Introduction to Access Paths › Recognizing the Basic Properties of Access Paths › Retrieval (RTV) Access Path

Retrieval (RTV) Access Path

An RTV access path specifies a uniquely keyed, single- format access path that functions can use to retrieve records from a file. This access path type:

• Is always keyed in exactly the same way as the UPD access path using the relations of the based-on file.
• Allows virtual fields on the access path.
• Is automatically created by CA 2E for every defined REF or CPT file.
• Defaults to the virtual fields of the based-on file's relations. These are then present on the access path's relations.
• Is associated with an UPD access path; CA 2E automatically makes this association.
• Can be edited or trimmed to drop some or all non-key fields from the record layout.
• Can define select/omit logic to select or omit records from the access path.
• Can be set not to pick up virtual fields.

You can create many RTV access paths for a given file. Each can contain a different combination of fields and/or virtual fields and a different set of selection criteria, but all have the same key fields.