = TRM$(text_line)
line_count = line_count + 1%
&RDB& STORE R IN RES USING
&RDB& R.RDB$VALUE = text_line;
&RDB& R.RDB$LENGTH = LEN(text_line)
&RDB& END_STORE
next
EOF:
close #1
print line_count; "lines stored in resume."
&RDB& STORE RS IN RESUMES USING
&RDB& RS.EMPLOYEE_ID = employee_id;
&RDB& RS.RESUME = RES
&RDB& END_STORE
&RDB& END_SEGMENTED_STRING RES
end if
&RDB& commit
&RDB& finish
END_PROGRAM:
end program