Format

      DEFINE  PARTITION  partition-name

              [ DESCRIPTION  IS /*text*/ ]   [ AUDIT  IS /*text*/ ]

              [ PARENT_PARTITION IS parent-partition-name       ]
              [ LOOKASIDE_PARTITION IS look-partition-name ,... ]...
              [                                                 ]

              [ AUTOPURGE   ]
              [ NOAUTOPURGE ] .
              [             ]

1  –  Parameters

1.1  –  partition-name

    Specifies the partition you are creating.

1.2  –  text

    Adds information. Within the DESCRIPTION clause, this is
    information documenting the partition; within the AUDIT clause,
    it is a history list entry. Valid delimiters are /* */ or double
    quotation marks (" ").

    You can use Japanese to document comments in the DESCRIPTION or
    AUDIT clause for a field. To do this, use the SET CHARACTER_SET
    command, and set the character_set of the session to DEC_KANJI.

1.3  –  parent-partition-name

    Specifies the parent partition, which must currently exist.

1.4  –  look-partition-name

    Specifies a related partition that is visible through this
    partition. The related partition must currently exist.

2  –  Description

    The DEFINE PARTITION command creates a partition. Partitions are
    the means by which you control elements.

    When you control an element, you identify the partition, which is
    called the base partition, in which a public, immutable copy of
    this element resides. CDO provides two ways to control elements,
    as follows:

    o  On an element-by-element basis, with the CONSTRAIN command.
       CDO controls the element that appears within the command.

    o  Through a context with the DEFINE CONTEXT and SET CONTEXT
       commands. Once you set the context, CDO controls all
       subsequent elements until the context is changed.

    Once an element has been controlled, you use the RESERVE and
    REPLACE commands to create subsequent versions. This reservation
    system prevents uncontrolled changes to elements.

    You can link partitions together to control change in various
    stages of a project. Each partition then represents a higher
    level of approval, or completion, in the overall partition
    hierarchy. The PROMOTE command moves elements higher within the
    hierarchy.

    The PARENT_PARTITION clause in the DEFINE PARTITION command
    creates a partition hierarchy by linking partitions in a parent-
    child relationship. The first, or root, partition does not have
    a parent partition. The second partition in the hierarchy has
    the first partition as its parent, and so on down the hierarchy.
    This clause can be specified only once during the lifetime of
    the partition, in either the DEFINE PARTITION or CHANGE PARTITION
    command.

    The LOOKASIDE_PARTITION clause makes the contents of another
    partition visible, provided that you have read privileges for
    the partition. You can read, but you cannot reserve, replace, or
    change the contents.

    The AUTOPURGE keyword ensures that CDO automatically purges
    intermediate versions of elements in the partition when you
    promote the latest version. The NOAUTOPURGE keyword prevents
    this automatic purging.

3  –  Examples

  CDO>  DEFINE PARTITION FINAL_RELEASE AUTOPURGE.        1
  CDO>  DEFINE PARTITION FIELDTEST_RELEASE               2
  cont>   PARENT_PARTITION IS FINAL_RELEASE AUTOPURGE.
  CDO>  DEFINE PARTITION SECOND_BASELEVEL
  cont>   PARENT_PARTITION IS FIELDTEST_RELEASE AUTOPURGE.
  CDO>  DEFINE PARTITION FIRST_BASELEVEL
  cont>   PARENT_PARTITION IS SECOND_BASELEVEL AUTOPURGE.
  CDO>  DEFINE PARTITION FRONT_END
  cont>   PARENT_PARTITION IS FIRST_BASELEVEL AUTOPURGE.
  CDO>  DEFINE PARTITION BACK_END                        3
  cont>   PARENT_PARTITION IS FIRST_BASELEVEL
  cont>   LOOKASIDE_PARTITION IS FRONT_END AUTOPURGE.
  CDO>  CHANGE PARTITION FRONT_END                       4
  cont>   LOOKASIDE_PARTITION IS BACK_END.

     .
     .
     .
  CDO>  DEFINE CONTEXT BILL_CONTEXT                      5
  cont>   BASE_PARTITION IS FRONT_END.
  CDO>  DEFINE CONTEXT BETSY_CONTEXT
  cont>   BASE_PARTITION IS BACK_END.
  CDO>  DEFINE CONTEXT QA_CONTEXT
  cont>   BASE_PARTITION IS FIELDTEST_RELEASE.

      In this example, successive DEFINE PARTITION commands create a
      partition hierarchy.

      1  The root partition is FINAL_RELEASE.

      2  Each successive partition in the hierarchy is the child of
         the previous partition.

      3  A partition hierarchy can include multiple children of a
         previous partition; LOOKASIDE_PARTITION makes the contents
         of FRONT_END visible to BACK_END.

      4  The CHANGE PARTITION command makes the contents of BACK_END
         visible to FRONT_END.

      5  The base partition, or lowest visible partition, is set for
         three different contexts.