Retrieving Data

You can retrieve data in an IMS database using DL/I calls, with or without Segment Search Arguments (SSAs).

The IMS Database Editor supports the following DL/I calls:

Get First With Hold
Get Next Segment With Hold
Get Next Segment Within Parent With Hold
Get Unique With Hold

When you use a DL/I call to change your position within a database, the Current Segment Arrow in the Database Tree moves to the new segment type, if it has changed. The Field Layout View and the Segment Data and Field Data areas display data for the segment occurrence that is current.

When you reach the end of the database, the IMS Database Editor prompts you to reset your position to the start of the database.

Tip: To find out whether a DL/I call is successful, look at the status code on the IMS Database Editor status bar. The status code should be set to BLANKS. If there is an error, the IMS Database Editor displays a message containing the status code and a full description. See The IMS Database Editor Status Bar for more information.

You can qualify a DL/I call using a Segment Search Argument (SSA).

Note: Enterprise Server provides compatible SSA support including support for:

Up to 15 SSAs per call, with each SSA limited to 4,000 bytes
SSA relational operators supporting up to 125 boolean operations on each SSA
SSA command codes