Progress/400
Product Guide


Glossary

Absolute Path

Used with the IFS file system, absolute paths include the complete path to an object. Absolute paths always begin with a slash (/).

AdminServer

A process that manages the AppServer and DataServer products.

Advanced Program-to-Program Communications (APPC)

The communications support that allows AS/400 applications to communicate with other programs over a network.

Application Service

An arbitrary designation for the business function that the Unified Broker instance provides.

AppServer

A client of the Unified Broker product that includes 4GL clients and Open Clients.

Array

A field or variable with multiple elements. Each element in an array has the same data type. The Progress/400 DataServer supports arrays by using a set of similar fields that all have the same type and same length.

Authority List

An AS/400 object that lists the users or groups that have access to objects, and the type of access those users have.

Auto-connect

A Progress feature that uses information stored in a schema holder to connect to the database it describes when that database is referenced in a compiled application at run time.

Buffer

A piece of memory used as a temporary storage area for data during input or output operations. See also Data Buffer.

Code Page

Contains the numeric codes assigned to the various characters when they are stored in databases.

Collation

Specifies the order in which characters are sorted for indexes, queries, and so forth; that is, the collation sequence. A collation table contains this sort-order information.

Commitment Control

A method of grouping file operations so that a group of changes is either implemented (through the COMMIT command) or removed (through the ROLLBACK command) as a single unit. Commitment control provides journal entries with transaction boundaries.

Connection Parameters

Variables or constants used to control how Progress connects to a database.

Data Buffer

Progress uses two types of data buffers: the record buffer, which is a temporary storage area for a record, field, or variable; and the screen buffer, which is a display area for a field, variable, or the result of a calculation.

Data Definitions

The characteristics of the files, fields, and indexes that comprise the schema of a Progress database. The structure of a given database. See also Data Dictionary.

Data Description Specifications (DDS)

An AS/400 tool used to define files.

Data Dictionary

The Progress/400 Data Dictionary tool that allows you to maintain data definitions on the AS/400.

Data Type

A property of a field or variable that determines the nature of data that can be stored and manipulated (integers or characters, for example).

Database Administrator (DBA)

The individual responsible for maintaining a database management system.

Database Administrator (DBA) Privileges

The level of database access required for database administrators.

Date Data Type

In Progress, a date data type can contain a date and time from 1/1/32768 B.C. to 12/31/32767 A.D.

Date Field

A field that has a date data type. A date field can contain dates from 1/1/32768 B.C. through 12/31/32767 A.D. You can specify dates in this century with either a two-digit year, such as 8/9/90, or a four-digit year (8/9/1990). Dates in other centuries require a four-digit year.

Decimal Data Type

A property of a field or variable that determines the data that can be stored there can be a decimal.

Decimal Field

A field that has a decimal data type. A decimal field can contain up to 50 digits.

Dictionary Library

An AS/400 Dictionary Library is a logical object built by Progress /400. It contains the Progress/400 Server Schema and Schema Image. It can optionally contain application data.

Distributed Data Management (DDM)

DDM files are like pointer objects. They point to actual physical or logical files on a remote AS/400.

Environment Variable

System variables used to tailor a user’s working environment; for example, to set search paths for files and set up terminal definitions.

Error Log

A file that contains the errors that Progress finds during program execution.

Extent

1) The number of elements in an array field or variable.
2) One of the volumes in a multi-volume database.

Field

A component of a record that holds a data value.

File

A collection of logically related records treated as a unit. A file can contain a program, data, or text. For example, a payroll file is a collection of employee payroll records.

Host Language Interface (HLI)

A Progress product for embedding SQL statements into host language applications and retrieving or updating records from Progress and non-Progress databases.

Index

A directory or table that contains the fields identifying the records in a file and the locations where the records are stored.

Integer Data Type

A property of a field or variable that allows the storage of integers. In Progress, an integer can be a positive or negative whole number, within the range of -2,147,483,648 through 2,147,483,647.

Integer Field

A field that has an integer data type. In Progress, an integer field can contain positive or negative whole numbers, ranging in value from -2,147,483,648 through 2,147,483,647.

Integrated File System (IFS)

An umbrella file system on the AS/400 that can access all other file systems. You must use IFS to access the ROOT file system.

Job

User work on the AS/400. It can be interactive or batch. Each job has its own name and characteristics.

Job Attributes

Define how jobs execute on the AS/400.

Journal

An AS/400 object (*JRN) made up of journal entries.

Journal Entries

Records the DB2/400 database writes when you change database records.

Journaling

Recording changes made to files. Used to reconstruct a file by applying the journaled changes to a saved version of the file.

Journal Receiver

An AS/400 object (*JRNRCV) that holds a journal.

Library

An AS/400 object (*LIB). It is the AS/400 unit of organization.

Library List

An AS/400 object (*LIBL). It is used as a search path for objects on the system.

Locks

A restriction on data access so that updates can be performed without compromising data integrity.

Logical Data Type

One of two values consisting of yes/no, true/false, or logical value pairs.

Logical Database Name

The name used to refer to a database in Progress code. The logical database name is stored in a procedure’s object code. Usually, this identifies a database with an identical name, but another name can be specified when connecting to the database. When a procedure executes, its database name references must match the logical names of connected databases.

Logical Field

A field that has a logical data type. A logical field can contain one of two values.

Logical File

An AS/400 object type (*FILE(sub-type LF)) that contains an alternate view of data. The Progress/400 DataServer uses logical files to implement secondary indexes.

Logical Unit (LU)

A logical device for accessing the communications network.

Name Server

A Name Server is a single process that mediates client connections for a set of Unified Brokers that have registered with it.

Native 4GL Client

A product local to the AS/400 that runs Progress applications. The Native 4GL Client does not have interactive capabilities. All output must be redirected to a file or printer.

Network Address

The way each physical and logical unit is identified to the network and other objects on the network.

N-tier

A computing model that supports a flexible networking structure. You can physically distribute application logic and processing loads among many machines across a distributed network. Also, the n-tier model supports the logical separation of user interface, application logic, and data across three or more machines.

Object

The AS/400 operating system (OS/400) identifies anything that exists and occupies spaces in storage as an object.

Object Authority

The permission to access an object.

Parameter

A variable or constant passed to or from a subroutine and the main program. Also referred to as a Progress startup parameter.

Parameter File

A file containing Progress startup parameters. Parameter files store the appropriate startup (connect) parameters for a particular database, group of users, or system configuration, rather than supplying startup or CONNECT options explicitly on the Progress command line or in a CONNECT statement.

Partner Logical Unit (PLU)

The secondary LU you communicate with over the SNA network during an LU-to-LU communication session. The primary LU is your own LU.

Physical Database Name

The actual name of a database.

Physical File

An AS/400 object type (*FILE(sub-type)) that contains data or source code.

Physical Unit (PU)

The physical devices that connect network users.

Place Holder File

A Progress/400 database file object that serves as a representative for a DB2/400 file object.

QCMD

A data definition file that contains a parameter form for the OS/400 Submit Job (SBMJOB) command.

Record

An ordered set of fields that make up a file.

Remote Machine

A machine that is connected through a network and is not your local machine.

ROOT File System

A file system on the AS/400 that mimics UNIX (/) and Windows (\) style paths.

Schema

A definition of the structure of a database (for example, the files it contains, the fields within the files, views). In addition to database structure, Progress database schemas contain items such as validation expressions and validation messages.

Schema Holder

A Progress database that contains the schema definitions for one or more non-Progress databases, typically located on the client machine.

Schema Image

A P__SCHEMA file that is added to the server schema on the AS/400. This file contains schema definitions for the Native 4GL Compiler.

Startup Parameters

Parameters that tailor a Progress session or database connection.

Stored Procedure

Any program object created with any of the available languages on OS/400: CL, RPG/400, ILE RPG/400, COBOL/400, ILE COBOL/400, ILE C/400, PL1/400, FORTRAN/400, or REXX.

Stream File

A file that does not get broken down into individual records with fixed sizes. Stream files can be variable length and have different data formats. EBCDIC stream files might be text files, such as p-code. Binary stream files might be pictures or object code, such as r-code.

Structured Query Language (SQL)

A database language that consists of a set of facilities for defining, manipulating, and controlling data in a relational database.

Subsystem

An AS/400 operating environment that controls a set of jobs currently being processed.

Subsystem Attributes

Define the characteristics of the subsystem.

Subsystem Description

An AS/400 object (*SBSD) where you define subsystem attributes.

Systems Network Architecture (SNA)

The structure used in networks that defines the formats and protocols used to transmit information through networks.

Target Database

The Progress or non-Progress database or files that you want to access data from when you run a procedure.

Transaction

A set of changes to the database, which should either be completely done or should leave no modification to the database.

Transaction Scoping Rules

The set of rules that determines the range of a transaction.

Unified Broker

Manages connections between clients and the Unified Broker instance, registers broker information with the controlling NameServer, and maintains the status of each 4GL process running an AppServer.

Unified Broker Properties File

Progress stores the configurations for all the component configuration management by the Unified Broker administration framework in a properties file named ubroker.properties.

Unknown Value

A special Progress data value (represented by a question mark (?)) that indicates that the field or variable data is unknown or unavailable.

User ID

User identification.

User Profile

Identifies you to the AS/400 system. It includes such information as what objects you can access and how the system handles jobs you submit.

Validation Expression

A test to validate data before storing it in a field.


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