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Database Administration
Database Basics : Creating and Deleting Databases : Creating a database with PROSTRCT CREATE : Creating a structure description file : Extent pathnames and naming conventions
 
Extent pathnames and naming conventions
The PROSTRCT CREATE utility is designed to allow the end user to specify the minimum amount of information necessary to create a database. Only the area type and extent location must be specified. A suggested convention is that you supply an area name for data storage areas (d). A specific filename or file extension need not be provided. If you specify a pathname, it must represent a standard operating system file. The only pathname restrictions are those that might be imposed by your operating system.
The PROSTRCT CREATE utility will generate filename and file extensions for all database files according to the following naming convention:
*The control area (.db) and the log file (.lg) are placed in the directory specified by the command line dbname parameter.
*If a relative pathname is provided, including using common dot (.) notation, the relative pathname will be expanded to an absolute pathname. Relative paths begin in your current working directory.
*For before-image extents, the filename is the database name with a .bn extension, where n represents the order in which the extents were created, beginning with 1.
*For after-image extents, the filename is the database name with a .an extension, where n represents the order in which the extents were created, beginning with 1.
*For transaction log extents, the filename is the database name with a .tn extension, where n represents the order in which the extents were created, beginning with 1.
*For schema area extents, the filename is the database name with a .dn extension, where n represents the order in which the extents were created and will be used.
*For application data area extents, the filename is the database name followed by an underscore and the area number (for example, customer_7.d1). The area number is a unique identifier that differentiates between different areas. The application data area extent filenames also have a .dn extension, where n represents the order in which the extents were created and will be used.
Note: In a structure description (.st) file, to specify a pathname that contains spaces (such as \usr1\misc data), precede the pathname with an exclamation point (!) and wrap the pathname in quotation marks (" "). For example, !"\usr1\misc data".