Dear Listers,

As a public service announcement, I wanted to let you know of some 'new'
attributes in MPEX which deal with DDX datasets.  The reason I say 'new' is
because they have existed in MPEX for quite some time but I just learned
about them recently.  We (Adager) have received some calls from users
trying to use the LISTF,DB command as well as the DBADGALT commands with
DDX enabled datasets.

One user mentioned a new attribute called DBSETDYNAMIC which is a logical
variable to say whether a given dataset is enabled for DDX.  When I tried
to do a HELP DBSETDYNAMIC in MPEX it did not find anything but when I went
to use it in a command (e.g. LISTF DB@(DBSETDYNAMIC),2), it didn't complain
and showed me only the DDX sets.

I called VESOFT and talked to Vladimir, who explained that there are new
DDX attributes but they are not documented in the HELP facility.  There is
a file called FAQ.HELP.VESOFT which contains new information.  Vladimir
stated that several users were getting overwhelmed by the size of the
manual (which is also the HELP subsystem) so they are not adding to HELP
but adding to FAQ which is not a part of the HELP subsystem.  (editorial
comment: I feel that this is not a very good decision.)

Vladimir had me do a PRINT FAQ.HELP.VESOFT;SEARCH='FAQ' to produce the
following listing within MPEX:

FAQ 001: Integrating STREAMX with native mode BRW            95/11/21
FAQ 002: Integrating STREAMX with native mode TRANSACT       95/11/21
FAQ 003: Integrating VEOPEN with native mode BRW             95/11/21
Use the same procedure described in FAQ 001, substituting
FAQ 004: Integrating VEOPEN with native mode TRANSACT        95/11/21
Use the same procedure described in FAQ 002, substituting
FAQ 005: Multiple CPU security profile maintenance           95/11/30
FAQ 006: How to modify your MESSAGE catalog.                 95/11/30
FAQ 007: What if SL.PUB.SYS is full                          96/02/19
FAQ 008: Menu Lockup Logoff                                  96/03/05
FAQ 009: NRJE Information                                    96/03/20
FAQ 010: NETBASE run together with VESOFT products.          96/05/06
FAQ 011: System Logging                                      96/05/17
FAQ 012: Ten point system (HP3000) detoxification program.   96/05/17
FAQ 013: Dynamic Dataset Expansion                           96/08/29
FAQ 014: The year 2000 and beyond using VESOFT               96/11/18
FAQ 015: What to do after an OS upgrade.                     96/11/19
FAQ 016: How you can convert CMKSAMs to NMKSAMs.             96/11/20
FAQ 017: VECHECKLOGON Intrinsic use.                         96/12/10
FAQ 018:  How to find a proceedure in your SL.               97/01/15
FAQ 019:  How to execute commands in menu header.            97/01/15
FAQ 020:  How to hide a menu option.                         97/01/15

You'll notice that FAQ 013 was created on 96/08/29 and deals with DDX
datasets.  The highlights of this section is that there are now five new
attributes for DDX sets.  I have already mentioned DBSETDYNAMIC, but there
are also DBSETMAXCAPACITY, DBSETINITCAPACITY, DBSETINCNUMBER and
DBSETINCPERCENT.

The FAQ also shows a change to the DB.LISTF.VESOFT file to make it DDX
aware.  I did not like the way it was done here and created my own
DDX.LISTF.VESOFT file to be DDX aware.  I decided to put an 'X' after the
dataset type if it was DDX (this is how HOWMESSY, from Robelle, does it).
I then had to shrink the LDEV display from 4 to 3 characters.  I also made
the file always use DBSETMAXCAPACITY because according to the FAQ, if the
set is not enabled for DDX the DBSETMAXCAPACITY=DBSETCAPACITY.

I have decided not to post my DDX.LISTF.VESOFT file to save bandwidth but
if it is necessary or you would like a copy just send me a private e-mail.
I'll also check with Alfredo about putting it up on our web site.

The problem with the DBADGALT file was that it was using the capacity to
calculate the percent full of a dataset instead of the maximum capacity.
The solution to this problem is instead of using:

DBADGALT DB@ (DBSETFULLNESS>.80), .60

you will need to use this:

DBADGALT DB@ (DBSETENTRIES//DBSETMAXCAPACITY>.80), .60

I hope this helps someone out there and with all the recent talk about the
SHOW CAPACITY command in DBUTIL and the LISTF,DB command in MPEX that this
information was timely.

Also be sure to not just change the DB.LISTF.VESOFT file or the
DBADGALT.CMD22.VESOFT file because they will be replaced the next time you
get an upgrade of MPEX.  Make new copies and modify them.

Sincerely,


+---------------+
|               |
|            r  |  Ken                             [log in to unmask]
|          e    |                           http://www.adager.com
|        g      |  Ken Paul                      Tel 208 726-9100
|      a        |  Customer Support              Fax 208 726-2822
|    d          |  Adager Corporation
|  A            |  Sun Valley, Idaho 83353-3000            U.S.A.
|               |
+---------------+