Using an inline data file

An inline data file is a data file that is included as part of a batch job when the job is read by a reader or a submit jobs command. An inline data file is delimited in the job by a //DATA command at the start of the file and by an end-of-data delimiter at the end of the file. The end-of-data delimiter can be a user-defined character string or the default of //.

The // must appear in positions 1 and 2. If your data contains a // in positions 1 and 2, you should use a unique set of characters such as:

// *** END OF DATA

To specify this as a unique end-of-data delimiter, the ENDCHAR parameter on the //DATA command should be coded as:

ENDCHAR('// *** END OF DATA')

An inline data file can be either named or unnamed. For an unnamed inline data file, either QINLINE is specified as the file name in the //DATA command or no name is specified. For a named inline data file, a file name is specified.

A named inline data file has the following characteristics:

• It has a unique name in a job; no other inline data file can have the same name.
• It can be used more than once in a job.
• Each time it is opened, it is positioned to the first record.

To use a named inline data file, you must either specify the file name in the program or use an override command to change the file name specified in the program to the name of the inline data file. The file must be opened for input only.

An unnamed inline data file has the following characteristics:

• Its name is QINLINE. (In a batch job, all unnamed inline data files are given the same name.)
• It can only be used once in a job.
• When more than one unnamed inline data file is included in a job, the files must be in the input stream in the same order as when the files are opened.

To use an unnamed inline data file, do one of the following:

• Specify QINLINE in the program.
• Use an override file command to change the file name specified in the program to QINLINE.

If your high-level language requires unique file names within one program, you can use QINLINE as a file name only once. If you need to use more than one unnamed inline data file, you can use an override file command in the program to specify QINLINE for additional unnamed inline data files.

Note:

If you run commands conditionally and process more than one unnamed inline data file, the results cannot be predicted if the wrong unnamed inline data file is used.

Open considerations for inline data files

The following considerations apply to opening inline data files:

• Record length specifies the length of the input records. (Record length is optional.) When the record length exceeds the length of the data, a message is sent to your program. The data is padded with blanks. When the record length is less than the data length, the records are truncated.
• When a file is specified in a program, the system searches for the file as a named inline data file before it searches for the file in a library. Therefore, if a named inline data file has the same name as a file that is not an inline data file, the inline data file is always used, even if the file name is qualified by a library name.
• Named inline data files can be shared between programs in the same job by specifying SHARE(*YES) on a create file or override file command.

  For example, if an override file command specifying a file named INPUT and SHARE(*YES) is in a batch job with an inline data file named INPUT, any programs running in the job that specify the file name INPUT will share the same named inline data file.

  Unnamed inline data files cannot be shared between programs in the same job.

• When you use inline data files, you should make sure the correct file type is specified on the //DATA command. For example, if the file is to be used as a source file, the file type on the //DATA command must be source.
• Inline data files must be opened for input only.