MF-ISAM: Micro Focus Index Sequential Access Method

MF-ISAM files

Convert, Transform, Report on, and Protect Index File Data

Challenges

Ten Micro Focus COBOL Index Sequential Access Method (MF-ISAM) subtypes have file formats that many applications cannot import or process, especially outside of the mainframe.

You may need to process this data directly, maintaining its format, convert it to another file format, or populate a database table, or report with values from the file.

Solutions

IRI offers conversion and other data processing capabilities for MF-ISAM (and MFVL-)Files in multiple products. Select as needed:

IRI NextForm (COBOL Edition) converts files to MF-ISAM (indexed files) into common target formats (such as CSV, ODBC, Text, XML, etc.) or from other formats into MF-ISAM. NextForm also supports COBOL and other data type conversions at the field level, as well as record layout remapping (e.g., fixed to delimited). The NextForm DBMS add-on allows you to select relational database tables as the source and/or destination.

NextForm filenames work in the SortCL- Programs under IRI CoSort. Reuse metadata when upgrading to CoSort to ensure fast transformation, custom reporting, and/or data-centric protection.

The program CoSort SortCL can edit, convert, and write files in multiple MF-ISAM subtypes. Use SortCL to sort, join, aggregate, integrate, format, protect, or create reports from COBOL data from the mainframe.

Both SortCL and IRI FieldShield can privatize data in MF-ISAM files. Apply (auditable) encryptions, masking, de-identifications and other routines at the field level, based on the data type and the recipient of the file.

The products NextForm, CoSort (SortCL) and FieldShield from IRI support these MF COBOL index file formats:

    C-ISAM (Standard)
    IDXFORMAT 3, 4, and 8 formats
    Btrieve Formats (with/without ANSI Emulation)
    Mainframe Print Format Heap File
    ESDS file
    MF Variable Length (MFVL) long / short
    ACUCOBOL-GT Vision Files

Files in these formats can also be processed and formatted into/from the other file formats listed above. For example, you can convert an MF-ISAM file to CSV or XML, and vice versa.