Introduction › System Use Reports › File Structure and Terminology Overview

File Structure and Terminology Overview

There is essentially one format for a CA JARS output record. It is shown in the back of this guide and is referred to as the basic accounting record or the history record.

The field relationship of this record layout is carried over from the intermediate account file to the history file. Also, a history file can be reduced into a summary file.

In all cases, the record format of these files is very similar. They differ primarily in their content and usage.

• An account file is normally a temporary data set that is not saved but is used in the process of generating reports and a history file.

  Note: If EXTDATA is the primary output of the system, we recommend using the account file as a permanent data set, not to produce history files.

• History files can in turn be kept at this level of detail for as long as you require or summarized at some selected sort level. When reduced in this manner, a history file is usually referred to as a summary file. The record format is the same. EXTDATA records are only maintained on detail-level history files.

CA JARS Information Flow

* See the Online System User Guide for a detailed description of this feature.