Overview

The IMS component of File Manager (FM/IMS ) is an ISPF application, in which you can manipulate data stored in IMS databases. Using FM/IMS, you can:

  • Display data from one or more IMS segment occurrences, and see their relationship to other segment types within the database.
  • Edit and update data in IMS segment occurrences.
  • Insert segment occurrences into an IMS database.
  • Delete segment occurrences from an IMS database.
  • Delete/Define and initialize database datasets.
  • Extract a subset of IMS data to a flat file.
  • Load data into IMS databases.
  • Print selected data or entire databases.

For many tasks, you can use the FM/IMS elements called templates and views to define a logical view of a database, based upon field definitions from copybooks. When you associate a view with a database you can:

  • Format data according to segment layouts defined in copybooks.
  • Select the segment types and fields that you want to display, edit or extract.
  • Change the order in which fields are displayed and adjust field headings.
  • Create criteria to identify and select the data that you want to use.
Note: File Manager supports copybooks stored in a PDS(E) or a CA-Panvalet library.

FM/IMS provides you with a number of flexible ways to connect to your IMS databases. For example, with BMP mode you can connect to an online multi-user database and manipulate the data. In DLI mode, you can work with data offline as a single user or you can share the data with others. You can even access a database without creating a PSB as FM/IMS can dynamically create a PSB from the DBD, if your installation allows it.

In addition, FM/IMS provides several batch functions. FM/IMS Batch Edit (IEB) runs a REXX procedure that can insert, update, retrieve, delete or print segments and create views. FM/IMS Print (IPR) can print the entire database in one of several available display formats, or a selected subset of the database, based on a view.