FILE SECTION
The FILE SECTION defines the structure of data files. The FILE SECTION must begin with the header FILE SECTION, followed by a separator period.
- file-description-entry
- Represents the highest level of organization in the FILE SECTION. It provides information about the physical structure and identification of a file, and gives the record-names associated with that file. For the format and the clauses required in a file description entry, see DATA DIVISION--file description entries.
- record-description-entry
- A
set of data
description entries (described in DATA DIVISION--data description entry)
that describe the particular records contained within a particular
file.
A record in the FILE SECTION must be described as an alphanumeric group item, a national group item, or an elementary data item of class alphabetic, alphanumeric, DBCS, national, or numeric.
More than one record description entry can be specified; each is an alternative description of the same record storage area.
Data areas described in the FILE SECTION are not available for processing unless the file that contains the data area is open.
A method FILE SECTION can define external files only. A single run-unit-level file connector is shared by all programs and methods that contain a definition of a given external file.