Data Movement Utilities Guide and Reference

PC Version of IXF File Format

The PC version of IXF (PC/IXF) file format is a database manager adaptation of the Integration Exchange Format (IXF) data interchange architecture. The IXF architecture was specifically designed to enable the exchange of relational database structures and data. The PC/IXF architecture allows the database manager to export a database without having to anticipate the requirements and idiosyncrasies of a receiving product. Similarly, a product importing a PC/IXF file need only understand the PC/IXF architecture; the characteristics of the product which exported the file are not relevant. The PC/IXF file architecture maintains the independence of both the exporting and the importing database systems.

The IXF architecture is a generic relational database exchange format that supports a rich set of relational data types, including some types that may not be supported by specific relational database products. The PC/IXF file format preserves this flexibility; for example, the PC/IXF architecture supports both single-byte character string (SBCS) and double-byte character string (DBCS) data types. Not all implementations support all PC/IXF data types; however, even restricted implementations provide for the detection and disposition of unsupported data types during import.

In general, a PC/IXF file consists of an unbroken sequence of variable-length records. The file contains the following record types in the order shown:

• One header record of record type H
• One table record of record type T
• Multiple column descriptor records of record type C (one record for each column in the table)
• Multiple data records of record type D (each row in the table is represented by one or more D records).

A PC/IXF file may also contain application records of record type A, anywhere after the H record. These records are permitted in PC/IXF files to enable an application to include additional data, not defined by the PC/IXF format, in a PC/IXF file. A records are ignored by any program reading a PC/IXF file that does not have particular knowledge about the data format and content implied by the application identifier in the A record.

Every record in a PC/IXF file begins with a record length indicator. This is a 6-byte right justified character representation of an integer value specifying the length, in bytes, of the portion of the PC/IXF record that follows the record length indicator; that is, the total record size minus 6 bytes. Programs reading PC/IXF files should use these record lengths to locate the end of the current record and the beginning of the next record. H, T, and C records must be sufficiently large to include all of their defined fields, and, of course, their record length fields must agree with their actual lengths. However, if extra data (for example, a new field), is added to the end of one of these records, pre-existing programs reading PC/IXF files should ignore the extra data, and generate no more than a warning message. Programs writing PC/IXF files, however, should write H, T and C records that are the precise length needed to contain all of the defined fields.

PC/IXF file records are composed of fields which contain character data. The import and export utilities interpret this character data using the CPGID of the target database, with two exceptions:

• The IXFADATA field of A records.

  The code page environment of character data contained in an IXFADATA field is established by the application which creates and processes a particular A record; that is, the environment varies by implementation.

• The IXFDCOLS field of D records.

  The code page environment of character data contained in an IXFDCOLS field is a function of information contained in the C record which defines a particular column and its data.

Numeric fields in H, T, and C records, and in the prefix portion of D and A records should be right justified single-byte character representations of integer values, filled with leading zeros or blanks. A value of zero should be indicated with at least one (right justified) zero character, not blanks. Whenever one of these numeric fields is not used, for example IXFCLENG, where the length is implied by the data type, it should be filled with blanks. These numeric fields are:

   IXFHRECL, IXFTRECL, IXFCRECL, IXFDRECL, IXFARECL,
   IXFHHCNT, IXFHSBCP, IXFHDBCP, IXFTCCNT, IXFTNAML,
   IXFCLENG, IXFCDRID, IXFCPOSN, IXFCNAML, IXFCTYPE,
   IXFCSBCP, IXFCDBCP, IXFCNDIM, IXFCDSIZ, IXFDRID

PC/IXF Record Types

There are five basic PC/IXF record types:

• header
• table
• column descriptor
• data
• application

and six application subtypes that DB2 UDB uses:

• index
• hierarchy
• subtable
• continuation
• terminate
• identity

Each PC/IXF record type is defined as a sequence of fields; these fields are required, and must appear in the order shown.

HEADER RECORD
 
   FIELD NAME     LENGTH    TYPE        COMMENTS
   ----------     -------   ---------   -------------
   IXFHRECL       06-BYTE   CHARACTER   record length
   IXFHRECT       01-BYTE   CHARACTER   record type = 'H'
   IXFHID         03-BYTE   CHARACTER   IXF identifier
   IXFHVERS       04-BYTE   CHARACTER   IXF version
   IXFHPROD       12-BYTE   CHARACTER   product
   IXFHDATE       08-BYTE   CHARACTER   date written
   IXFHTIME       06-BYTE   CHARACTER   time written
   IXFHHCNT       05-BYTE   CHARACTER   heading record count
   IXFHSBCP       05-BYTE   CHARACTER   single byte code page
   IXFHDBCP       05-BYTE   CHARACTER   double byte code page
   IXFHFIL1       02-BYTE   CHARACTER   reserved

The following fields are contained in the header record:

IXFHRECL

The record length indicator. A 6-byte character representation of an integer value specifying the length, in bytes, of the portion of the PC/IXF record that follows the record length indicator; that is, the total record size minus 6 bytes. The H record must be sufficiently long to include all of its defined fields.

IXFHRECT

The IXF record type, which is set to H for this record.

IXFHID

The file format identifier, which is set to IXF for this file.

IXFHVERS

The PC/IXF format level used when the file was created, which is set to '0002'.

IXFHPROD

A field that can be used by the program creating the file to identify itself. If this field is filled in, the first six bytes are used to identify the product creating the file, and the last six bytes are used to indicate the version or release of the creating product. The database manager uses this field to signal the existence of database manager-specific data.

IXFHDATE

The date on which the file was written, in the form yyyymmdd.

IXFHTIME

The time at which the file was written, in the form hhmmss. This field is optional and can be left blank.

IXFHHCNT

The number of H, T, and C records in this file that precede the first data record. A records are not included in this count.

IXFHSBCP

Single-byte code page field, containing a single-byte character representation of a SBCS CPGID or '00000'.

The export utility sets this field equal to the SBCS CPGID of the exported database table. For example, if the table SBCS CPGID is 850, this field contains '00850'.

IXFHDBCP

Double-byte code page field, containing a single-byte character representation of a DBCS CPGID or '00000'.

The export utility sets this field equal to the DBCS CPGID of the exported database table. For example, if the table DBCS CPGID is 301, this field contains '00301'.

IXFHFIL1

Spare field set to two blanks to match a reserved field in host IXF files.

TABLE RECORD
 
   FIELD NAME     LENGTH     TYPE        COMMENTS
   ----------     -------    ---------   -------------
 
   IXFTRECL       006-BYTE   CHARACTER   record length
   IXFTRECT       001-BYTE   CHARACTER   record type = 'T'
   IXFTNAML       003-BYTE   CHARACTER   name length
   IXFTNAME       256-BYTE   CHARACTER   name of data
   IXFTQULL       003-BYTE   CHARACTER   qualifier length
   IXFTQUAL       256-BYTE   CHARACTER   qualifier
   IXFTSRC        012-BYTE   CHARACTER   data source
   IXFTDATA       001-BYTE   CHARACTER   data convention = 'C'
   IXFTFORM       001-BYTE   CHARACTER   data format = 'M'
   IXFTMFRM       005-BYTE   CHARACTER   machine format = 'PC'
   IXFTLOC        001-BYTE   CHARACTER   data location = 'I'
   IXFTCCNT       005-BYTE   CHARACTER   'C' record count
   IXFTFIL1       002-BYTE   CHARACTER   reserved
   IXFTDESC       030-BYTE   CHARACTER   data description
   IXFTPKNM       257-BYTE   CHARACTER   primary key name
   IXFTDSPC       257-BYTE   CHARACTER   reserved
   IXFTISPC       257-BYTE   CHARACTER   reserved
   IXFTLSPC       257-BYTE   CHARACTER   reserved

The following fields are contained in the table record:

IXFTRECL

The record length indicator. A 6-byte character representation of an integer value specifying the length, in bytes, of the portion of the PC/IXF record that follows the record length indicator; that is, the total record size minus 6 bytes. The T record must be sufficiently long to include all of its defined fields.

IXFTRECT

The IXF record type, which is set to T for this record.

IXFTNAML

The length, in bytes, of the table name in the IXFTNAME field.

IXFTNAME

The name of the table. If each file has only one table, this is an informational field only. The database manager does not use this field when importing data. When writing a PC/IXF file, the database manager writes the DOS file name (and possibly path information) to this field.

IXFTQULL

The length, in bytes, of the table name qualifier in the IXFTQUAL field.

IXFTQUAL

Table name qualifier, which identifies the creator of a table in a relational system. This is an informational field only. If a program writing a file has no data to write to this field, the preferred fill value is blanks. Programs reading a file may print or display this field, or store it in an informational field, but no computations should depend on the content of this field.

IXFTSRC

Used to indicate the original source of the data. This is an informational field only. If a program writing a file has no data to write to this field, the preferred fill value is blanks. Programs reading a file may print or display this field, or store it in an informational field, but no computations should depend on the content of this field.

IXFTDATA

Convention used to describe the data. This field must be set to C for import and export, indicating that individual column attributes are described in the following column descriptor (C) records, and that data follows PC/IXF conventions.

IXFTFORM

Convention used to store numeric data. This field must be set to M, indicating that numeric data in the data (D) records is stored in the machine (internal) format specified by the IXFTMFRM field.

IXFTMFRM

The format of any machine data in the PC/IXF file. The database manager will only read or write files if this field is set to PCbbb, where b represents a blank, and PC specifies that data in the PC/IXF file is in IBM PC machine format.

IXFTLOC

The location of the data. The database manager only supports a value of I, meaning the data is internal to this file.

IXFTCCNT

The number of C records in this table. It is a right-justified character representation of an integer value.

IXFTFIL1

Spare field set to two blanks to match a reserved field in host IXF files.

IXFTDESC

Descriptive data about the table. This is an informational field only. If a program writing a file has no data to write to this field, the preferred fill value is blanks. Programs reading a file may print or display this field, or store it in an informational field, but no computations should depend on the content of this field. This field contains NOT NULL WITH DEFAULT if the column was not null with default, and the table name came from a workstation database.

IXFTPKNM

The name of the primary key defined on the table (if any). The name is stored as a null-terminated string.

IXFTDSPC

This field is reserved for future use.

IXFTISPC

This field is reserved for future use.

IXFTLSPC

This field is reserved for future use.

COLUMN DESCRIPTOR RECORD
 
   FIELD NAME     LENGTH     TYPE        COMMENTS
   ----------     -------    ---------   -------------
   IXFCRECL       006-BYTE   CHARACTER   record length
   IXFCRECT       001-BYTE   CHARACTER   record type = 'C'
   IXFCNAML       003-BYTE   CHARACTER   column name length
   IXFCNAME       256-BYTE   CHARACTER   column name
   IXFCNULL       001-BYTE   CHARACTER   column allows nulls
   IXFCDEF        001-BYTE   CHARACTER   column has defaults
   IXFCSLCT       001-BYTE   CHARACTER   column selected flag
   IXFCKPOS       002-BYTE   CHARACTER   position in primary key
   IXFCCLAS       001-BYTE   CHARACTER   data class
   IXFCTYPE       003-BYTE   CHARACTER   data type
   IXFCSBCP       005-BYTE   CHARACTER   single byte code page
   IXFCDBCP       005-BYTE   CHARACTER   double byte code page
   IXFCLENG       005-BYTE   CHARACTER   column data length
   IXFCDRID       003-BYTE   CHARACTER   'D' record identifier
   IXFCPOSN       006-BYTE   CHARACTER   column position
   IXFCDESC       030-BYTE   CHARACTER   column description
   IXFCLOBL       020-BYTE   CHARACTER   lob column length
   IXFCUDTL       003-BYTE   CHARACTER   UDT name length
   IXFCUDTN       256-BYTE   CHARACTER   UDT name
   IXFCDEFL       003-BYTE   CHARACTER   default value length
   IXFCDEFV       254-BYTE   CHARACTER   default value
   IXFCDLPR       010-BYTE   CHARACTER   datalink properties
   IXFCREF        001-BYTE   CHARACTER   reference type
   IXFCNDIM       002-BYTE   CHARACTER   number of dimensions
   IXFCDSIZ       varying    CHARACTER   size of each dimension

The following fields are contained in column descriptor records:

IXFCRECL

The record length indicator. A 6-byte character representation of an integer value specifying the length, in bytes, of the portion of the PC/IXF record that follows the record length indicator; that is, the total record size minus 6 bytes. The C record must be sufficiently long to include all of its defined fields.

IXFCRECT

The IXF record type, which is set to C for this record.

IXFCNAML

The length, in bytes, of the column name in the IXFCNAME field.

IXFCNAME

The name of the column.

IXFCNULL

Specifies if nulls are permitted in this column. Valid settings are Y or N.

IXFCDEF

Specifies if a default value is defined for this field. Valid settings are Y or N.

IXFCSLCT

An obsolete field whose intended purpose was to allow selection of a subset of columns in the data. Programs writing PC/IXF files should always store a Y in this field. Programs reading PC/IXF files should ignore the field.

IXFCKPOS

The position of the column as part of the primary key. Valid values range from 01 to 16, or N if the column is not part of the primary key.

IXFCCLAS

The class of data types to be used in the IXFCTYPE field. The database manager only supports relational types (R).

IXFCTYPE

The data type for the column. For more information about data types, see PC/IXF Data Types.

IXFCSBCP

Contains a single-byte character representation of a SBCS CPGID. This field specifies the CPGID for single-byte character data, which occurs with the IXFDCOLS field of the D records for this column.

The semantics of this field vary with the data type for the column (specified in the IXFCTYPE field).

• For a character string column, this field should normally contain a nonzero value equal to that of the IXFHSBCP field in the H record; however, other values are permitted. If this value is zero, the column is interpreted to contain bit string data.
• For a numeric column, this field is not meaningful. It is set to zero by the export utility, and ignored by the import utility.
• For a date or time column, this field is not meaningful. It is set to the value of the IXFHSBCP field by the export utility, and ignored by the import utility.
• For a graphic column, this field must be zero.

See also Table 12.

IXFCDBCP

Contains a single-byte character representation of a DBCS CPGID. This field specifies the CPGID for double-byte character data, which occurs with the IXFDCOLS field of the D records for this column.

The semantics of this field vary with the data type for the column (specified in the IXFCTYPE field).

• For a character string column, this field should either be zero, or contain a value equal to that of the IXFHDBCP field in the H record; however, other values are permitted. If the value in the IXFCSBCP field is zero, the value in this field must be zero.
• For a numeric column, this field is not meaningful. It is set to zero by the export utility, and ignored by the import utility.
• For a date or time column, this field is not meaningful. It is set to zero by the export utility, and ignored by the import utility.
• For a graphic column, this field must have a value equal to the value of the IXFHDBCP field.

See also Table 12.

IXFCLENG

Provides information about the size of the column being described. For some data types, this field is unused, and should contain blanks. For other data types, this field contains the right-justified character representation of an integer specifying the column length. For yet other data types, this field is divided into two subfields: 3 bytes for precision, and 2 bytes for scale; both of these subfields are right-justified character representations of integers.

IXFCDRID

The D record identifier. This field contains the right-justified character representation of an integer value. Several D records can be used to contain each row of data in the PC/IXF file. This field specifies which D record (of the several D records contributing to a row of data) contains the data for the column. A value of one (for example, 001) indicates that the data for a column is in the first D record in a row of data. The first C record must have an IXFCDRID value of one. All subsequent C records must have an IXFCDRID value equal to the value in the preceding C record, or one higher.

IXFCPOSN

The value in this field is used to locate the data for the column within one of the D records representing a row of table data. It is the starting position of the data for this column within the IXFDCOLS field of the D record. If the column is nullable, IXFCPOSN points to the null indicator; otherwise, it points to the data itself. If a column contains varying length data, the data itself begins with the current length indicator. The IXFCPOSN value for the first byte in the IXFDCOLS field of the D record is one (not zero). If a column is in a new D record, the value of IXFCPOSN should be one; otherwise, IXFCPOSN values should increase from column to column to such a degree that the data values do not overlap.

IXFCDESC

Descriptive information about the column. This is an informational field only. If a program writing to a file has no data to write to this field, the preferred fill value is blanks. Programs reading a file may print or display this field, or store it in an informational field, but no computations should depend on the content of this field.

IXFCLOBL

The length, in bytes, of the long or the LOB defined in this column. If this column is not a long or a LOB, the value in this field is 000.

IXFCUDTL

The length, in bytes, of the user defined type (UDT) name in the IXFCUDTN field. If the type of this column is not a UDT, the value in this field is 000.

IXFCUDTN

The name of the user defined type that is used as the data type for this column.

IXFCDEFL

The length, in bytes, of the default value in the IXFCDEFV field. If this column does not have a default value, the value in this field is 000.

IXFCDEFV

Specifies the default value for this column, if one has been defined.

IXFCDLPR

If the column is a DATALINK column, this field describes the following properties:

• The first character represents the link type, and has a value of U.
• The second character represents the link control type. Valid values are N for no control, and F for file control.
• The third character represents the level of integrity, and has a value of A (for database manager controlling all DATALINK values).
• The fourth character represents read permission. Valid values are D for database determined permissions, and F for file system determined permissions.
• The fifth character represents write permission. Valid values are B for blocked access, and F for file system determined permissions.
• The sixth character represents recovery options. Valid values are Y (DB2 will support point-in-time recovery of files referenced in this column), and N (no support).
• The seventh character represents the action that is to be taken when the data file is unlinked. Valid values are R for restore, and D for delete the file.

IXFCREF

If the column is part of a hierarchy, this field specifies whether the column is a data column (D), or a reference column (R).

IXFCNDIM

The number of dimensions in the column. Arrays are not supported in this version of PC/IXF. This field must therefore contain a character representation of a zero integer value.

IXFCDSIZ

The size or range of each dimension. The length of this field is five bytes per dimension. Since arrays are not supported (that is, the number of dimensions must be zero), this field has zero length, and does not actually exist.

DATA RECORD
 
   FIELD NAME     LENGTH    TYPE        COMMENTS
   ----------     -------   ---------   -------------
   IXFDRECL       06-BYTE   CHARACTER   record length
   IXFDRECT       01-BYTE   CHARACTER   record type = 'D'
   IXFDRID        03-BYTE   CHARACTER   'D' record identifier
   IXFDFIL1       04-BYTE   CHARACTER   reserved
   IXFDCOLS       varying   variable    columnar data

The following fields are contained in the data records:

IXFDRECL

The record length indicator. A 6-byte character representation of an integer value specifying the length, in bytes, of the portion of the PC/IXF record that follows the record length indicator; that is, the total record size minus 6 bytes. Each D record must be sufficiently long to include all significant data for the current occurrence of the last data column stored in the record.

IXFDRECT

The IXF record type, which is set to D for this record, indicating that it contains data values for the table.

IXFDRID

The record identifier, which identifies a particular D record within the sequence of several D records contributing to a row of data. For the first D record in a row of data, this field has a value of one; for the second D record in a row of data, this field has a value of two, and so on. In each row of data, all the D record identifiers called out in the C records must actually exist.

IXFDFIL1

Spare field set to four blanks to match reserved fields, and hold a place for a possible shift-out character, in host IXF files.

IXFDCOLS

The area for columnar data. The data area of a data record (D record) is composed of one or more column entries. There is one column entry for each column descriptor record, which has the same D record identifier as the D record. In the D record, the starting position of the column entries is indicated by the IXFCPOSN value in the C records.

The format of the column entry data depends on whether or not the column is nullable:

• If the column is nullable (the IXFCNULL field is set to Y), the column entry data includes a null indicator. If the column is not null, the indicator is followed by data type-specific information, including the actual database value. The null indicator is a two-byte value set to x'0000' for not null, and x'FFFF' for null.
• If the column is not nullable, the column entry data includes only data type-specific information, including the actual database value.

For varying-length data types, the data type-specific information includes a current length indicator. The current length indicators are 2-byte integers in a form specified by the IXFTMFRM field.

The length of the data area of a D record may not exceed 32 771 bytes.

APPLICATION RECORD
 
   FIELD NAME     LENGTH    TYPE        COMMENTS
   ----------     -------   ---------   -------------
   IXFARECL       06-BYTE   CHARACTER   record length
   IXFARECT       01-BYTE   CHARACTER   record type = 'A'
   IXFAPPID       12-BYTE   CHARACTER   application identifier
   IXFADATA       varying   variable    application-specific data

The following fields are contained in application records:

IXFARECL

The record length indicator. A 6-byte character representation of an integer value specifying the length, in bytes, of the portion of the PC/IXF record that follows the record length indicator; that is, the total record size minus 6 bytes. Each A record must be sufficiently long to include at least the entire IXFAPPID field.

IXFARECT

The IXF record type, which is set to A for this record, indicating that this is an application record. These records are ignored by programs which do not have particular knowledge about the content and the format of the data implied by the application identifier.

IXFAPPID

The application identifier, which identifies the application creating the A record. PC/IXF files created by the database manager may have A records with the first 6 characters of this field set to a constant identifying the database manager, and the last 6 characters identifying the release or version of the database manager or another application writing the A record.

IXFADATA

This field contains application dependent supplemental data, whose form and content are known only to the program creating the A record, and to other applications which are likely to process the A record.

DB2 INDEX RECORD
 
   FIELD NAME     LENGTH     TYPE        COMMENTS
   ----------     --------   ---------   -------------
   IXFARECL       006-BYTE   CHARACTER   record length
   IXFARECT       001-BYTE   CHARACTER   record type = 'A'
   IXFAPPID       012-BYTE   CHARACTER   application identifier = 'DB2    02.00'
   IXFAITYP       001-BYTE   CHARACTER   application specific data type = 'I'
   IXFADATE       008-BYTE   CHARACTER   date written from the 'H' record
   IXFATIME       006-BYTE   CHARACTER   time written from the 'H' record
   IXFANDXL       002-BYTE   SHORT INT   length of name of the index
   IXFANDXN       256-BYTE   CHARACTER   name of the index
   IXFANCL        002-BYTE   SHORT INT   length of name of the index creator
   IXFANCN        256-BYTE   CHARACTER   name of the index creator
   IXFATABL       002-BYTE   SHORT INT   length of name of the table
   IXFATABN       256-BYTE   CHARACTER   name of the table
   IXFATCL        002-BYTE   SHORT INT   length of name of the table creator
   IXFATCN        256-BYTE   CHARACTER   name of the table creator
   IXFAUNIQ       001-BYTE   CHARACTER   unique rule
   IXFACCNT       002-BYTE   CHARACTER   column count
   IXFAREVS       001-BYTE   CHARACTER   allow reverse scan flag
   IXFAPCTF       002-BYTE   CHARACTER   amount of pct free
   IXFAPCTU       002-BYTE   CHARACTER   amount of minpctused
   IXFAEXTI       001-BYTE   CHARACTER   reserved
   IXFACNML       002-BYTE   SHORT INT   length of name of the columns
   IXFACOLN       varying    CHARACTER   name of the columns in the index

One record of this type is specified for each user defined index. This record is located after all of the C records for the table. The following fields are contained in DB2 index records:

IXFARECL

The record length indicator. A 6-byte character representation of an integer value specifying the length, in bytes, of the portion of the PC/IXF record that follows the record length indicator; that is, the total record size minus 6 bytes. Each A record must be sufficiently long to include at least the entire IXFAPPID field.

IXFARECT

The IXF record type, which is set to A for this record, indicating that this is an application record. These records are ignored by programs which do not have particular knowledge about the content and the format of the data implied by the application identifier.

IXFAPPID

The application identifier, which identifies DB2 as the application creating this A record.

IXFAITYP

Specifies that this is subtype "I" of DB2 application records.

IXFADATE

The date on which the file was written, in the form yyyymmdd. This field must have the same value as IXFHDATE.

IXFATIME

The time at which the file was written, in the form hhmmss. This field must have the same value as IXFHTIME.

IXFANDXL

The length, in bytes, of the index name in the IXFANDXN field.

IXFANDXN

The name of the index.

IXFANCL

The length, in bytes, of the index creator name in the IXFANCN field.

IXFANCN

The name of the index creator.

IXFATABL

The length, in bytes, of the table name in the IXFATABN field.

IXFATABN

The name of the table.

IXFATCL

The length, in bytes, of the table creator name in the IXFATCN field.

IXFATCN

The name of the table creator.

IXFAUNIQ

Specifies the type of index. Valid values are P for a primary key, U for a unique index, and D for a non unique index.

IXFACCNT

Specifies the number of columns in the index definition.

IXFAREVS

Specifies whether reverse scan is allowed on this index. Valid values are Y for reverse scan, and N for no reverse scan.

IXFAPCTF

Specifies the percentage of index pages to leave as free. Valid values range from -1 to 99. If a value of -1 or zero is specified, the system default value is used.

IXFAPCTU

Specifies the minimum percentage of index pages that must be free before two index pages can be merged. Valid values range from 00 to 99.

IXFAEXTI

Reserved for future use.

IXFACNML

The length, in bytes, of the column names in the IXFACOLN field.

IXFACOLN

The names of the columns that are part of this index. Valid values are in the form +name-name..., where + specifies an ascending sort on the column, and - specifies a descending sort on the column.

DB2 HIERARCHY RECORD
 
   FIELD NAME     LENGTH     TYPE        COMMENTS
   ----------     --------   ---------   -------------
   IXFARECL       006-BYTE   CHARACTER   record length
   IXFARECT       001-BYTE   CHARACTER   record type = 'A'
   IXFAPPID       012-BYTE   CHARACTER   application identifier = 'DB2    02.00'
   IXFAXTYP       001-BYTE   CHARACTER   application specific data type = 'X'
   IXFADATE       008-BYTE   CHARACTER   date written from the 'H' record
   IXFATIME       006-BYTE   CHARACTER   time written from the 'H' record
   IXFAYCNT       010-BYTE   CHARACTER   'Y' record count for this hierarchy
   IXFAYSTR       010-BYTE   CHARACTER   starting column of this hierarchy

One record of this type is used to describe a hierarchy. All subtable records (see below) must be located immediately after the hierarchy record, and hierarchy records are located after all of the C records for the table. The following fields are contained in DB2 hierarchy records:

IXFARECL

The record length indicator. A 6-byte character representation of an integer value specifying the length, in bytes, of the portion of the PC/IXF record that follows the record length indicator; that is, the total record size minus 6 bytes. Each A record must be sufficiently long to include at least the entire IXFAPPID field.

IXFARECT

The IXF record type, which is set to A for this record, indicating that this is an application record. These records are ignored by programs which do not have particular knowledge about the content and the format of the data implied by the application identifier.

IXFAPPID

The application identifier, which identifies DB2 as the application creating this A record.

IXFAXTYP

Specifies that this is subtype "X" of DB2 application records.

IXFADATE

The date on which the file was written, in the form yyyymmdd. This field must have the same value as IXFHDATE.

IXFATIME

The time at which the file was written, in the form hhmmss. This field must have the same value as IXFHTIME.

IXFAYCNT

Specifies the number of subtable records that are expected after this hierarchy record.

IXFAYSTR

Specifies the index of the subtable records at the beginning of the exported data. If export of a hierarchy was started from a non-root subtable, all parent tables of this subtable are exported. The position of this subtable inside of the IXF file is also stored in this field. The first X record represents the column with an index of zero.

DB2 SUBTABLE RECORD
 
   FIELD NAME     LENGTH     TYPE        COMMENTS
   ----------     --------   ---------   -------------
   IXFARECL       006-BYTE   CHARACTER   record length
   IXFARECT       001-BYTE   CHARACTER   record type = 'A'
   IXFAPPID       012-BYTE   CHARACTER   application identifier = 'DB2    02.00'
   IXFAYTYP       001-BYTE   CHARACTER   application specific data type = 'Y'
   IXFADATE       008-BYTE   CHARACTER   date written from the 'H' record
   IXFATIME       006-BYTE   CHARACTER   time written from the 'H' record
   IXFASCHL       003-BYTE   CHARACTER   type schema name length
   IXFASCHN       256-BYTE   CHARACTER   type schema name
   IXFATYPL       003-BYTE   CHARACTER   type name length
   IXFATYPN       256-BYTE   CHARACTER   type name
   IXFATABL       003-BYTE   CHARACTER   table name length
   IXFATABN       256-BYTE   CHARACTER   table name
   IXFAPNDX       010-BYTE   CHARACTER   subtable index of parent table
   IXFASNDX       005-BYTE   CHARACTER   starting column index of current table
   IXFAENDX       005-BYTE   CHARACTER   ending column index of current table

One record of this type is used to describe a subtable as part of a hierarchy. All subtable records belonging to a hierarchy must be stored together, and immediately after the corresponding hierarchy record. A subtable is composed of one or more columns, and each column is described in a column record. Each column in a subtable must be described in a consecutive set of C records. The following fields are contained in DB2 subtable records:

IXFARECL

The record length indicator. A 6-byte character representation of an integer value specifying the length, in bytes, of the portion of the PC/IXF record that follows the record length indicator; that is, the total record size minus 6 bytes. Each A record must be sufficiently long to include at least the entire IXFAPPID field.

IXFARECT

The IXF record type, which is set to A for this record, indicating that this is an application record. These records are ignored by programs which do not have particular knowledge about the content and the format of the data implied by the application identifier.

IXFAPPID

The application identifier, which identifies DB2 as the application creating this A record.

IXFAYTYP

Specifies that this is subtype "Y" of DB2 application records.

IXFADATE

The date on which the file was written, in the form yyyymmdd. This field must have the same value as IXFHDATE.

IXFATIME

The time at which the file was written, in the form hhmmss. This field must have the same value as IXFHTIME.

IXFASCHL

The length, in bytes, of the subtable schema name in the IXFASCHN field.

IXFASCHN

The name of the subtable schema.

IXFATYPL

The length, in bytes, of the subtable name in the IXFATYPN field.

IXFATYPN

The name of the subtable.

IXFATABL

The length, in bytes, of the table name in the IXFATABN field.

IXFATABN

The name of the table.

IXFAPNDX

Subtable record index of the parent subtable. If this subtable is the root of a hierarchy, this field contains the value -1.

IXFASNDX

Starting index of the column records that made up this subtable.

IXFAENDX

Ending index of the column records that made up this subtable.

DB2 CONTINUATION RECORD
 
   FIELD NAME     LENGTH     TYPE        COMMENTS
   ----------     --------   ---------   -------------
   IXFARECL       006-BYTE   CHARACTER   record length
   IXFARECT       001-BYTE   CHARACTER   record type = 'A'
   IXFAPPID       012-BYTE   CHARACTER   application identifier = 'DB2    02.00'
   IXFACTYP       001-BYTE   CHARACTER   application specific data type = 'C'
   IXFADATE       008-BYTE   CHARACTER   date written from the 'H' record
   IXFATIME       006-BYTE   CHARACTER   time written from the 'H' record
   IXFALAST       002-BYTE   SHORT INT   last diskette volume number
   IXFATHIS       002-BYTE   SHORT INT   this diskette volume number
   IXFANEXT       002-BYTE   SHORT INT   next diskette volume number

This record is found at the end of each file that is part of a multi-volume IXF file, unless that file is the final volume; it can also be found at the beginning of each file that is part of a multi-volume IXF file, unless that file is the first volume. The purpose of this record is to keep track of file order. The following fields are contained in DB2 continuation records:

IXFARECL

The record length indicator. A 6-byte character representation of an integer value specifying the length, in bytes, of the portion of the PC/IXF record that follows the record length indicator; that is, the total record size minus 6 bytes. Each A record must be sufficiently long to include at least the entire IXFAPPID field.

IXFARECT

The IXF record type, which is set to A for this record, indicating that this is an application record. These records are ignored by programs which do not have particular knowledge about the content and the format of the data implied by the application identifier.

IXFAPPID

The application identifier, which identifies DB2 as the application creating this A record.

IXFACTYP

Specifies that this is subtype "C" of DB2 application records.

IXFADATE

The date on which the file was written, in the form yyyymmdd. This field must have the same value as IXFHDATE.

IXFATIME

The time at which the file was written, in the form hhmmss. This field must have the same value as IXFHTIME.

IXFALAST

This field is a binary field, in little-endian format. The value should be one less than the value in IXFATHIS.

IXFATHIS

This field is a binary field, in little-endian format. The value in this field on consecutive volumes should also be consecutive. The first volume has a value of 1.

IXFANEXT

This field is a binary field, in little-endian format. The value should be one more than the value in IXFATHIS, unless the record is at the beginning of the file, in which case the value should be zero.

DB2 TERMINATE RECORD
 
   FIELD NAME     LENGTH     TYPE        COMMENTS
   ----------     --------   ---------   -------------
   IXFARECL       006-BYTE   CHARACTER   record length
   IXFARECT       001-BYTE   CHARACTER   record type = 'A'
   IXFAPPID       012-BYTE   CHARACTER   application identifier = 'DB2    02.00'
   IXFAETYP       001-BYTE   CHARACTER   application specific data type = 'E'
   IXFADATE       008-BYTE   CHARACTER   date written from the 'H' record
   IXFATIME       006-BYTE   CHARACTER   time written from the 'H' record

This record is the end-of-file marker found at the end of an IXF file. The following fields are contained in DB2 terminate records:

IXFARECL

The record length indicator. A 6-byte character representation of an integer value specifying the length, in bytes, of the portion of the PC/IXF record that follows the record length indicator; that is, the total record size minus 6 bytes. Each A record must be sufficiently long to include at least the entire IXFAPPID field.

IXFARECT

The IXF record type, which is set to A for this record, indicating that this is an application record. These records are ignored by programs which do not have particular knowledge about the content and the format of the data implied by the application identifier.

IXFAPPID

The application identifier, which identifies DB2 as the application creating this A record.

IXFAETYP

Specifies that this is subtype "E" of DB2 application records.

IXFADATE

The date on which the file was written, in the form yyyymmdd. This field must have the same value as IXFHDATE.

IXFATIME

The time at which the file was written, in the form hhmmss. This field must have the same value as IXFHTIME.

DB2 IDENTITY RECORD
  
   FIELD NAME     LENGTH    TYPE        COMMENTS
   ----------     -------   ---------   -------------
   IXFARECL       06-BYTE   CHARACTER   record length
   IXFARECT       01-BYTE   CHARACTER   record type = 'A'
   IXFAPPID       12-BYTE   CHARACTER   application identifier
   IXFATYPE       01-BYTE   CHARACTER   application specific record type = 'S'
   IXFADATE       08-BYTE   CHARACTER   application record creation date
   IXFATIME       06-BYTE   CHARACTER   application record creation time
   IXFACOLN       06-BYTE   CHARACTER   column number of the identity column
   IXFAITYP       01-BYTE   CHARACTER   generated always ('Y' or 'N')
   IXFASTRT       33-BYTE   CHARACTER   identity START AT value
   IXFAINCR       33-BYTE   CHARACTER   identity INCREMENT BY value
   IXFACACH       10-BYTE   CHARACTER   identity CACHE value

The following fields are contained in DB2 identity records:

IXFARECL

The record length indicator. A 6-byte character representation of an integer value specifying the length, in bytes, of the portion of the PC/IXF record that follows the record length indicator; that is, the total record size minus 6 bytes. Each A record must be sufficiently long to include at least the entire IXFAPPID field.

IXFARECT

The IXF record type, which is set to A for this record, indicating that this is an application record. These records are ignored by programs which do not have particular knowledge about the content and the format of the data implied by the application identifier.

IXFAPPID

The application identifier, which identifies DB2 as the application creating this A record.

IXFATYPE

Application specific record type. This field should always have a value of "S".

IXFADATE

The date on which the file was written, in the form yyyymmdd. This field must have the same value as IXFHDATE.

IXFATIME

The time at which the file was written, in the form hhmmss. This field must have the same value as IXFHTIME.

IXFACOLN

Column number of the identity column in the table.

IXFAITYP

The type of the identity column. A value of "Y" indicates that the identity column is always GENERATED. All other values are interpreted to mean that the column is of type GENERATED BY DEFAULT.

IXFASTRT

The START AT value for the identity column that was supplied to the CREATE TABLE statement at the time of table creation.

IXFAINCR

The INCREMENT BY value for the identity column that was supplied to the CREATE TABLE statement at the time of table creation.

IXFACACH

The CACHE value for the identity column that was supplied to the CREATE TABLE statement at the time of table creation. A value of "1" corresponds to the NO CACHE option.

PC/IXF Data Types

Table 11. PC/IXF Data Types

Name	IXFCTYPE Value	Description
BIGINT	492	An 8-byte integer in the form specified by IXFTMFRM. It represents a whole number between -9 223 372 036 854 775 808 and 9 223 372 036 854 775 807. IXFCSBCP and IXFCDBCP are not significant , and should be zero. IXFCLENG is not used, and should contain blanks.
BLOB, CLOB	404, 408	A variable-length character string. The maximum length of the string is contained in the IXFCLENG field of the column descriptor record, and cannot exceed 32 767 bytes. The string itself is preceded by a current length indicator, which is a 4-byte integer specifying the length of the string, in bytes. The string is in the code page indicated by IXFCSBCP. The following applies to BLOBs only: If IXFCSBCP is zero, the string is bit data, and should not be translated by any transformation program. The following applies to CLOBs only: If IXFCDBCP is nonzero, the string can also contain double-byte characters in the code page indicated by IXFCDBCP.
BLOB_FILE, CLOB_FILE, DBCLOB_FILE	916, 920, 924	A fixed-length field containing an SQLFILE structure with the name_length and the name fields filled in. The length of the structure is contained in the IXFCLENG field of the column descriptor record, and cannot exceed 255 bytes. The file name is in the code page indicated by IXFCSBCP. If IXFCDBCP is nonzero, the file name can also contain double-byte characters in the code page indicated by IXFCDBCP. If IXFCSBCP is zero, the file name is bit data and should not be translated by any transformation program. Since the length of the structure is stored in IXFCLENG, the actual length of the original LOB is lost. IXF files with columns of type BLOB_FILE, CLOB_FILE, or DBCLOB_FILE should not be used to recreate the LOB field, since the LOB will be created with a length of sql_lobfile_len.
CHAR	452	A fixed-length character string. The string length is contained in the IXFCLENG field of the column descriptor record, and cannot exceed 254 bytes. The string is in the code page indicated by IXFCSBCP. If IXFCDBCP is nonzero, the string can also contain double-byte characters in the code page indicated by IXFCDBCP. If IXFCSBCP is zero, the string is bit data and should not be translated by any transformation program.
DATE	384	A point in time in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. Each date is a 10-byte character string in International Standards Organization (ISO) format: yyyy-mm-dd. The range of the year part is 0001 to 9999. The range of the month part is 01 to 12. The range of the day part is 01 to n, where n depends on the month, using the usual rules for days of the month and leap year. Leading zeros cannot be omitted from any part. IXFCLENG is not used, and should contain blanks. Valid characters within DATE are invariant in all PC ASCII code pages; therefore, IXFCSBCP and IXFCDBCP are not significant, and should be zero.
DBCLOB	412	A variable-length string of double-byte characters. The IXFCLENG field in the column descriptor record specifies the maximum number of double-byte characters in the string, and cannot exceed 16 383. The string itself is preceded by a current length indicator, which is a 4-byte integer specifying the length of the string in double-byte characters (that is, the value of this integer is one half the length of the string, in bytes). The string is in the DBCS code page, as specified by IXFCDBCP in the C record. Since the string consists of double-byte character data only, IXFCSBCP should be zero. There are no surrounding shift-in or shift-out characters.
DECIMAL	484	A packed decimal number with precision P (as specified by the first three bytes of IXFCLENG in the column descriptor record) and scale S (as specified by the last two bytes of IXFCLENG). The length, in bytes, of a packed decimal number is (P+2)/2. The precision must be an odd number between 1 and 31, inclusive. The packed decimal number is in the internal format specified by IXFTMFRM, where packed decimal for the PC is defined to be the same as packed decimal for the System/370. IXFCSBCP and IXFCDBCP are not significant, and should be zero.
FLOATING POINT	480	Either a long (8-byte) or short (4-byte) floating point number, depending on whether IXFCLENG is set to eight or to four. The data is in the internal machine form, as specified by IXFTMFRM. IXFCSBCP and IXFCDBCP are not significant, and should be zero. Four-byte floating point is not supported by the database manager.
GRAPHIC	468	A fixed-length string of double-byte characters. The IXFCLENG field in the column descriptor record specifies the number of double-byte characters in the string, and cannot exceed 127. The actual length of the string is twice the value of the IXFCLENG field, in bytes. The string is in the DBCS code page, as specified by IXFCDBCP in the C record. Since the string consists of double-byte character data only, IXFCSBCP should be zero. There are no surrounding shift-in or shift-out characters.
INTEGER	496	A 4-byte integer in the form specified by IXFTMFRM. It represents a whole number between -2 147 483 648 and +2 147 483 647. IXFCSBCP and IXFCDBCP are not significant, and should be zero. IXFCLENG is not used, and should contain blanks.
LONGVARCHAR	456	A variable-length character string. The maximum length of the string is contained in the IXFCLENG field of the column descriptor record, and cannot exceed 32 767 bytes. The string itself is preceded by a current length indicator, which is a 2-byte integer specifying the length of the string, in bytes. The string is in the code page indicated by IXFCSBCP. If IXFCDBCP is nonzero, the string can also contain double-byte characters in the code page indicated by IXFCDBCP. If IXFCSBCP is zero, the string is bit data and should not be translated by any transformation program.
LONG VARGRAPHIC	472	A variable-length string of double-byte characters. The IXFCLENG field in the column descriptor record specifies the maximum number of double-byte characters for the string, and cannot exceed 16 383. The string itself is preceded by a current length indicator, which is a 2-byte integer specifying the length of the string in double-byte characters (that is, the value of this integer is one half the length of the string, in bytes). The string is in the DBCS code page, as specified by IXFCDBCP in the C record. Since the string consists of double-byte character data only, IXFCSBCP should be zero. There are no surrounding shift-in or shift-out characters.
SMALLINT	500	A 2-byte integer in the form specified by IXFTMFRM. It represents a whole number between -32 768 and +32 767. IXFCSBCP and IXFCDBCP are not significant, and should be zero. IXFCLENG is not used, and should contain blanks.
TIME	388	A point in time in accordance with the 24-hour clock. Each time is an 8-byte character string in ISO format: hh.mm.ss. The range of the hour part is 00 to 24, and the range of the other parts is 00 to 59. If the hour is 24, the other parts are 00. The smallest time is 00.00.00, and the largest is 24.00.00. Leading zeros cannot be omitted from any part. IXFCLENG is not used, and should contain blanks. Valid characters within TIME are invariant in all PC ASCII code pages; therefore, IXFCSBCP and IXFCDBCP are not significant, and should be zero.
TIMESTAMP	392	The date and time with microsecond precision. Each time stamp is a character string of the form yyyy-mm-dd-hh.mm.ss.nnnnnn (year month day hour minutes seconds microseconds). IXFCLENG is not used, and should contain blanks. Valid characters within TIMESTAMP are invariant in all PC ASCII code pages; therefore, IXFCSBCP and IXFCDBCP are not significant, and should be zero.
VARCHAR	448	A variable-length character string. The maximum length of the string, in bytes, is contained in the IXFCLENG field of the column descriptor record, and cannot exceed 254 bytes. The string itself is preceded by a current length indicator, which is a two-byte integer specifying the length of the string, in bytes. The string is in the code page indicated by IXFCSBCP. If IXFCDBCP is nonzero, the string can also contain double-byte characters in the code page indicated by IXFCDBCP. If IXFCSBCP is zero, the string is bit data and should not be translated by any transformation program.
VARGRAPHIC	464	A variable-length string of double-byte characters. The IXFCLENG field in the column descriptor record specifies the maximum number of double-byte characters in the string, and cannot exceed 127. The string itself is preceded by a current length indicator, which is a 2-byte integer specifying the length of the string in double-byte characters (that is, the value of this integer is one half the length of the string, in bytes). The string is in the DBCS code page, as specified by IXFCDBCP in the C record. Since the string consists of double-byte character data only, IXFCSBCP should be zero. There are no surrounding shift-in or shift-out characters.

Not all combinations of IXFCSBCP and IXFCDBCP values for PC/IXF character or graphic columns are valid. A PC/IXF character or graphic column with an invalid (IXFCSBCP,IXFCDBCP) combination is an invalid data type.

Table 12. Valid PC/IXF Data Types

PC/IXF Data Type	Valid (IXFCSBCP,IXFCDBCP) Pairs	Invalid (IXFCSBCP,IXFCDBCP) Pairs
CHAR, VARCHAR, or LONG VARCHAR	(0,0), (x,0), or (x,y)	(0,y)
BLOB	(0,0)	(x,0), (0,y), or (x,y)
CLOB	(x,0), (x,y)	(0,0), (0,y)
GRAPHIC, VARGRAPHIC, LONG VARGRAPHIC, or DBCLOB	(0,y)	(0,0), (x,0), or (x,y)
Note: x and y are not 0.

PC/IXF Data Type Descriptions

Table 13. Acceptable Data Type Forms for the PC/IXF File Format

Data Type	Form in Files Created by the Export Utility	Form Acceptable to the Import Utility
BIGINT	A BIGINT column, identical to the database column, is created.	A column in any numeric type (SMALLINT, INTEGER, BIGINT, DECIMAL, or FLOAT) is accepted. Individual values are rejected if they are not in the range -9 223 372 036 854 775 808 to 9 223 372 036 854 775 807.
BLOB	A PC/IXF BLOB column is created. The maximum length of the database column, the SBCS CPGID value, and the DBCS CPGID value are copied to the column descriptor record.	A PC/IXF CHAR, VARCHAR, LONG VARCHAR, BLOB, or BLOB_FILE column is acceptable if: The database column is marked FOR BIT DATA The PC/IXF column single-byte code page value equals the SBCS CPGID of the database column, and the PC/IXF column double-byte code page value equals zero, or the DBCS CPGID of the database column. A PC/IXF GRAPHIC, VARGRAPHIC, or LONG VARGRAPHIC BLOB column is also acceptable. If the PC/IXF column is of fixed length, its length must be compatible with the maximum length of the database column. See also the FORCEIN Option.
CHAR	A PC/IXF CHAR column is created. The database column length, the SBCS CPGID value, and the DBCS CPGID value are copied to the PC/IXF column descriptor record.	A PC/IXF CHAR, VARCHAR, or LONG VARCHAR column is acceptable if: The database column is marked FOR BIT DATA The PC/IXF column single-byte code page value equals the SBCS CPGID of the database column, and the PC/IXF column double-byte code page value equals zero, or the DBCS CPGID of the database column. A PC/IXF GRAPHIC, VARGRAPHIC, or LONG VARGRAPHIC column is also acceptable if the database column is marked FOR BIT DATA. In any case, if the PC/IXF column is of fixed length, its length must be compatible with the length of the database column. The data is padded on the right with single-byte spaces (x'20'), if necessary. See also the FORCEIN Option.
CLOB	A PC/IXF CLOB column is created. The maximum length of the database column, the SBCS CPGID value, and the DBCS CPGID value are copied to the column descriptor record.	A PC/IXF CHAR, VARCHAR, LONG VARCHAR, CLOB, or CLOB_FILE column is acceptable if the PC/IXF column single-byte code page value equals the SBCS CPGID of the database column, and the PC/IXF column double-byte code page value equals zero, or the DBCS CPGID of the database column. If the PC/IXF column is of fixed length, its length must be compatible with the maximum length of the database column. See also the FORCEIN Option.
DATE	A DATE column, identical to the database column, is created.	A PC/IXF column of type DATE is the usual input. The import utility also attempts to accept columns in any of the character types, except those with incompatible lengths. The character column in the PC/IXF file must contain dates in a format consistent with the country code of the target database.
DBCLOB	A PC/IXF DBCLOB column is created. The maximum length of the database column, the SBCS CPGID value, and the DBCS CPGID value are copied to the column descriptor record.	A PC/IXF GRAPHIC, VARGRAPHIC, LONG VARGRAPHIC, DBCLOB, or DBCLOB_FILE column is acceptable if the PC/IXF column double-byte code page value equals that of the database column. If the PC/IXF column is of fixed length, its length must be compatible with the maximum length of the database column. See also the FORCEIN Option.
DECIMAL	A DECIMAL column, identical to the database column, is created. The precision and scale of the column is stored in the column descriptor record.	A column in any numeric type (SMALLINT, INTEGER, BIGINT, DECIMAL, or FLOAT) is accepted. Individual values are rejected if they are not in the range of the DECIMAL column into which they are being imported.
FLOAT	A FLOAT column, identical to the database column, is created.	A column in any numeric type (SMALLINT, INTEGER, BIGINT, DECIMAL, or FLOAT) is accepted. All values are within range.
GRAPHIC (DBCS only)	A PC/IXF GRAPHIC column is created. The database column length, the SBCS CPGID value, and the DBCS CPGID value are copied to the column descriptor record.	A PC/IXF GRAPHIC, VARGRAPHIC, or LONG VARGRAPHIC column is acceptable if the PC/IXF column double-byte code page value equals that of the database column. If the PC/IXF column is of fixed length, its length must be compatible with the database column length. The data is padded on the right with double-byte spaces (x'8140'), if necessary. See also the FORCEIN Option.
INTEGER	An INTEGER column, identical to the database column, is created.	A column in any numeric type (SMALLINT, INTEGER, BIGINT, DECIMAL, or FLOAT) is accepted. Individual values are rejected if they are not in the range -2 147 483 648 to 2 147 483 647.
LONG VARCHAR	A PC/IXF LONG VARCHAR column is created. The maximum length of the database column, the SBCS CPGID value, and the DBCS CPGID value are copied to the column descriptor record.	A PC/IXF CHAR, VARCHAR, or LONG VARCHAR column is acceptable if: The database column is marked FOR BIT DATA The PC/IXF column single-byte code page value equals the SBCS CPGID of the database column, and the PC/IXF column double-byte code page value equals zero, or the DBCS CPGID of the database column. A PC/IXF GRAPHIC, VARGRAPHIC, or LONG VARGRAPHIC column is also acceptable if the database column is marked FOR BIT DATA. In any case, if the PC/IXF column is of fixed length, its length must be compatible with the maximum length of the database column. See also the FORCEIN Option.
LONG VARGRAPHIC (DBCS only)	A PC/IXF LONG VARGRAPHIC column is created. The maximum length of the database column, the SBCS CPGID value, and the DBCS CPGID value are copied to the column descriptor record.	A PC/IXF GRAPHIC, VARGRAPHIC, or LONG VARGRAPHIC column is acceptable if the PC/IXF column double-byte code page value equals that of the database column. If the PC/IXF column is of fixed length, its length must be compatible with the maximum length of the database column. See also the FORCEIN Option.
SMALLINT	A SMALLINT column, identical to the database column, is created.	A column in any numeric type (SMALLINT, INTEGER, BIGINT, DECIMAL, or FLOAT) is accepted. Individual values are rejected if they are not in the range -32 768 to 32 767.
TIME	A TIME column, identical to the database column, is created.	A PC/IXF column of type TIME is the usual input. The import utility also attempts to accept columns in any of the character types, except those with incompatible lengths. The character column in the PC/IXF file must contain time data in a format consistent with the country code of the target database.
TIMESTAMP	A TIMESTAMP column, identical to the database column, is created.	A PC/IXF column of type TIMESTAMP is the usual input. The import utility also attempts to accept columns in any of the character types, except those with incompatible lengths. The character column in the PC/IXF file must contain data in the input format for time stamps.
VARCHAR	If the maximum length of the database column is <= 254, a PC/IXF VARCHAR column is created. If the maximum length of the database column is > 254, a PC/IXF LONG VARCHAR column is created. The maximum length of the database column, the SBCS CPGID value, and the DBCS CPGID value are copied to the column descriptor record.	A PC/IXF CHAR, VARCHAR, or LONG VARCHAR column is acceptable if: The database column is marked FOR BIT DATA The PC/IXF column single-byte code page value equals the SBCS CPGID of the database column, and the PC/IXF column double-byte code page value equals zero, or the DBCS CPGID of the database column. A PC/IXF GRAPHIC, VARGRAPHIC, or LONG VARGRAPHIC column is also acceptable if the database column is marked FOR BIT DATA. In any case, if the PC/IXF column is of fixed length, its length must be compatible with the maximum length of the database column. See also the FORCEIN Option.
VARGRAPHIC (DBCS only)	If the maximum length of the database column is <= 127, a PC/IXF VARGRAPHIC column is created. If the maximum length of the database column is > 127, a PC/IXF LONG VARGRAPHIC column is created. The maximum length of the database column, the SBCS CPGID value, and the DBCS CPGID value are copied to the column descriptor record.	A PC/IXF GRAPHIC, VARGRAPHIC, or LONG VARGRAPHIC column is acceptable if the PC/IXF column double-byte code page value equals that of the database column. If the PC/IXF column is of fixed length, its length must be compatible with the maximum length of the database column. See also the FORCEIN Option.

General Rules Governing PC/IXF File Import into Databases

The database manager import utility applies the following general rules when importing a PC/IXF file in either an SBCS or a DBCS environment:

• The import utility accepts PC/IXF format files only (IXFHID = 'IXF'). IXF files of other formats cannot be imported.
• The import utility rejects a PC/IXF file with more than 1024 columns.
• The value of IXFHSBCP in the PC/IXF H record must equal the SBCS CPGID, or there must be a conversion table between the IXFHSBCP/IXFHDBCP and the SBCS/DBCS CPGID of the target database. The value of IXFHDBCP must equal either '00000', or the DBCS CPGID of the target database. If either of these conditions is not satisfied, the import utility rejects the PC/IXF file, unless the FORCEIN Option is specified.
• Invalid Data Types -- New Table

  Import of a PC/IXF file into a new table is specified by the CREATE or the REPLACE_CREATE keywords in the IMPORT command. If a PC/IXF column of an invalid data type (valid data types are defined in PC/IXF Data Types) is selected for import into a new table, the import utility terminates. The entire PC/IXF file is rejected, no table is created, and no data is imported.

• Invalid Data Types -- Existing Table

  Import of a PC/IXF file into an existing table is specified by the INSERT, the INSERT_UPDATE, or the REPLACE_CREATE keywords in the IMPORT command. If a PC/IXF column of an invalid data type is selected for import into an existing table, one of two actions is possible:

  • If the target table column is nullable, all values for the invalid PC/IXF column are ignored, and the table column values are set to NULL
  • If the target table column is not nullable, the import utility terminates. The entire PC/IXF file is rejected, and no data is imported. The existing table remains unaltered.
• When importing into a new table, nullable PC/IXF columns generate nullable database columns, and not nullable PC/IXF columns generate not nullable database columns.
• A not nullable PC/IXF column can be imported into a nullable database column.
• A nullable PC/IXF column can be imported into a not nullable database column. If a NULL value is encountered in the PC/IXF column, the import utility rejects the values of all columns in the PC/IXF row that contains the NULL value (the entire row is rejected), and processing continues with the next PC/IXF row. That is, no data is imported from a PC/IXF row that contains a NULL value if a target table column (for the NULL) is not nullable.
• Incompatible Columns -- New Table

  If, during import to a new database table, a PC/IXF column is selected that is incompatible with the target database column, the import utility terminates. The entire PC/IXF file is rejected, no table is created, and no data is imported.

  Note:

  The IMPORT FORCEIN Option extends the scope of compatible columns.

• Incompatible Columns -- Existing Table

  If, during import to an existing database table, a PC/IXF column is selected that is incompatible with the target database column, one of two actions is possible:

  • If the target table column is nullable, all values for the PC/IXF column are ignored, and the table column values are set to NULL
  • If the target table column is not nullable, the import utility terminates. The entire PC/IXF file is rejected, and no data is imported. The existing table remains unaltered.

  Note:

  The IMPORT FORCEIN Option extends the scope of compatible columns.

• Invalid Values

  If, during import, a PC/IXF column value is encountered that is not valid for the target database column, the import utility rejects the values of all columns in the PC/IXF row that contains the invalid value (the entire row is rejected), and processing continues with the next PC/IXF row.

• Importing or loading PC/IXF files containing DBCS data requires that the corresponding conversion files (located in sqllib\conv) be installed on the client machine. The names of these conversion files contain both the source and the target code page numbers; the extension is always .cnv. For example, file 09320943.cnv contains the conversion table for converting code page 932 to 943.

  If the client machine does not have the appropriate conversion files, they can be copied from a server machine to the sqllib\conv directory on the client machine. Be sure to copy the files from a compatible platform; for example, if the client is running on a UNIX based operating system, copy the files from a server that is also running on a UNIX based operating system.

Data Type-Specific Rules Governing PC/IXF File Import into Databases

• A valid PC/IXF numeric column can be imported into any compatible numeric database column. PC/IXF columns containing 4-byte floating point data are not imported, because this is an invalid data type.
• Database date/time columns can accept values from matching PC/IXF date/time columns (DATE, TIME, and TIMESTAMP), as well as from PC/IXF character columns (CHAR, VARCHAR, and LONG VARCHAR), subject to column length and value compatibility restrictions.
• A valid PC/IXF character column (CHAR, VARCHAR, or LONG VARCHAR) can always be imported into an existing database character column marked FOR BIT DATA; otherwise:
  • IXFCSBCP and the SBCS CPGID must agree
  • There must be a conversion table for the IXFCSBCP/IXFCDBCP and the SBCS/DBCS
  • One set must be all zeros (FOR BIT DATA).

  If IXFCSBCP is not zero, the value of IXFCDBCP must equal either zero or the DBCS CPGID of the target database column.

  If either of these conditions is not satisfied, the PC/IXF and database columns are incompatible.

  When importing a valid PC/IXF character column into a new database table, the value of IXFCSBCP must equal either zero or the SBCS CPGID of the database, or there must be a conversion table. If IXFCSBCP is zero, IXFCDBCP must also be zero (otherwise the PC/IXF column is an invalid data type); IMPORT creates a character column marked FOR BIT DATA in the new table. If IXFCSBCP is not zero, and equals the SBCS CPGID of the database, the value of IXFCDBCP must equal either zero or the DBCS CPGID of the database; in this case, the utility creates a character column in the new table with SBCS and DBCS CPGID values equal to those of the database. If these conditions are not satisfied, the PC/IXF and database columns are incompatible.

  The FORCEIN Option can be used to override code page equality checks. However, a PC/IXF character column with IXFCSBCP equal to zero and IXFCDBCP not equal to zero is an invalid data type, and cannot be imported, even if FORCEIN is specified.

• A valid PC/IXF graphic column (GRAPHIC, VARGRAPHIC, or LONG VARGRAPHIC) can always be imported into an existing database character column marked FOR BIT DATA, but is incompatible with all other database columns. The FORCEIN Option can be used to relax this restriction. However, a PC/IXF graphic column with IXFCSBCP not equal to zero, or IXFCDBCP equal to zero, is an invalid data type, and cannot be imported, even if FORCEIN is specified.

  When importing a valid PC/IXF graphic column into a database graphic column, the value of IXFCDBCP must equal the DBCS CPGID of the target database column (that is, the double-byte code pages of the two columns must agree).

• If, during import of a PC/IXF file into an existing database table, a fixed-length string column (CHAR or GRAPHIC) is selected whose length is greater than the maximum length of the target column, the columns are incompatible.
• If, during import of a PC/IXF file into an existing database table, a variable-length string column (VARCHAR, LONG VARCHAR, VARGRAPHIC, or LONG VARGRAPHIC) is selected whose length is greater than the maximum length of the target column, the columns are compatible. Individual values are processed according to the compatibility rules governing the database manager INSERT statement, and PC/IXF values which are too long for the target database column are invalid.
• PC/IXF values imported into a fixed-length database character column (that is, a CHAR column) are padded on the right with single-byte spaces (0x20), if necessary, to obtain values whose length equals that of the database column. PC/IXF values imported into a fixed-length database graphic column (that is, a GRAPHIC column) are padded on the right with double-byte spaces (0x8140), if necessary, to obtain values whose length equals that of the database column.
• Since PC/IXF VARCHAR columns have a maximum length of 254 bytes, a database VARCHAR column of maximum length n, with 254 < n < 4001, must be exported into a PC/IXF LONG VARCHAR column of maximum length n.
• Although PC/IXF LONG VARCHAR columns have a maximum length of 32 767 bytes, and database LONG VARCHAR columns have a maximum length restriction of 32 700 bytes, PC/IXF LONG VARCHAR columns of length greater than 32 700 bytes (but less than 32 768 bytes) are still valid, and can be imported into database LONG VARCHAR columns, but data may be lost.
• Since PC/IXF VARGRAPHIC columns have a maximum length of 127 bytes, a database VARGRAPHIC column of maximum length n, with 127 < n < 2001, must be exported into a PC/IXF LONG VARGRAPHIC column of maximum length n.
• Although PC/IXF LONG VARGRAPHIC columns have a maximum length of 16 383 bytes, and database LONG VARGRAPHIC columns have a maximum length restriction of 16 350, PC/IXF LONG VARGRAPHIC columns of length greater than 16 350 bytes (but less than 16 384 bytes) are still valid, and can be imported into database LONG VARGRAPHIC columns, but data may be lost.

Table 14 summarizes PC/IXF file import into new or existing database tables without the FORCEIN option.

Table 14. Summary of PC/IXF File Import without FORCEIN Option

PC/IXF COLUMN DATA TYPE	DATABASE COLUMN DATA TYPE
	NUMERIC					CHARACTER			GRAPH	DATETIME
	SMALL INT	INT	BIGINT	DEC	FLT	(0,0)	(SBCS, 0)d	(SBCS, DBCS)b	b	DATE	TIME	TIME STAMP
Numeric
-SMALLINT	N
	E	E	E	Ea	E
-INTEGER		N
	Ea	E	E	Ea	E
-BIGINT			N
	Ea	Ea	E	Ea	E
-DECIMAL				N
	Ea	Ea	Ea	Ea	E
-FLOAT					N
	Ea	Ea	Ea	Ea	E
Character
-(0,0)						N
						E				Ec	Ec	Ec
-(SBCS,0)							N	N
						E	E	E		Ec	Ec	Ec
-(SBCS, DBCS)								N		Ec	Ec	Ec
						E		E
Graphic
									N
						E			E
Datetime
-DATE										N
										E
-TIME											N
											E
-TIME STAMP												N
												E
Notes: The table is a matrix of all valid PC/IXF and database manager data types. If a PC/IXF column can be imported into a database column, a letter is displayed in the matrix cell at the intersection of the PC/IXF data type matrix row and the database manager data type matrix column. An 'N' indicates that the utility is creating a new database table (a database column of the indicated data type is created). An 'E' indicates that the utility is importing data to an existing database table (a database column of the indicated data type is a valid target). Character string data types are distinguished by code page attributes. These attributes are shown as an ordered pair (SBCS,DBCS), where: SBCS is either zero or denotes a nonzero value of the single-byte code page attribute of the character data type DBCS is either zero or denotes a nonzero value of the double-byte code page attribute of the character data type. If the table indicates that a PC/IXF character column can be imported into a database character column, the values of their respective code page attribute pairs satisfy the rules governing code page equality. a Individual values are rejected if they are out of range for the target numeric data type. b Data type is available only in DBCS environments. c Individual values are rejected if they are not valid date or time values. d Data type is not available in DBCS environments.

FORCEIN Option

The FORCEIN option permits import of a PC/IXF file despite code page differences between data in the PC/IXF file and the target database. It offers additional flexibility in the definition of compatible columns.

FORCEIN General Semantics

The following general semantics apply when using the FORCEIN option in either an SBCS or a DBCS environment:

• The FORCEIN option should be used with caution. It is usually advisable to attempt an import without this option enabled. However, because of the generic nature of the PC/IXF data interchange architecture, some PC/IXF files may contain data types or values that cannot be imported without intervention.
• Import with FORCEIN to a new table may yield a different result than import to an existing table. An existing table has predefined target data types for each PC/IXF data type.
• When LOB data is exported with the LOBSINFILE option, and the files move to another client with a different code page, then, unlike other data, the CLOBS and DBCLOBS in the separate files are not converted to the client code page when imported or loaded into a database.

FORCEIN Code Page Semantics

The following code page semantics apply when using the FORCEIN option in either an SBCS or a DBCS environment:

• The FORCEIN option disables all import utility code page comparisons.

  This rule applies to code page comparisons at the column level and at the file level as well, when importing to a new or an existing database table. At the column (for example, data type) level, this rule applies only to the following database manager and PC/IXF data types: character (CHAR, VARCHAR, and LONG VARCHAR), and graphic (GRAPHIC, VARGRAPHIC, and LONG VARGRAPHIC). The restriction follows from the fact that code page attributes of other data types are not relevant to the interpretation of data type values.

• The FORCEIN option does not disable inspection of code page attributes to determine data types.

  For example, the database manager allows a CHAR column to be declared with the FOR BIT DATA attribute. Such a declaration sets both the SBCS CPGID and the DBCS CPGID of the column to zero; it is the zero value of these CPGIDs that identifies the column values as bit strings (rather than character strings).

• The FORCEIN option does not imply code page translation.

  Values of data types that are sensitive to the FORCEIN option are copied "as is". No code point mappings are employed to account for a change of code page environments. Padding of the imported value with spaces may be necessary in the case of fixed length target columns.

• When data is imported to an existing table using the FORCEIN option:
  • The code page value of the target database table and columns always prevails.
  • The code page value of the PC/IXF file and columns is ignored.

  This rule applies whether or not the FORCEIN option is used. The database manager does not permit changes to a database or a column code page value once a database is created.

• When importing to a new table using the FORCEIN option:
  • The code page value of the target database prevails.
  • PC/IXF character columns with IXFCSBCP = IXFCDBCP = 0 generate table columns marked FOR BIT DATA.
  • All other PC/IXF character columns generate table character columns with SBCS and DBCS CPGID values equal to those of the database.
  • PC/IXF graphic columns generate table graphic columns with an SBCS CPGID of "undefined", and a DBCS CPGID equal to that of the database (DBCS environment only).

FORCEIN Example

Consider a PC/IXF CHAR column with IXFCSBCP = '00897' and IXFCDBCP = '00301'. This column is to be imported into a database CHAR column whose SBCS CPGID = '00850' and DBCS CPGID = '00000'. Without FORCEIN, the utility terminates, and no data is imported, or the PC/IXF column values are ignored, and the database column contains NULLs (if the database column is nullable). With FORCEIN, the utility proceeds, ignoring code page incompatibilities. If there are no other data type incompatibilities (such as length, for example), the values of the PC/IXF column are imported "as is", and become available for interpretation under the database column code page environment.

The following table shows:

• The code page attributes of a column created in a new database table when a PC/IXF file data type with specified code page attributes is imported
• That the import utility rejects PC/IXF data types if they invalid or incompatible.

Table 15. Summary of Import Utility Code Page Semantics (New Table)

This table assumes there is no conversion table between a and x. If there were, items 3 and 4 would work successfully without the FORCEIN option.
CODE PAGE ATTRIBUTES of PC/IXF DATA TYPE	CODE PAGE ATTRIBUTES OF DATABASE TABLE COLUMN
	Without FORCEIN	With FORCEIN
SBCS
(0,0)	(0,0)	(0,0)
(a,0)	(a,0)	(a,0)
(x,0)	reject	(a,0)
(x,y)	reject	(a,0)
(a,y)	reject	(a,0)
(0,y)	reject	(0,0)
DBCS
(0,0)	(0,0)	(0,0)
(a,0)	(a,b)	(a,b)
(x,0)	reject	(a,b)
(a,b)	(a,b)	(a,b)
(x,y)	reject	(a,b)
(a,y)	reject	(a,b)
(x,b)	reject	(a,b)
(0,b)	(-,b)	(-,b)
(0,y)	reject	(-,b)
Notes: Code page attributes of a PC/IXF data type are shown as an ordered pair, where x represents a nonzero single-byte code page value, and y represents a nonzero double-byte code page value. A '-' represents an undefined code page value. The use of different letters in various code page attribute pairs is deliberate. Different letters imply different values. For example, if a PC/IXF data type is shown as (x,y), and the database column as (a,y), x does not equal a, but the PC/IXF file and the database have the same double-byte code page value y. Only character and graphic data types are affected by the FORCEIN code page semantics. It is assumed that the database containing the new table has code page attributes of (a,0); therefore, all character columns in the new table must have code page attributes of either (0,0) or (a,0). In a DBCS environment, it is assumed that the database containing the new table has code page attributes of (a,b); therefore, all graphic columns in the new table must have code page attributes of (-,b), and all character columns must have code page attributes of (a,b). The SBCS CPGID is shown as '-', because it is undefined for graphic data types. The data type of the result is determined by the rules described in FORCEIN Data Type Semantics. The reject result is a reflection of the rules for invalid or incompatible data types (see General Rules Governing PC/IXF File Import into Databases).

The following table shows:

• That the import utility accepts PC/IXF data types with various code page attributes into an existing table column (the target column) having the specified code page attributes
• That the import utility does not permit a PC/IXF data type with certain code page attributes to be imported into an existing table column having the code page attributes shown. The utility rejects PC/IXF data types if they are invalid or incompatible.

Table 16. Summary of Import Utility Code Page Semantics (Existing Table)

This table assumes there is no conversion table between a and x.
CODE PAGE ATTRIBUTES OF PC/IXF DATA TYPE	CODE PAGE ATTRIBUTES OF TARGET DATABASE COLUMN	RESULTS OF IMPORT
		Without FORCEIN	With FORCEIN
SBCS
(0,0)	(0,0)	accept	accept
(a,0)	(0,0)	accept	accept
(x,0)	(0,0)	accept	accept
(x,y)	(0,0)	accept	accept
(a,y)	(0,0)	accept	accept
(0,y)	(0,0)	accept	accept
(0,0)	(a,0)	null or reject	accept
(a,0)	(a,0)	accept	accept
(x,0)	(a,0)	null or reject	accept
(x,y)	(a,0)	null or reject	accept
(a,y)	(a,0)	null or reject	accept
(0,y)	(a,0)	null or reject	null or reject
DBCS
(0,0)	(0,0)	accept	accept
(a,0)	(0,0)	accept	accept
(x,0)	(0,0)	accept	accept
(a,b)	(0,0)	accept	accept
(x,y)	(0,0)	accept	accept
(a,y)	(0,0)	accept	accept
(x,b)	(0,0)	accept	accept
(0,b)	(0,0)	accept	accept
(0,y)	(0,0)	accept	accept
(0,0)	(a,b)	null or reject	accept
(a,0)	(a,b)	accept	accept
(x,0)	(a,b)	null or reject	accept
(a,b)	(a,b)	accept	accept
(x,y)	(a,b)	null or reject	accept
(a,y)	(a,b)	null or reject	accept
(x,b)	(a,b)	null or reject	accept
(0,b)	(a,b)	null or reject	null or reject
(0,y)	(a,b)	null or reject	null or reject
(0,0)	(-,b)	null or reject	accept
(a,0)	(-,b)	null or reject	null or reject
(x,0)	(-,b)	null or reject	null or reject
(a,b)	(-,b)	null or reject	null or reject
(x,y)	(-,b)	null or reject	null or reject
(a,y)	(-,b)	null or reject	null or reject
(x,b)	(-,b)	null or reject	null or reject
(0,b)	(-,b)	accept	accept
(0,y)	(-,b)	null or reject	accept
Notes: See the notes for Table 15. The null or reject result is a reflection of the rules for invalid or incompatible data types (see General Rules Governing PC/IXF File Import into Databases).

FORCEIN Data Type Semantics

The FORCEIN option permits import of certain PC/IXF columns into target database columns of unequal and otherwise incompatible data types. The following data type semantics apply when using the FORCEIN option in either an SBCS or a DBCS environment (except where noted):

• In SBCS environments, the FORCEIN option permits import of:
  • A PC/IXF BIT data type (IXFCSBCP = 0 = IXFCDBCP for a PC/IXF character column) into a database character column (nonzero SBCS CPGID, and DBCS CPGID = 0); existing tables only
  • A PC/IXF MIXED data type (nonzero IXFCSBCP and IXFCDBCP) into a database character column; both new and existing tables
  • A PC/IXF GRAPHIC data type into a database FOR BIT DATA column (SBCS CPGID = 0 = DBCS CPGID); new tables only (this is always permitted for existing tables).
• The FORCEIN option does not extend the scope of valid PC/IXF data types.

  PC/IXF columns with data types not defined as valid in PC/IXF Data Types are invalid for import with or without the FORCEIN option.

• In DBCS environments, the FORCEIN option permits import of:
  • A PC/IXF BIT data type into a database character column
  • A PC/IXF BIT data type into a database graphic column; however, if the PC/IXF BIT column is of fixed length, that length must be even. A fixed length PC/IXF BIT column of odd length is not compatible with a database graphic column. A varying-length PC/IXF BIT column is compatible whether its length is odd or even, although an odd-length value from a varying-length column is an invalid value for import into a database graphic column
  • A PC/IXF MIXED data type into a database character column.

Table 17 summarizes PC/IXF file import into new or existing database tables with the FORCEIN option.

Table 17. Summary of PC/IXF File Import with FORCEIN Option

PC/IXF COLUMN DATA TYPE	DATABASE COLUMN DATA TYPE
	NUMERIC					CHARACTER			GRAPH	DATETIME
	SMALL INT	INT	BIGINT	DEC	FLT	(0,0)	(SBCS, 0)e	(SBCS, DBCS)b	b	DATE	TIME	TIME STAMP
Numeric
-SMALLINT	N
	E	E	E	Ea	E
-INTEGER		N
	Ea	E	E	Ea	E
-BIGINT			N
	Ea	Ea	E	Ea	E
-DECIMAL				N
	Ea	Ea	Ea	Ea	E
-FLOAT					N
	Ea	Ea	Ea	Ea	E
Character
-(0,0)						N
						E	E w/F	E w/F	E w/F	Ec	Ec	Ec
-(SBCS,0)							N	N
						E	E	E		Ec	Ec	Ec
-(SBCS, DBCS)							N w/Fd	N		Ec	Ec	Ec
						E	E w/F	E
Graphic
						N w/Fd			N
						E			E
Datetime
-DATE										N
										E
-TIME											N
											E
-TIME STAMP												N
												E
Note: If a PC/IXF column can be imported into a database column only with the FORCEIN option, the string 'w/F' is displayed together with an 'N' or an 'E'. An 'N' indicates that the utility is creating a new database table; an 'E' indicates that the utility is importing data to an existing database table. The FORCEIN option affects compatibility of character and graphic data types only. a Individual values are rejected if they are out of range for the target numeric data type. b Data type is available only in DBCS environments. c Individual values are rejected if they are not valid date or time values. d Applies only if the source PC/IXF data type is not supported by the target database. e Data type is not available in DBCS environments.

Differences between PC/IXF and Version 0 System/370 IXF

The following describes differences between PC/IXF, used by the database manager, and Version 0 System/370 IXF, used by several host database products:

• PC/IXF files are ASCII, rather than EBCDIC oriented. PC/IXF files have significantly expanded code page identification, including new code page identifiers in the H record, and the use of actual code page values in the column descriptor records. There is also a mechanism for marking columns of character data as FOR BIT DATA. FOR BIT DATA columns are of special significance, because transforms which convert a PC/IXF file format to or from any other IXF or database file format cannot perform any code page translation on the values contained in FOR BIT DATA columns.
• Only the machine data form is permitted; that is, the IXFTFORM field must always contain the value M. Furthermore, the machine data must be in PC forms; that is, the IXFTMFRM field must contain the value PC. This means that integers, floating point numbers, and decimal numbers in data portions of PC/IXF data records must be in PC forms.
• Application (A) records are permitted anywhere after the H record in a PC/IXF file. They are not counted when the value of the IXFHHCNT field is computed.
• Every PC/IXF record begins with a record length indicator. This is a 6-byte character representation of an integer value containing the length, in bytes, of the PC/IXF record not including the record length indicator itself; that is, the total record length minus 6 bytes. The purpose of the record length field is to enable PC programs to identify record boundaries.
• To facilitate the compact storage of variable-length data, and to avoid complex processing when a field is split into multiple records, PC/IXF does not support Version 0 IXF X records, but does support D record identifiers. Whenever a variable-length field or a nullable field is the last field in a data D record, it is not necessary to write the entire maximum length of the field to the PC/IXF file.