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Due to processing by IBM, this request was reassigned to have the following updated attributes:
Brand - Servers and Systems Software
Product family - Power Systems
Product - IBM i
Component - Db2 for i
Operating system - IBM i
Source - None
For recording keeping, the previous attributes were:
Brand - Servers and Systems Software
Product family - Power Systems
Product - IBM i
Component - Application Development
Operating system - IBM i
Source - None
The CAAC has reviewed this requirement and recommends that IBM view this as a medium priority requirement that should be addressed. Because DSPFs are still used for some modernization approaches, and longer names can be used in tables, we believe that the ALIAS keyword in DDS needs to support the longer names.
Background: The COMMON Americas Advisory Council (CAAC) members have a broad range of experience in working with small and medium-sized IBM i customers. CAAC has a key role in working with IBM i development to help assess the value and impact of individual RFEs on the broader IBM i community, and has therefore reviewed your RFE.
For more information about CAAC, see www.common.org/caac
For more details about CAAC's role with RFEs, see http://www.ibmsystemsmag.com/Blogs/i-Can/May-2017/COMMON-Americas-Advisory-Council-%28CAAC%29-and-RFEs/
Nancy Uthke-Schmucki - CAAC Program Manager
We are also experiencing this and another one. IBM pointed me to this RFE when I created a PMR. Here is the PMR information if interested.
Title -- CRTDSPF issuing CPD5237 & CPD7534 failures creating a catch-22 when using DB2 tables with long names.
Description -- IBM i 7.3 Problem (1) CPD5237--Field or ALIAS name specified more than once in record.
This is issued when REFFLD(referenced-field-name database-file-name) is specified more than once in a format where database-file-name is a DB2 table and referenced-field-name has a long name.
The manual, "Program for Display Files" does state: "The alternative-name must be different from all other alternative names and from all DDS field names in the record format. If a duplicate name is found, an error appears on the field name or alternative name."
With a DB2 table though, the CRTDSPF command is picking up the long name as the alias automatically – the coder has no control over it; unless – the ALIAS keyword is hard-coded to use another name. However - see Problem (2).
Problem (2) CPD7534--Length of keyword value not valid.
This is issued when REFFLD(referenced-field-name database-file-name) is specified where database-file-name is a DB2 table and referenced-field-name has a long name that exceeds 30 characters – the max length for ALIAS.
** This is the same issue mentioned on this RFE **
As with Problem (1) -- the CRTDSPF command is picking up the long name as the alias automatically – the coder has no control over it; unless the ALIAS keyword is hard-coded to use another name. The only workaround seems to be, abandon REFFLD and hard code the data type, precision, and scale values in the display file.
This is easy to replicate. Create 2 tables and 1 display file.
create or replace table
SOMELIB/T1
(C1 char(10)
,C2 int
,C3 date);
create or replace table
SOMELIB/T2
(TABLE_COLUMN_1 for C1 char(10)
,TABLE_COLUMN_2 for C2 int
,TABLE_COLUMN_LONG_NAME_EXCEEDING_30_CHARS for C3 date);
A DSPSIZ(24 80 *DS3)
A R TESTDSPA
*ALL OF THESE WORK!
A C1T1 R B 1 9REFFLD(C1 T1)
A C2T1 R B 2 9REFFLD(C2 T1)
A C3T1 R B 3 9REFFLD(C3 T1)
A C1T1COPY R B 4 9REFFLD(C1 T1)
A C2T1COPY R B 5 9REFFLD(C2 T1)
A C3T1COPY R B 6 9REFFLD(C3 T1)
A C3T1COPY2 R B 7 9REFFLD(C3 T1)
*THE 2 SUCEEDING LINES WORK:
A C1T2 R B 1 39REFFLD(C1 T2)
A C2T2 R B 2 39REFFLD(C2 T2)
*UNCOMMENT THIS LINE - CPD7534 IS ISSUED.
A* C3T2 R B 3 39REFFLD(C3 T2)
*UNCOMMENT THIS LINE - CPD5237 IS ISSUED.
A* C1T2COPY R B 4 39REFFLD(C1 T2)
We are also experiencing this and another one. IBM pointed me to this RFE when I created a PMR. Here is the PMR information if interested.
Title -- CRTDSPF issuing CPD5237 & CPD7534 failures creating a catch-22 when using DB2 tables with long names.
Description -- IBM i 7.3 Problem (1) CPD5237--Field or ALIAS name specified more than once in record.
This is issued when REFFLD(referenced-field-name database-file-name) is specified more than once in a format where database-file-name is a DB2 table and referenced-field-name has a long name.
The manual, "Program for Display Files" does state: "The alternative-name must be different from all other alternative names and from all DDS field names in the record format. If a duplicate name is found, an error appears on the field name or alternative name."
With a DB2 table though, the CRTDSPF command is picking up the long name as the alias automatically – the coder has no control over it; unless – the ALIAS keyword is hard-coded to use another name. However - see Problem (2).
Problem (2) CPD7534--Length of keyword value not valid.
This is issued when REFFLD(referenced-field-name database-file-name) is specified where database-file-name is a DB2 table and referenced-field-name has a long name that exceeds 30 characters – the max length for ALIAS.
** This is the same issue mentioned on this RFE **
As with Problem (1) -- the CRTDSPF command is picking up the long name as the alias automatically – the coder has no control over it; unless the ALIAS keyword is hard-coded to use another name. The only workaround seems to be, abandon REFFLD and hard code the data type, precision, and scale values in the display file.
This is easy to replicate. Create 2 tables and 1 display file.
create or replace table
SOMELIB/T1
(C1 char(10)
,C2 int
,C3 date);
create or replace table
SOMELIB/T2
(TABLE_COLUMN_1 for C1 char(10)
,TABLE_COLUMN_2 for C2 int
,TABLE_COLUMN_LONG_NAME_EXCEEDING_30_CHARS for C3 date);
A DSPSIZ(24 80 *DS3)
A R TESTDSPA
*ALL OF THESE WORK!
A C1T1 R B 1 9REFFLD(C1 T1)
A C2T1 R B 2 9REFFLD(C2 T1)
A C3T1 R B 3 9REFFLD(C3 T1)
A C1T1COPY R B 4 9REFFLD(C1 T1)
A C2T1COPY R B 5 9REFFLD(C2 T1)
A C3T1COPY R B 6 9REFFLD(C3 T1)
A C3T1COPY2 R B 7 9REFFLD(C3 T1)
*THE 2 SUCEEDING LINES WORK:
A C1T2 R B 1 39REFFLD(C1 T2)
A C2T2 R B 2 39REFFLD(C2 T2)
*UNCOMMENT THIS LINE - CPD7534 IS ISSUED.
A* C3T2 R B 3 39REFFLD(C3 T2)
*UNCOMMENT THIS LINE - CPD5237 IS ISSUED.
A* C1T2COPY R B 4 39REFFLD(C1 T2)