New and Existing Database Files
You'll probably find yourself in one of two situations as you begin to use this product. In situation one, the database files don't exist yet, and will be brand new.
In situation two, the database files already exist, and you want to access that existing data from a COBOL application. There may or may not already be existing COBOL programs that access the database.
Each situation brings up its own questions. How do I declare my COBOL data so that it matches the database data? Are there any special fields in the database that must be accessed in a special way? How do I choose COBOL record names, field names, and data types that best conform to the compiler, the Acu4GL interface, and the database engine. We'll ask and answer questions of that type in the next few topics.