By default, FILEDATA creates a new database for the first request in a run and reuses this database for each subsequent request in the same run. At the end of the run, FILEDATA removes the database. The following rules modify this default behavior:
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FILEDATA always creates a new database for a request that includes any of the following modifiers: FAMILYNAME, PACKNAME, LIBMAINTDIR, or TAPE. If you specify DIRECTORY, LEVEL, or TITLE, and you do not also specify DATABASE, then FILEDATA creates a new database for the request.
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If a request includes the NEWDATABASE = <file title> modifier, FILEDATA creates a new database for the request and saves the database as a permanent file with the specified title. Subsequent requests, in the same or later FILEDATA runs, can use the DATABASE = <file title> modifier to reuse this database.
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You can use the NOREPORTS request to instruct FILEDATA to create a database without issuing any report immediately. You must use the NEWDATABASE modifier with this request.
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The TAPE modifier stores only filenames when used with the COPYDECK , FILENAMES, or NOREPORTS requests. You must use the TAPEHEADERS modifier with these requests if you want to create a database with all attributes that can be reused by requests needing disk file headers, including:
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ATTRIBUTES
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CODEFILEINFO
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COMPATIBILITY
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HEADERCONTENTS
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INCOMPATIBILITY
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If a request includes none of the modifiers discussed in rules 1 through 3, then the request reuses the database that was used in the immediately preceding request.
| Note: | A database contains information only about files specified by the request that creates the database. For example, if the request that creates the database includes the DIRECTORY modifier, then subsequent requests that reuse that database can report only on the files in that directory. |
