Parameters and Commands › COPY Statement › PRIORITY Parameter

PRIORITY Parameter

The optional PRIORITY parameter allows you to specify the order in which records are assigned to their target pages.

To establish a priority for records, list the record names in the order they are to receive priority (highest to lowest). CA IDMS/DB Reorg store the highest priority records on their target pages before storing other records. The second priority listed takes precedence over the third listed, and so on.

Specifying Record Type Priority by Class or Sublist

You can specify priority for a record type by class (CALC or DIRECT) and you can rank records by record type (you can mix these priority methods).

When you list CALC or DIRECT in the PRIORITY parameter, all CALC or DIRECT records not specifically named have equal priority. However, individual record types belonging to the CALC or DIRECT class can be specified and assigned a different priority. For example, if CALC records have highest priority, you can still place an individual CALC record in a lower priority position.

For example, when you specify:

PRIORITY=(REC1,REC2,CALC,(REC3,REC4,REC5),REC6)

• REC1 receives first priority
• REC2 receives second priority
• Records stored CALC (except for records 1-6) receive third priority
• REC3-REC5 receive fourth priority
• REC6 receives fifth priority

Because DIRECT was not specified, all DIRECT records have sixth priority and VIA records (which cannot be specified as a class) have seventh priority. See Concepts for a further discussion of ranking records.

You can also assign a group of record types the same priority. In the previous example, REC3, REC4, and REC5 are assigned equal priority. You can use this method of ranking to specify equal rank for all members of a multi-member set.

PRIORITY Syntax and Options

[,PRIORITY= ({DIRECT
                      CALC
                      record-name
                      (sublist-of-record names)}
                            …)

PRIORITY

Indicates priority options are listed in the order they are to receive priority. The default for priority is DIRECT, CALC, and VIA records after any user specified priorities.

Note: If both an owner and member record of the same set are specified ina sublist, and both record types have a location mode of VIA, then all the owner records are clustered together followed by their member records.

DIRECT

Depending on the priority position of DIRECT in the sequence, DIRECT records are located on their target page before any other records with a lower priority are stored.

CALC

Depending on the priority position of CALC in the sequence, CALC records are located on their target page before any other records with a lower priority are stored.

record-name

The records of this name are located on their target pages before other records with lower priority.

(sublist-of-record-names)

If you enter a list of record types, each record type receives storage priority of equal value. A sublist must be enclosed in parentheses and each record name must be separated by a comma.

Rules

• List PRIORITY options in order from highest to lowest.
• Use DIRECT, CALC, or a specific record name only once in the PRIORITY statement.
• You can specify up to 500 individual record names for the PRIORITY parameter.
• Record-name must be the name of a record within OLDSUB and NEWSUB.