Defines the groups within the record.
| Type: | Optional statement |
| Applies to: | access descriptor |
In the GROUP= statement, you must enter the group name and level number.
specifies the two-character numeric level of the IMS item. This level number is similar to the COBOL level number. Groups have levels greater than 01, and their level numbers are less than the level numbers of the items within the group. This is a required argument.
These arguments are used to further define the group and are not required.
indicates with an Y, N, or a U whether this item is defined in the DBD as a sequence or key field and whether the key sequence field is unique. The default setting, N, indicates the field is not a key sequence field. You must assign one key sequence field per segment if you plan to use the view descriptors that are created from this access descriptor to update the IMS database. Keys are recommended, but not required, for all segments except the lowest hierarchical level if the view descriptors are used only for data retrieval. When KEY=U, retrieval calls to IMS are reduced because the IMS engine knows that there is only one segment in the database for this key.
indicates the number of times a repeating group occurs. This is an optional argument.
specifies the search field name defined for the group item in the DBMS DBD. If you want the IMS engine to create SSAs directly from a WHERE statement or command, you must enter the search field names. Otherwise, the WHERE statement is passed to SAS and all of the segments in the database that are referenced in the view descriptor are read. SEARCH= is an optional argument, but it is recommended where applicable.