# The Longest Record of a File **URL:** \ **Category:** Forum\ **Tags:** Adabas-Natural, Adabas, Adabas-Basics-on-Linux-Unix-Windows, Adabas-on-Windows-UNIX, Adabas-on-Linux\ **Created:** [June 2, 2006, 5:56pm UTC](https://techcommunity.softwareag.com/t/the-longest-record-of-a-file/58033 "2006-06-02T17:56:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Matthias1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9fc348/32.png) [@Matthias1](https://techcommunity.softwareag.com/u/Matthias1)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2006, 5:56pm UTC](https://techcommunity.softwareag.com/t/the-longest-record-of-a-file/58033/1 "2006-06-02T17:56:37Z")
Hello all! With the utility ADAFIN, I can find out the longest record of a file (in bytes). Here’s the output of my adafin … usage=ds ```auto Records: Number = 941,385 Length: max = 3,170 , min = 79 , avg = 417.80 ``` Is there a way to find out the ISN of this 3170-byte-record? I think there is a special reason, why this particular record is so long. But I have to prove this… My best idea is: make a ADAULD of the whole file and write a script which does the wanted investigations by reading the unloaded file. But this solution would be very time consuming. Any better ideas? ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Dowson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/eb9ed0/32.png) [@Peter\_Dowson](https://techcommunity.softwareag.com/u/Peter_Dowson)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2006, 6:55pm UTC](https://techcommunity.softwareag.com/t/the-longest-record-of-a-file/58033/2 "2006-06-06T18:55:09Z")
Instead of trying to use Adabas utilities, why not write a little Natural program to read the whole file and get it to tell you. Peter ---
**Author:** ![Ralph\_Zbrog](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/techcommunity/user_avatar/techcommunity.softwareag.com/ralph_zbrog/32/78_2.png) [@Ralph\_Zbrog](https://techcommunity.softwareag.com/u/Ralph_Zbrog)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2006, 12:46am UTC](https://techcommunity.softwareag.com/t/the-longest-record-of-a-file/58033/3 "2006-06-07T00:46:35Z")
Because Natural returns decompressed records - they will all be the same length. Your “little program” would have to mimic Adabas’ compression routine. (Perhaps deleting trailing blanks in alpha fileds would be a close-enough approximation.) An unload (without decompression) will give you variable-length records, so you’d be able to find the longest one. If you’re presuming that the differences in length are a factor of the number of PE and/or MU entries, then the “little program” could list ISNs for the records with the largest count fields (C\*). ---
**Author:** ![zarchasmpgmr](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/techcommunity/user_avatar/techcommunity.softwareag.com/zarchasmpgmr/32/126_2.png) [@zarchasmpgmr](https://techcommunity.softwareag.com/u/zarchasmpgmr)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2006, 2:31am UTC](https://techcommunity.softwareag.com/t/the-longest-record-of-a-file/58033/4 "2006-06-07T02:31:48Z")
You can get this info - both the compressed and uncompressed length - by writing your own direct call program, either in NAT or C. If you issue an Lx command, the additions 2 field contains 2 half words, the first being the compressed length and the second is the uncompressed length. If you write a program in NAT, use the USR1043N interface to make the direct call. At one time I had a NAT program that read an entire file physically using an L2 call and calculated the longest and average lengths (compressed and uncompressed). A quick cursory look of my personal archive doesn’t find it, but if I do find it, I will upload it. Kind regards, Ray Mullins ---
**Author:** ![Matthias1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9fc348/32.png) [@Matthias1](https://techcommunity.softwareag.com/u/Matthias1)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2006, 5:34pm UTC](https://techcommunity.softwareag.com/t/the-longest-record-of-a-file/58033/5 "2006-06-08T17:34:46Z")
> [@Ray Mullins](#): > > If you issue an Lx command, the additions 2 field contains 2 half words, the first being the compressed length and the second is the uncompressed length. Good hint! This helps me! Here’s my try - it’s working! 🙂 ```auto define data local * 1 CONTROL-BLOCK (A80) 1 REDEFINE CONTROL-BLOCK [snip] /* please have a look at USR1043P 1 RESPONSE (I04) * 1 #ISN (I04) 1 #length-B (B02) 1 REDEFINE #length-B 2 #COMPRESSED-LENGTH (I02) * end-define * REPEAT * RESET CB-DBID CB-FNR CB-RSP CB-ISN CB-ISL CB-ISQ CB-FBL CB-RBL CB-SBL CB-VBL CB-IBL CB-RESERVED * CB-CMD := 'L2' /* read physical Command CB-CID := '0001' /* Command ID CB-RSP := 010 /* UDB CB-FNR := 010 /* File CB-FBL := H'03' /* Format buffer length CB-RBL := H'01' /* Record buffer length FORMAT-BUFFER := 'AA.' /* any field * CALLNAT 'USR1043N' CONTROL-BLOCK FORMAT-ADDR RECORD-ADDR SEARCH-ADDR VALUE-ADDR ISN-ADDR RESPONSE * IF RESPONSE = 0 #length-B := CB-ADD2 #ISN := CB-ISN display CB-ISN CB-ADD2 (EM=HHHHHHHH) #ISN #COMPRESSED-LENGTH ELSE ESCAPE BOTTOM END-IF * END-REPEAT * IF RESPONSE NE 0 AND RESPONSE NE 3 WRITE 'ADABAS response code (L2):' RESPONSE END-IF * RESET CB-DBID CB-FNR CB-RSP CB-ISN CB-ISL CB-ISQ CB-FBL CB-RBL CB-SBL CB-VBL CB-IBL CB-RESERVED * CB-CMD := 'RC' /* Release Command CB-CID := H'00000000' * CALLNAT 'USR1043N' CONTROL-BLOCK FORMAT-ADDR RECORD-ADDR SEARCH-ADDR VALUE-ADDR ISN-ADDR RESPONSE * IF RESPONSE NE 0 WRITE 'ADABAS response code (RC):' RESPONSE END-IF * END ``` ---
**Author:** ![zarchasmpgmr](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/techcommunity/user_avatar/techcommunity.softwareag.com/zarchasmpgmr/32/126_2.png) [@zarchasmpgmr](https://techcommunity.softwareag.com/u/zarchasmpgmr)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2006, 3:17am UTC](https://techcommunity.softwareag.com/t/the-longest-record-of-a-file/58033/6 "2006-06-09T03:17:02Z")
Great! Glad I could help! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Dowson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/eb9ed0/32.png) [@Peter\_Dowson](https://techcommunity.softwareag.com/u/Peter_Dowson)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2006, 4:47pm UTC](https://techcommunity.softwareag.com/t/the-longest-record-of-a-file/58033/7 "2006-06-09T16:47:13Z")
Please to see that a little Natural program solved your issues :lol: Peter ---
**Author:** ![Matthias1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9fc348/32.png) [@Matthias1](https://techcommunity.softwareag.com/u/Matthias1)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2006, 7:32pm UTC](https://techcommunity.softwareag.com/t/the-longest-record-of-a-file/58033/8 "2006-06-09T19:32:08Z")
> [@Peter Dowson](#): > > Please to see that a little Natural program solved your issues :lol: But you have to admit that the ADABAS L2-command does the job, not the NATURAL-Program 😉 ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/techcommunity/original/3X/c/d/cd19967bb605d28a72d77eb83a1cae22f3df2eb8.svg) [@system](https://techcommunity.softwareag.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2021, 2:39pm UTC](https://techcommunity.softwareag.com/t/the-longest-record-of-a-file/58033/9 "2021-04-02T14:39:00Z")