In
IMS DB (Information Management System Database), SSAs (Segment Search Arguments) are used to specify search criteria for locating segments within the hierarchical database structure.
SSAs help application programs retrieve specific segments or navigate through the database hierarchy effectively. Qualified and unqualified
SSAs refer to different ways of specifying search criteria using SSAs :
Qualified SSAs :
* Qualified SSAs specify search criteria that include both segment names and key values.
* They provide precise and targeted search criteria to locate specific segments within the database.
* Qualified SSAs consist of two parts: the segment name and the key value(s) associated with the segment.
* For example, a qualified SSA might specify a segment named "CUSTOMER" with a key value of "123456" to retrieve the customer record with the specified customer ID.
Unqualified SSAs :
* Unqualified SSAs specify search criteria that include only segment names, without specifying key values.
* They are more general and broad in scope compared to qualified SSAs.
* Unqualified SSAs are useful when searching for segments without specifying specific key values, such as when retrieving all segments of a particular type or navigating through the hierarchical structure of the database.
* For example, an unqualified SSA might specify a segment named "ORDER" without specifying any key values, resulting in the retrieval of all order segments in the database.
