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NOTE: In order to use the full capabilities of VA FileMan's Filegram procedures, Kernel V. 6.5 or later must be installed on your system.
Filegrams are a feature in VA FileMan intended for use by System Managers, Package Developers, and Programmers.
A filegram is a process that moves a record (also called an entry) from a file on one computer system to a duplicate file on another independent computer system. An independent computer system is defined as a system having its own database. Sending data from the "live" account at a medical center to a "test" account at the same medical center is an example of moving a filegram locally. Sending data from a computer in the San Francisco Medical Center to a computer in the Salt Lake City Medical Center is an example of moving a filegram remotely.
The records you can move by a filegram can be either physical (stored in one file) or logical (related fields stored in different files). Logical records are loaded into filegrams by using VA FileMan's relational navigational syntax (:).
For successful filegram installation, the recipient system must have the following:
The Filegram process requires you to create an OUTPUT template, which is stored in the PRINT TEMPLATE file (#.4) along with regular PRINT templates. VA FileMan recognizes the FILEGRAM-type and regular PRINT templates as OUTPUT templates, but their similarity ends there.
NOTE: Since FILEGRAM-type templates are stored in the PRINT TEMPLATE file, the dialogues you encounter in the Filegram process will refer to a FILEGRAM-type template as a PRINT template.
Regular PRINT templates already created are screened so that you cannot accidentally replace an existing PRINT template with a FILEGRAM-type template.
FILEGRAM-type templates are the only kind of template allowed in the archiving process. See the "Archiving" chapter in this manual for a full description of archiving in VA FileMan.
Reviewed/Updated: March 4, 2007