Determining your starting position via the Database Positioning panel

You can determine your starting position within a database, by entering values in the segment key fields displayed on the Database Positioning panel. In this panel you specify unformatted key values, regardless of whether or not you are using a view. For binary and packed decimal numeric keys, this typically involves specifying byte values in hexadecimal ('HEX ON').

If you are accessing your database using a Dynamic PSB, the panel displays all of the segments listed in your DBD. If you are using a Static PSB, the panel only displays those segments that are referenced in the PSB.

To specify your starting position:

1. In the Database Positioning panel, type the S command in the Cmd field adjacent to the segment you want to view.
2. Type a value in the Key value field for the specified segment.

   If you want to view a segment other than the root segment, enter values in the Key value fields for the segment you want and all segments above it in the hierarchy.

3. If the values you have entered are an exact match for values in the segment occurrences, press the Enter key. The IMS data panel is displayed, with the first displayable segment that matches your criteria positioned at the top of the data area.

   If no segment matches the key values you have specified, the error message, Segment not found, is displayed in the top right corner of the panel.

4. If the values you have entered are not an exact match for values in the segment occurrences, press the GE function key (F5). This converts all of the SSA statements to “greater than or equal to? (>=) operators.
   Note: If the database type is HDAM, PHDAM or DEDB or a secondary index has been used, the SSA statement for the root segment uses the “equal to? (=) operator; other segments are converted to “greater than or equal to?.

   The IMS data panel is displayed, with the first segment with key values that are greater than or equal to your criteria positioned at the top of the data area.