Introduction to Access Paths › Recognizing the Basic Properties of Access Paths › Query (QRY) Access Path

Query (QRY) Access Path

A QRY access path specifies a keyed, single-format access path you can use to describe to functions how records are to be retrieved from a file. This access path type:

• Allows virtual fields to be specified as key and non-key fields on the access path
• Can use virtual fields as key fields
• Is available for use with the following function types: Display File, Select Record, Retrieve Object, Print Object, and Print File
• Defaults to those keys defined by the key relations for the file, but allows them to be overridden to an alternative key sequence
• Must be created explicitly
• Is associated with a RTV access path that in turn points to an associated UPD access path
• Defaults to the virtual fields of the based-on file's relations. These are then present on the access path's relations

You can create many QRY access paths for a given file. Each can contain a different combination of data fields and virtual fields, a different set of selection criteria, and/or an alternative key sequence.