Terminology

We use terminology throughout this manual that everyone is familiar with; however, often we use these terms to mean something other than what people are used to. In some cases, this may cause some confusion. The following is a list of some of these terms and our definition.

Database - The collection of data files (including the data, index, and variable length data files) for all relations and the DFL file. Confusion comes in that many people use "database" to refer to the file of a single relation.

Data dictionary - The schemas of all the relations in the database. Also known as the data definition file. An Sage-ST ^TM data dictionary is created using THOR and is stored in the SRC/DFL files.

Field - Also known as an attribute or column. Each relation schema has one or more fields that describe it.

File set - The set of two or three files associated with a single relation that contain the actual data (DAT file), the indexes (IDX file), and variable length data (BLK file).

Form - Something that will be displayed to an end-user on the monitor, sometimes referred to as a screen. Sage-ST ^TM forms are created using THOR and stored in the SRC/DFL files. A form may or may not fill up an entire screen; the form may or may not allow a user to modify or enter data.

Memory record - The memory record provides access to all data contained in the database. It is the means by which data is transmitted between the actual data files and your forms and applications. This is a critical concept and is discussed in detail in the Memory Record section.

Record - Also known as a tuple or row. Individual records contain data for your system. A relation may have from one to (2 ³¹ - 1) records in it. We sometimes use "record" interchangeably with "relation".

Relation - Also known as a table; we also use the word "relation" interchangeably with "record", which can cause confusion. The schema for a relation is created using THOR and stored in the data dictionary (SRC/DFL files).

SAGE - When all uppercase, this word refers to an application development system developed at the INL. "Sage-ST ^TM " refers to the Ada implementation of this system, "M2SAGE" refers to the Modula-2 implementation of this system. "Sage", with upper- and lowercase letters, refers to a specific package within the SAGE system.

Schema - The design of the data, sometimes used in place of "data dictionary". This can refer to the database as a whole or to an individual relation. All schemas are created using THOR and are stored in the SRC/DFL files.

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