DBMS-10 Administrators Procedures Manual Jun77

This document is the DECsystem-10 Data Base Management System (DBMS-10) Administrator's Procedures Manual, published in June 1977. It serves as a comprehensive guide for data base administrators responsible for creating and maintaining databases on DECsystem-10 systems, specifically for DBMS V5 running on TOPS-10 V6.02, 6.03.

The manual covers:

• Introduction to DBMS: Explains its advantages, core components (SCHEMA, DBMEND, DBINFO, FORDML, COBOL DBMS module, DBCS), and fundamental concepts like records, sets, areas, schemas, and sub-schemas. It also describes how applications access the database using the Data Manipulation Language (DML), including backup/recovery and exception handling.
• Administrator's Responsibilities: Details the process of designing and creating a data base, which involves defining logical and physical attributes of areas, records, and sets, as well as journal and exception handling. It explains how to run the SCHEMA program to process schema definitions and how to manage schema changes.
• DBMS Languages: Provides syntax and rules for the Device Media Control Language (DMCL) for physical characteristics, the Schema Data Description Language (DDL) for logical and physical mapping of the schema, and the Sub-schema Data Description Language (DDL) for defining application-specific subsets of the schema.

• DBMS Utilities: Describes utility programs such as:

  • DBINFO: For generating reports, cross-reference listings, data maps, usage statistics, and free space information about the database.
  • DBMEND: For performing page recovery using journal files (BEFORE/AFTER images), obtaining journal abstracts, and adjusting Area Status Records.
  • DAEMDB: For magnetic-tape journaling, copying disk journal files to tape, and managing journal reels.

• Appendices: Include reserved words, error messages, and detailed information on the organization of schema files and data access mechanisms, including overhead calculations and the STORE algorithm.

The manual assumes the administrator has knowledge of data base management systems, DECsystem-10 COBOL and FORTRAN languages, and the TOPS-10 operating system.