Hold Files (F11)

Edit Hold File

Browse Hold File

Print Hold File

Download Hold File

Three files are available for you to store data (without formatting) that will be further processed in CIRS or downloaded.  They are:

• PERMLRG &endash; large enough to hold all the data in your AC file

• PERMRPT &endash; generally the same size as your PERMLRG file

• PERMSML &endash; use for smaller sets of data and for use with extract functions

These files are named 'perm' files because the data contained in the files is retained from one CIRS session to the next.  Data in your perm files is available for 60 days, or until new data is written to the file, and can be printed, edited or downloaded.   For information on creating hold files, refer to your FOCUS documentation.

To access your hold files, press the F11 key from the main menu.

At the Hold Files menu, type your file selection at the prompt (e.g., 1) and press the enter key.  

|-----------Hold Files-----------|

|                                |

|  SELECT: 1  1. PERMLRG         |

|             2. PERMSML         |

|             3. PERMRPT         |

|--------------------------------|

At the next menu, type the desired option at the prompt and press the enter key.  The options are discussed below.  

|-------PERMLRG Hold File--------|

|                                |

|  SELECT:    1. EDIT            |

|             2. BROWSE          |

|             3. PRINT           |

|             4. DOWNLOAD        |

|--------------------------------|

Edit

You can use the edit option to change the hold file before it is printed or downloaded.  For information on available edit commands, refer to the topic: Edit Report Requests.  When you have finished viewing or editing your hold file, press the F3 key to exit and save your changes (if any).

Note:  Adding or deleting columns of data cannot be done on files that will be used again in FOCUS.  This is because FOCUS creates a master file description each time a hold file is created.  If fields are added or removed, the file would not match the master file description that FOCUS created and FOCUS would not be able to process the file.

Browse

You can use the browse option to view a hold file before it is printed or downloaded.  While browsing a hold file, you can print or download the report by positioning your cursor over the word OPTIONS in the upper left corner of the screen and pressing the enter key.

A menu will appear with the options PRINT and DOWNLOAD.  Type the corresponding number for your selection at the prompt and press enter.   

Print

Before printing your hold file, you should always view the file to verify there were no errors.  At the printer options menu, select your printer and if needed, the number of copies and specific lines.  Press enter to send to printer, or F3 to cancel.

Download

Hold files are frequently downloaded for use on a PC or a local campus computer system.  Before downloading you should always view your batch report to verify there were no errors.  If desired, you can edit the report before it is downloaded.  For a discussion of downloading, refer to the download command under Compendium Reports.