A data dictionary is not an alternativ e to a database managemen t system (DBMS). A dictionary manages information about data on the system, while a DBMS manages the data itself. A DBMS sc hema may contain some information on the format and usage of the data. However, dictionary information is more extensiv e and easily usable.

In addition to documen ting IMAGE databases, System Dictionary can describe MPE ￿les, KSAM ￿les, VPLUS/V forms ￿les, programs, net work device con￿gurations, and other system components. It can also documen t the relationships among componen ts.

For detailed information, refer to one of the following man uals in the Tools Series:

HP System Dictionary/XL COBOL De￿nition Extr actor Reference Manual (32256-90001).

HP System Dictionary/XL Gener al Reference Manual (Volumes 1 and 2) (32256-90004 and 32256-90005).

HP System Dictionary/XL Intrinsics R eference Manual (32256-90002).

HP System Dictionary/XL SDMAIN R eference Manual (32256-90001). HP System Dictionary/XL Utilities R eference Manual (32256-90003).

Editor

The Editor is an HP 3000 subsystem that runs on MPE operating systems. It is a line-oriented text editor used to create and manipulate ASCII ￿les. Files can be source programs, job streams, or text material.

You enter commands and lines of text through an input ￿le. The Editor sends messages and prompts in an interactive session by writing to an output ￿le. Y ou issue Editor commands that operate on an Editor w ork ￿le, whic h is a temporary ￿le especially created for this purpose. Each operation performed in the Editor manipulates the w ork ￿le. A permanen t text ￿le is created as the result of sa ving the work ￿le. Until you keep the contents of the work ￿le, no permanent text ￿le exists. If y ou are updating an existing text ￿le, it remains unc hanged while you make the changes on the temporary w ork ￿le copy. The original permanen t text ￿le is overwritten only when y ou save the work ￿le.

The work ￿le is created as a temporary ￿le and is deleted when y ou make a normal, orderly exit from the Editor. If y our edit session ends abnormally , the temporary w ork ￿le is saved as a specially named ￿le and is still a vailable. This is called a \K" ￿le; the ￿le name has the form

Kdddhhmm

where ddd is the Julian day, hh is the hour, and mm is the minute at which the session abnormally ended.

You can use the Editor command VERIFY to determine all aspects of the Editor's operating environment, including the location of the w ork ￿le pointer. For example, y ou can determine the increment for line numbers, page margins, record length, total length of w ork ￿le, format, tabs, and other attributes of the en vironment. Editor is described in the EDIT/3000 Reference Manual (03000-90012).

2-8 Utilities and Tools