Database Concepts

Restriction: This topic applies only when a Database Connectors license has been installed via the Micro Focus License Management System.

Relational databases differ from indexed file systems in several significant ways. These are the logical associations between database concepts and COBOL indexed file concepts:

Indexed File Concept    Database Concept
Directory Database
File Table
Record Row
Field Column

Or, put another way:

For example, for Oracle, a COBOL record that looks like this:

01  terms-record.
    03  terms-code        pic 999.
    03  terms-rate        pic s9v999.
    03  terms-days        pic 9(2).
    03  terms-descript    pic x(15).

would be represented in the database as a table with a format similar to this:

Name Null Type
TERMS_CODE NOT NULL     NUMBER (3)
TERMS_RATE NUMBER (4, 3)
TERMS_DAYS NUMBER (2)
TERMS_DESCRIPT     CHAR (15)