When alfred is started, it needs to know a number of things about the file to be edited before it can display file records or support record editing.
1. alfred needs to know the name of the data file to be edited.
2. If it's available, alfred will use the data file's companion data dictionary (XFD file) to identify the fields in each record. This allows alfred to display each record in a format that is more meaningful and easier to read. alfred automatically looks for a data dictionary when the data file is specified, but you can also specify the XFD file explicitly at startup.
3. If a data dictionary does not exist, alfred prompts for keymap information. The keymap information must describe the type of data at each character position in the key.
4. alfred needs to know which key to use to sort the records.
The following sections describe how these four items are entered.
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