Each COBOL data description that is received from the MCP application (an output or input/output description) can optionally have a unique text string. This unique string is used at runtime to identify the data being received from the MCP server. Refer to Planning the Data Identification Strategy in Preparing To Use the MCP COBOL Data Source Wizard.
For instance, if the COBOL data description has a field with the value DEPOSIT and the text string is unique among all the COBOL data descriptions of the project, selecting just this field is acceptable. However, if other data descriptions of the project also have a field with the value DEPOSIT and such a field is selected as a data identifier, then a second or even a third field of the data description needs to be selected to differentiate this data description from the other data descriptions.
If necessary, indicate whether the data is Input, Output, or both, by selecting any of the following options from the Server Message Usage list.
Selection | Description |
Input | Indicates that data is sent to Transaction Server on the MCP server. The MCP COBOL application issues a Transaction Server RECEIVE statement into the data area that matches the server message and COBOL record image added to the data source project. |
Output | Indicates that data is received from Transaction Server. The unique identifier chosen is used to identify the data stream to the saved record. The COBOL application issues a Transaction Server SEND statement of the data description added to the data source project. |
Input/Output | Indicates that data should be sent to and received from the Transaction Server. |
Identifying the Server Output Data
If the data is received from Transaction Server, you can either manually define the unique identifier, or use orchestration. Perform one of the following procedures to identify the server message:
Manually Defining a Unique Identifier
To define a unique identifier for a server message, perform the following:
Clear the Discriminator field(s) not required for this Data Description check box.
If the Data Description record is prefilled, the Discriminator column is checked and the value appears in the Discriminator Value column. If the Data Description record is not prefilled, go to step 2.
Select a Data Description record containing the text that is unique to the entire project or which is combined with another field (option) of the data description and click Add (This creates a unique set of data values for the data being received from the MCP server).
The COBOL Data Identifier Value dialog box appears.
In the COBOL Data Identifier Value dialog box, you can either enter the required matching value or a .NET Regular expression and then click OK. You must select the .NET regular expression check box if you are using a .NET regular expression for the COBOL Data Identifier Value. For more information on using regular expressions, refer to the Microsoft .NET Regular expression documentation.
The following are some examples of the .NET regular expression patterns:
Pattern | Description |
|---|---|
^ABC | For matching string value starting with ABC. |
XYZ$ | For matching string value ending with XYZ. |
LMN+ | For matching string value containing LMN. |
The Discriminator column is checked and the provided value appears in the Discriminator Value column.
If you need more than one text string for this data description in order to create a unique text string for the data being received from the MCP server, repeat steps 2 through 3.
To modify a data identifier, select the Data Description record, and then click Edit.
To remove a data identifier, select the Data Description record, and then click Remove.
Using Orchestration
If an output data description does not contain a unique identifier, and it is impractical to add one as described above, then you can elect not to provide an identifier when you import the data description. If you do not provide a unique identifier, you must use orchestration to identify the server message that you expect ePortal to receive. Refer to Using Orchestration to Identify an Output Server Message for more information.
To skip defining a unique identifier, select the Discriminator field(s) not required for this Data Description check box, and click OK.
After you identify the server output data, perform the following steps:
Note: If you have selected more than one data descriptions that needs to be added or updated during this session, the page appears for each data description field.
Set the discriminator value for the data description field.
Click OK.
Click Skip if you do not want to import or update the data description.
Note: You can add data identification fields later or change the data identification fields. Refer to Changing the COBOL Data Identifier.