Indexes
An index is a set of key fields used to identify and access records in a file. To allow for different paths or key fields to a record, a file can have up to 16 indexes.
4GL Index Naming Conventions
In the Database Definition utility (dbdef), indexes are named using the following format:
<FilePrefix>SET<n>, where
-
<FilePrefix> is a three-letter abbreviation for the file.
-
<n> is an integer representing the Index number. The following conventions are often used, although they are not a requirement.
-
1 is used for the primary (first) Index.
-
2 through 16 are used for secondary indexes.
For example, the primary index on the GLMASTER file is GLMSET1.
IBM i Index (Logical) Naming Conventions
The naming convention for indexes (logicals) in the RPG code is as follows:
DB<SystemCode><FilePrefix><IndexNbr>
where <SystemCode> is the system code the file you are inquiring on is associated with, <FilePrefix> is the prefix as defined in the Database Definition utility (dbdef) for the file, and <IndexNbr> is the number of the index you want to use to perform the call.
Most of the calls to the database input/output routines include the logical as part of the call. Whenever you see <Logical> in the documentation for a database input/output routine, it refers to the DB<SystemCode><FilePrefix><IndexNbr> naming convention.