Managing database files

You can manage and maintain control over database files in various ways.

Basic operations for managing database files
The basic operations for managing database files are copying a file and moving a file.
Managing database members
You can perform various operations on database file members, such as adding and removing members and changing member attributes.
Using database attribute and cross-reference information
The IBM i integrated database provides file attribute and cross-reference information.
Changing database file descriptions and attributes
Sometimes you might change the descriptions or attributes of a database file by adding, changing, or deleting a field.
Recovering and restoring your database
You can use several IBM i save and restore functions to recover your database after the system loses data.
Using source files
Db2 for i provides a range of support for source files.
Controlling the integrity of your database with constraints
A constraint is a restriction or limitation placed on a database file to ensure that the data in your database remains consistent when you add, change, and remove records.
Ensuring data integrity with referential constraints
You use referential constraints to enforce the referential integrity of your database. Referential integrity encompasses all of the mechanisms and techniques that you can use to ensure that your database contains only valid data.
Triggering automatic events in your database
A trigger is a set of actions that run automatically when a specified change or read operation is performed on a specified database file. You can define a set of trigger actions in any high-level language that is supported on the IBM i operating system.
Database distribution
DB2® Multisystem (IBM i option 27) provides a simple and direct method of distributing a database file over multiple systems in a loosely coupled environment.

Parent topic: Database programming