The DEFINE RECORD statement begins  each  record  definition  in  the
  source file.

1  –  Syntax Rules

   o  You must terminate the DEFINE statement  and  the  END  statement
      with periods.

   o  The path name can be a full or  a  relative  path  specification.
      The  last  given  name in the path name is the name you assign to
      the new record definition.  You can specify an  absolute  version
      number with the path name.

   o  The given name of the new record definition is a string of up  to
      31  characters  from  the  set  A-Z,  0-9,  _,  and $.  The first
      character must be a letter from A-Z, and the last character  must
      not  be  _ or $.  You can use 8-bit alphabetic characters in path
      names.

   o  Use the optional DESCRIPTION clause to include text in the CDD to
      document  the  record  definition.   You  must  use  the  keyword
      DESCRIPTION and the text delimiters /* and */ to  insert  one  or
      more  lines  of  text  describing  the  record  into  the  DEFINE
      statement.

   o  The field description statement defines the  whole  record.   You
      can  use an elementary, STRUCTURE, COPY, VARIANTS, or VARIANTS_OF
      field description statement, but  you  can  use  only  one  field
      description statement to define a record.

      STRUCTURE, COPY, and VARIANT  field  description  statements  are
      themselves   subdivided   and   defined   by   subordinate  field
      description statements.

   o  If you specify a path name in the END clause, it must  match  the
      path name in the corresponding DEFINE clause.

   o  If you specify a given name in the END clause,  it  must  be  the
      given  name  of the new data definition and match the final given
      name in  the  path  specification  of  the  corresponding  DEFINE
      clause.

2  –  Usage Notes

   o  If the path name contains  dictionary  directories  that  do  not
      exist, the CDD automatically creates them.

   o  It is not recommended that you include passwords  in  the  DEFINE
      statement path name, because passwords included in the source can
      be displayed with the DMU LIST/ITEM=SOURCE command.  Instead, use
      the  /PATH  qualifier  with  the compile command if passwords are
      required in the path name.

   o  The only way to assign a password to a record  definition  is  to
      use  the  DMU  SET  PROTECTION or DMU SET PROTECTION/EDIT command
      after you compile the source file.  You cannot assign a  password
      to a record definition by including it in the DEFINE statement.

3  –  Example

  The  following  record  description  defines  the  dictionary  object
  SALARY_RECORD  in  the  sample  CDD hierarchy.  The field description
  statement for the record is SALARY STRUCTURE.

  DEFINE RECORD CDD$TOP.PERSONNEL.SERVICE.SALARY_RECORD.
      SALARY STRUCTURE.
          EMPLOYEE_ID          DATATYPE IS UNSIGNED NUMERIC
                               SIZE IS 9 DIGITS.
          PAY STRUCTURE.
              JOB_CLASS        DATATYPE IS UNSIGNED NUMERIC
                               SIZE IS 3 DIGITS.
              INCR_LEVEL       DATATYPE IS UNSIGNED NUMERIC
                               SIZE IS 1 DIGIT.
              WEEKLY_SALARY    DATATYPE IS UNSIGNED NUMERIC
                               SIZE IS 6 DIGITS 2 FRACTIONS.
          END PAY STRUCTURE.
      END SALARY STRUCTURE.
  END SALARY_RECORD RECORD.