The sample command creates a temporary select-list of the first n items in a file that match the specified criteria. This command is useful when testing a small number of items. For example, testing 100 items in a file rather than the entire file.
The sample command creates a temporary select-list containing the first n item-IDs of the items specified in the item-list or the selection criteria. The items referenced by the select-list are processed by the next command executed.
To permanently save the select-list, use the save-list command. When a select-list is saved, you can retrieve it at any time with the get-list command.
A select-list can reference data in any file, not just the file specified in the original sample statement. If two files have similar items with the same item-IDs, you can create a select-list from one file, then use it to operate on items from the other file.
ssample [DICT] filename [item-list] [selection] [output] (n)
| DICT | Specifies the file dictionary. | |
| filename | The name of the file. | |
| item-list | A list of individual item-IDs that you want to select or compare against specified criteria. Enclose each item-ID in single quotes. This parameter overrides n. | |
| selection | Specifies one or more conditions that an item must meet to be included in the select-list. For a complete description of selection expression syntax, see the list command information. | |
| output | The name of an attribute whose values are to be selected. Each value becomes a separate item-ID in the select-list. | |
| n | The number of items to sample. | |
The following example creates a select-list containing the first four items in the ORDERS file whose sale date is January 15, 2018:
>SAMPLE ORDERS WITH DATE = "01/15/18" (4)
4 ITEMS SELECTED.
If you list these items with the list command, they appear in sorted order:
>LIST ORDERS 0179 0134 0234 0156 4 ITEMS LISTED.
get-list command, list command, save-list command, ssample command