Subcommands and Their Defaults for Each File Type (FILE TYPE-END FILE TYPE command)

The specifications on the FILE TYPE differ for each type of file. The following table shows whether each subcommand is required or optional and, where applicable, what the default specification is for each file type. N/A indicates that the subcommand is not applicable to that type of file.

Table 1. Summary of FILE TYPE subcommands for different file types
Subcommand Mixed Grouped Nested
FILE Conditional Conditional Conditional
RECORD Required Required Required
CASE Not Applicable Required Optional
WILD NOWARN WARN NOWARN
DUPLICATE N/A WARN NOWARN
MISSING N/A WARN NOWARN
ORDERED N/A YES N/A
  • FILE is required unless data are inline (included between BEGIN DATA-END DATA).
  • RECORD is always required.
  • CASE is required for grouped files.
  • The subcommands CASE, DUPLICATE, and MISSING can also be specified on the associated RECORD TYPE commands for grouped files. However, DUPLICATE=CASE is invalid.
  • For nested files, CASE and MISSING can be specified on the associated RECORD TYPE commands.
  • If the subcommands CASE, DUPLICATE, or MISSING are specified on a RECORD TYPE command, the specification on the FILE TYPE command (or the default) is overridden only for the record types listed on that RECORD TYPE command. The FILE TYPE specification or default applies to all other record types.