FILE

The FILE data type is a special data type that stores the contents of any existing file as an external file that DBMaker can reference like any other data. It is similar to the LONG VARCHAR and LONG VARBINARY data types, except DBMaker stores the data externally as a file instead of internally as an object in the database. This allows third-party tools to access and manipulate the data in its native format, without having to re-import the data to register any changes in the database.

The FILE column stores a reference to a record in the system catalog tables. The system catalog contains information that the database uses to find the file object. When you display a FILE column, you do not actually see what is stored in the FILE column itself, but one of three views of the information stored in the system catalog or the file itself: the filename, the file contents, or the file size. The FILE data type can store data in two ways, as a system file object or as a user file object.

A system file object copies an existing file to the file object directory of the database and gives it a unique name. The database will manage this file, and it is deleted when there are no references to it in the database.

A user file object creates a link to an existing file, leaving the file in the original location with the original name. Since this file was created by the user, it will not be deleted when there are no references to it in the database. DBMaker must have read permission on a file before you can insert it into the database as a user file object.

The FILE data type is a structured data type that occupies 24 bytes of storage. The maximum length of the path that you can use to enter a file object is 79 characters.

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