General Preferences

The General preferences allow you to control host diagnostic trace and show dataset names in messages boxes.

• Enable host diagnostic trace during browse/edit sessions: The trace file is used for diagnostics and troubleshooting and may be requested by Compuware customer support when a problem is reported. The default is not to enable host diagnostic trace.

  • File-AID for Db2

     creates a trace file in the format userid.FADB2.TRACE.Dnnnnnn.Tnnnnnn.

  • File-AID/MVS

     creates a trace file in the format userid.FAMVS.TRACE.Dnnnnnn.Tnnnnnn.

  • File-AID for IMS

     creates a trace file in the format userid.FAIMS.TRACE.Dnnnnnn.Tnnnnnn.

• Also show trace and audit dataset names in a popup message box: Specifies whether Audit and Trace dataset names will appear in message boxes. Dataset names are always logged to the Console view. The default is not to show dataset names in message boxes.
• Size of recently executed requests list: Number of recently executed requests to be displayed in the list of recently executed requests accessed by clicking the toolbar File-AID icon and selecting Data Editor.
• Default entry mode: Sets the Insert or Overwrite default for editing data. Choose the radio button that you prefer to use upon entry to an edit session. Note that in most cases you will not be able to enter data in a cell in Insert mode without first deleting some characters to make room for the newly inserted characters. Overwrite will let you type over existing data without errors. Note that when editing hex characters in the 3-line hex display, Overwrite is forced regardless of the Insert/Overwrite status.
• Find/replace warning messages: Default setting when Find/Replace encounters different length Find and Replace with values. Initially the checkbox is selected to provide warning messages. If the warning messages have been disabled via an option of the warning message dialog, you can use this checkbox to reactivate them.

• Dataset High Level Qualifier: While using File-AID/Eclipse, datasets may be created on the mainframe. These datasets include audit files, trace files, and temporary files such as search results. By default, these datasets are created using your UserID as a high level qualifier. If you want to override the default with a different high level qualifier for these File-AID datasets, enter up to 8 characters in the Dataset High Level Qualifier field.

  Important

  Your security system must grant you the authority to create and write to datasets with the high level qualifier you specify.

Eclipse Preferences for Colors and Fonts

The color highlighting used in the data display and the font used in the vertical hex editor can both be customized. To change your preferences, click Window>Preferences. The Preferences dialog box appears. Expand General, expand Appearance, select Colors and Fonts, and expand File-AID Data Editor.
The following highlighting colors can be edited or reset to their defaults:

• Key and IMS segment length field background color
• Key and IMS segment length field foreground color
• Unformatted Editor non-editable character background color
• Unformatted Editor non-editable character foreground color
• Unformatted Editor ruler cursor highlight color
• Unformatted Editor ruler field highlight color.

The Vertical Hex Font setting controls the font used when displaying data in 3-line hex display mode. Click the Edit button to access a dialog where you can specify a different font or font size. If you change the font, that new font will appear in the Preview box, and the selected font name will appear as the new default. Click Apply to change the data display to the new font.

MVS Preferences

MVS preferences allow you to set the number of records to display per page and the enable auditing default. The default is to enable auditing. The default for Records to display per page is 2000.
You can enable or disable your settings as desired.

• Use Record Layouts default for new z/OS Datasets requests: Sets the status of the Use record layouts checkbox when starting a new request for a z/OS Dataset. The default is to Use record layouts.
• Use Record Layouts default for new z/OS UNIX Files requests: Sets the status of the Use record layouts checkbox when starting a new request for a z/OS UNIX file. The default is off, meaning do not use record layouts.

• Generate an audit trail during an edit session: After an Edit access (when enabled), an audit file is created on the mainframe. The default is to enable auditing.
  File-AID/MVS creates an audit file on the mainframe in the format userid.FAMVS.Dnnnnnn.Tnnnnnn. You must log on to the mainframe and access File-AID/MVS (option 5.5) to print the Audit file. 

  Important

  • If auditing is enabled, MVS only creates an audit file if there are changes.
  • MVS has a maximum audit trail data area of 32724. If this size is exceeded, an error message will appear, and you will not be able to edit and save your file.
  • Auditing is not supported when editing z/OS UNIX files.

• Records to display per page: Specifies the number of records to display per page on the client. The default is 2000.

  Important

  The maximum number supported varies depending on the record size and the amount of available memory on your workstation. Processing speed is faster with a smaller number of rows per page than with a larger number of rows per page because a smaller amount of data needs to be transmitted to the workstation.

DB2 Preferences

DB2 preferences allow you to set the maximum number of DB2 rows to return and the rows/records to display per page, enable auditing default, specify whether to use single or double quotes as the SQL delimiter, upper case object names, and set WITH UR default. The default is to enable auditing and use double quotes as an SQL delimiter. Default for Rows/records to display per page is 2000 and for Maximum DB2 rows to select is 2000.
You can enable or disable your settings as desired.

Generate an audit trail during an edit session: After an Edit access (when enabled), an audit file is created on the mainframe. The default is to enable auditing.
File-AID for Db2 creates an audit file on the mainframe in the format userid.FADB2.Dnnnnnn.Tnnnnnn. You must log on to the mainframe and access File-AID for Db2 (option 5.2) to print the Audit file.

• Rows/records to display per page: Specifies the number of rows to display per page on the client. The default is 2000.

  Important

  The maximum number supported varies depending on the number of columns in a row and the amount of available memory on your workstation. Processing speed is faster with a smaller number of rows per page than with a larger number of rows per page since the amount of data that must be transmitted to the PC is less. For File-AID for DB2, the upper limit of the rows to display per page must be no greater than the Maximum DB2 rows to select.

• Maximum DB2 rows to select: Specifies a maximum number of rows from a DB2 table to select in your result set on the mainframe. The default is 2000 rows.

  Important

  Upper limit of the maximum rows to select varies and will depend on the amount of memory allocated to your mainframe subtask and the number of columns in each row for a given table.

• SQL Delimiter: Specifies whether to use double or single quotes as the SQL delimiter. Double quotes are the default.
• Uppercase Object Names: When selected, this checkbox will force entry of Creator or Table name to upper case when defining or editing DB2 filters.
• Retrieve rows with uncommitted reads (WITH UR): Sets the default for the WITH UR checkbox in the DB2 request dialog.

IMS Preferences

IMS preferences are provided in three groups: IMS filter defaults, IMS database access defaults, and Query and display defaults.

IMS Filter Defaults

The defaults you establish here are used whenever you Add a Filter in File-AID for IMS navigation.

• PSB Filter Type: Select either Dynamic or Static PSB usage. The distributed default is Dynamic.
• PSB library to search first: The DSN of your PSB library you want to search first. Typically the Environment establishes a default list of PSB library(s) to search to locate a static PSB. This default pre-fills the override whenever a new filter is defined.
• DBD library to search first: The DSN of your DBD library you want to search first. Typically the Environment establishes a default list of DBD library(s) to search to locate DBDs. This default pre-fills the override whenever a new filter is defined.

IMS Database Access Defaults

The defaults you establish here are used whenever you display a New Request when accessing the File-AID Data Editor from a DBD in the File-AID for IMS navigation tree. You may change any of the default values when you define your request - these preferences just establish the defaults for any new requests.

• Access mode: Choose DLI or BMP. DLI is the default.
• Log File: Choose a default for IMS log file usage when using DLI processing. Default is Allocate;Keep after Edit. Other options are Allocate;Delete after Edit, and Do not use log dataset.
• Override DLI parms defaults:
  • DBRC... : This default is used to control DBRC usage. Options are DBRC default which means to use whatever setting is defined in the Environment, DBRC yes which forces DBRC on, and DBRC no which forces DBRC off.
  • IRLM... : This default is used to control IRLM usage. Options are IRLM default which means to use whatever setting is defined in the Environment, IRLM yes which forces IRLM on, and IRLM no which forces IRLM off.
  • BKO... : This default is used to control IMS Backout (BKO) usage. Options are BKO Default which means to use whatever setting is defined in the Environment, BKO yes which forces BKO on, and BKO no which forces BKO off.
• Record layouts language: Select COBOL or PL/I. The default is COBOL.

IMS Query and Display Defaults

IMS Query and display defaults preferences allow you to set the segments to display per page and the enable auditing default. The default is to enable auditing. Default for Segments to display per page is 2000.
You can enable or disable your settings as desired.

• Use Record Layouts default for new IMS requests: Sets the status of the Use record layouts checkbox when starting a new request for an IMS Database. The default is to Use record layouts.

• Generate audit trail during an edit session: After an Edit access (when enabled), an audit file is created on the mainframe. The default is to enable auditing.
  File-AID for IMS creates an audit file on the mainframe in the format userid.FAIMS.Dnnnnnn.Tnnnnnn. You must log on to the mainframe and access File-AID for IMS (option 5) to print the Audit file.

  Important

  • Auditing is controlled by options set on the mainframe during product installation. Three choices are available: Query honors the client preference (Topaz Workbench setting) and enables or disables the audit setting as desired. Force ignores the client preference (Topaz Workbench setting) and creates an audit dataset where audit records will be stored. SMF ignores the client preference (Topaz Workbench setting) and writes audit records to SMF. 
  • If auditing is enabled, IMS only creates an audit file if there are changes.
  • IMS has a maximum audit trail data area of 32724. If this size is exceeded, an error message will appear, and you will not be able to edit and save your file.

•  Segments to display per page: Specifies the number of segments to display per page on the client. The default is 2000.

  Important

  The maximum number supported varies depending on the record size and the amount of available memory on your workstation. Processing speed is faster with a smaller number of rows per page than with a larger number of rows per page because a smaller amount of data needs to be transmitted to the workstation.

JDBC Preferences

JDBC preferences allow you to set the maximum number of distributed relational database rows to display per page, enable auditing default, and set the Uncommited Reads default. The default is to enable auditing and use double quotes as an SQL delimiter. Default for Rows to display per page is 2000.
You can enable or disable your settings as desired.

• Generate an audit trail during an edit session: After an Edit access (when enabled), an audit file is created on your local system. The default is to enable auditing.
  File-AID Data Editor creates an audit file in your workspace in the format schema_table_ddddddtttttt.

• Rows to display per page: Specifies the number of rows to display per page on the client. The default is 2000.

  Important

  The maximum number supported varies depending on the number of columns in a row and the amount of available memory on your workstation. Processing speed is faster with a smaller number of rows per page than with a larger number of rows per page since the amount of data that must be transmitted to the PC is less.

• Retrieve rows with uncommitted reads: Sets the default for the With uncommitted reads checkbox in the request dialog.