The recommended technique for defining a new table (and its variables) is to use the GENERATE SOURCE control statement of the CPDDUTL utility macro to generate the definitions. However, the functionality exists to define tables and variables through the IT Service Vision server's interactive interface or to code the necessary CPDDUTL control statements manually.

Defining Tables and Variables by Means of the Graphical User Interface

In this technique, you use the IT Service Vision server's interactive interface to create the table and variable definitions (by a combination of selections and typing) and apply them to the PDB. Prior to doing this, you would read Add or create table and variable definitions in Action 1 of Section 1, Task 3: Create a Test PDB and Process, Reduce, and Report on Your Data (earlier in this document) so that you would know how to review the defaults (and change them if necessary) as you work.

To define a new table using the interactive interface, follow this path from the main menu:

MVS	PDB Admin -> Config Active PDB Dictionary ->Actions -> Create Table...-> enter the name of the table -> OK
UNIX	Administration -> Manage Tables ->File -> New Table Definition ->enter the name of the table -> OK
WNT	Administration -> Manage Tables ->File -> New Table Definition ->enter the name of the table -> OK

At this point you will see a window that will enable you to enter the table-specific attributes/properties.

To define the variables, follow this path from the above window.

MVS	Variable List -> Actions -> Create Variable -> enter the name of the variable -> OK
UNIX	OK -> select the table -> click right mouse button -> List Variables -> Tools -> Create Variable -> enter the name of the variable -> OK
WNT	OK -> select the table -> click right mouse button -> List Variables -> Tools -> Create Variable -> enter the name of the variable -> OK

At this point you will see a window that will enable you to enter the variable-specific attributes/properties. Note that some variables, such as DATETIME and LSTPDATE are added automatically.

For help on any of these windows, click on the Help button.

In order to keep a record of what you did and to be able to recreate the table and variables if necessary, save the new definitions by using %CPDDUTL to run a GENERATE SOURCE control statement against the new table and automatically generate the table and variable definitions as if you were carrying out Add or create table and variable definitions in Action 1 of Section 1, Task 3: Create a Test PDB and Process, Reduce, and Report on Your Data.

Defining Tables and Variables by Means of CPDDUTL Control Statements

In this technique, you CREATE TABLE and CREATE VARIABLE control statements that define the table and variables. Prior to doing this, you would read Add or create table and variable definitions in Action 1 of Section 1, Task 3: Create a Test PDB and Process, Reduce, and Report on Your Data (earlier in this document) so that you would know how to review the defaults (and change them if necessary) in your control statements. You would then write UPDATE statements to change any defaults that cannot be changed in the CREATE statements, and apply the CREATE and UPDATE statements to the PDB to create the table(s) and variables.

For an example of the CPDDUTL control statements necessary to define the table and variables for our example, see Fax Appendix 4: Sample Table and Variable Definitions and Fax Appendix 5: Sample Code for Updating the Definitions. For more about storing and applying (running) CPDDUTL control statements, see Fax Appendix 3: Sample Code for Generating the Definitions. For more information about the %CPDDUTL utility macro and its control statements, see the Macro Reference documentation for IT Service Vision.