Re: Trouble managing OVRDBF inside a program

Whenever I had problems with OVRDBF is was the SCOPE parameter that caused troubles, as the default value of SCOPE is *ACTGRPDFN. And you can really get a lot of headaches trying to figure it out. So my approach is - avoid OVRDBF.

A good solution that I have seen some time ago was having a CLLE program that does the OVRDBF, calls the RPGLE and does the DLTOVR - but I don't like this approach, as I'm generally not a big fan of CLLE.

HTH
Daniel



> Am 02.02.2026 um 15:13 schrieb Luca Giammattei <[email protected]>:
> 
> Thanks for your intervention, I already knew that the solution was through
> a dynamic insert statement, but I was still curious to understand why the
> subsequent OVRDBFs are not performed by the operating system or the
> compiler and above all I can't find an error message anywhere.
> 
>> Il giorno lun 2 feb 2026 alle ore 15:07 Daniel Gross <[email protected]> ha
>> scritto:
>> 
>> David is right - I would only say, the I would completely avoid OVRDBF as
>> a command from inside a RPG program - or better - I try to avoid OVRDBF
>> completely - especially with SQL.
>> 
>> The easiest solution to open files from different libraries is to create
>> the SQL statement dynamically - like:
>> 
>>        #sql = 'INSERT INTO '+lib+'.TABLENAME VALUES(?, ?, ?, ?, ...';
>>        exec sql prepare stmInsert from #sql;
>>        exec sql execute stmInsert using :col1, :col2, :col3, :col4, ...;
>> 
>> This should work - you have to prepare the statement once per
>> library/table and then execute it once for each record.
>> 
>> No OVRDBF needed.
>> 
>> HTH
>> Daniel
>> 
>> 
>>> Am 02.02.2026 um 14:51 schrieb David Gibbs via RPG400-L <
>> [email protected]>:
>>> 
>>> On Mon, Feb 2, 2026 at 7:46 AM Luca Giammattei <
>> [email protected]>
>>> wrote:
>>> 
>>>> doU MyDS(x).companyLib = *blanks;
>>>> If %trim(MyDS(x).companyLib) <> defaultCompany;
>>>>   rc=DoCmd('OVRDBF FILE(MyFILE00F) TOFILE(' +
>>>> %trim(MyDS(x).companyLib) + '/MyFILE00F)');
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>> Are you closing the file before the OVRDBF and reopening it after?
>>> 
>>> The way I've always done that is...
>>> 
>>> 1. Code the file as usropn.
>>> 2. Close the file if it's open (use %open bif)
>>> 3. Run the OVRDBF
>>> 4. Reopen the file
>>> 5. Close the file when done
>>> 
>>> david
>> 
>>> Am 02.02.2026 um 14:46 schrieb Luca Giammattei <
>> [email protected]>:
>>> 
>>> Hellò everybody.
>>> In my IBM i we manage multiple companies.
>>> Each company has its own data library, and the company data libraries all
>>> have more or less the same files.
>>> I receive an ascii file from outside and need to manage it by writing
>> some
>>> data to some companies, but not all of them.
>>> So, in my program I have a situation like this (in semipseudocode):
>>> 
>>> dcl-ds MyDS qualified Inz dim(20);
>>> companyLib char(10);
>>> foo char(2);
>>> bar char(12);
>>> rtw likeds(rowsToWrite) dim(25);
>>> End-DS;
>>> 
>>> ---
>>> doU MyDS(x).companyLib = *blanks;
>>> If %trim(MyDS(x).companyLib) <> defaultCompany;
>>>   rc=DoCmd('OVRDBF FILE(MyFILE00F) TOFILE(' +
>>> %trim(MyDS(x).companyLib) + '/MyFILE00F)');
>>>   if rc <> 0;
>>>     logError(yabadaba);
>>>     iter;
>>>   else;
>>>     rc=insertCompanyData(MyDS(x).rtw);
>>>     if rc=0;
>>>       exec sql commit;
>>>     else;
>>>       logError(anotheryabadaba);
>>>     endif
>>>     rc=DoCmd('DLTOVR FILE(MyFILE00F)');
>>>     if rc <> 0;
>>>      logError(yabadabadoo);
>>>     endif;
>>>   endif;
>>> endIF;
>>> x +=1;
>>> endDo;
>>> 
>>> 
>>> The program runs with a user who has associated a job description that
>>> contains the list of libraries for company A, let's call it the default
>> or
>>> main company, but it must also be able to write to the file present in
>> the
>>> data library of company B and company C o D, one of the many other
>>> companies we manage. Program is an sqlrpgle, data insert is done via
>> "exec
>>> sql insert into", pgm has no dcl-f or any f spec used, when running the
>>> first over dub file it works like a charm, while the second time (or the
>>> third or the fourth) the OVRDBF command does not work, and I don't see
>>> anything in the DSPJOBLOG, substitions checked via DSPOVR command shows
>>> nothing happened, I am for surely missing something, can any kind soul
>> out
>>> there point me to what i am missing? TIA
>>> 
>> --
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