  Exporting Files, Structures? (Data Dictionary) 
 The Question is:
 
Hi there,
 
One of our customers has an Open VMS V7.1. system. He is also working with
an AS/400 system. I know that there is a product, called Client Access for
extracting files from within an AS/400 environment. That program creates an
fdf file and a data file. The
 fdf file is just the data dictionary for this particular data file. We need
that data dictionary file within our software program. Our customer wanted
to know if there something comparable for the Open VMS environment for
extraction of data files.
 
Could you please help me out??
 
Thanks again,
 
Benoit
 
 
 The Answer is:
 
  There are many formats of data files available on OpenVMS, ranging from
  RMS sequential files, to RMS relative or indexed files, to files that use
  various commercial database packages.  Without details on the specific
  file(s) and applications in use, a specific answer is difficult.
 
  OpenVMS provides the File Definition Language (FDL), which is a way to
  define a particular file structure.  FDL files can be created using tools
  such as ANALYZE/FDL and EDIT/FDL, or can be directly created using most
  any available text editor.  FDL files contain details of the RMS file
  structure, but not of the structure of individual records within the
  file
 
  RMS sequential files can often be transfered directly, or can be converted
  using CONVERT/FDL, EXCHANGE/NETWORK, or similar.
 
  RMS relative and indexed files can be converted into sequential files and
  transfered using CONVERT, and CONVERT/FDL.
 
  Files specific to a commercial database package may require the use of a
  package-specific export tool or utility.
 
  Within OpenVMS, one common data definition package is CDD/Repository,
  the Common Data Dictionary.  CDD is an Oracle package, and information
  on it is available from Oracle.
 
  Other options include remote access via ODBC or similar.  (Available
  ODBC packages for OpenVMS have been discussed before here in Ask The
  Wizard.)
 
  In other words, the answer is "it depends"...
 
