D3 User’s Guide Overview

The D3 User’s Guide focuses on the concepts you need to understand the D3 data model and provides information on how a database is designed, updated, and used.

The purpose of this publication is to:

Familiarize the reader with the basic data structures used
Present the structure and use of dictionaries
Describe the text editors available
Show a session on creating a database of different files in D3

Topic Descriptions

Use the table below as a guide to this document.

Section	Description
Introduction to D3	Provides a brief review of the basic concepts covered, summarizing the basic structure of a D3 system.
Document Conventions	Describes the various conventions employed in this document.
Logging On and Off D3	Describes logging on and off of D3.
Accessing Files and Items	Discusses how items are stored and retrieved, as well as the item-ID and indexes.
D3 Dictionary Structure	Describes the hierarchial structure and content of dictionaries in D3. It shows there is an inseparable link between the files and their corresponding data-defining dictionaries.
Dictionary Item Types	Covers the various dictionary types in detail, including attribute number, name, definition, and descriptions. Both file-defining items and attribute-defining items are presented.
Controlling and Dependent Structures	Explains the concept used in D3 dictionaries. Controlling and dependent links allow attributes to be related to each other in fundamental ways.
Processing Codes	Details the input, internal, intermediate, and output format of processing codes used in D3 dictionaries and includes a summary list. Processing codes are one of the true strengths of D3, as it permits data to be manipulated in many ways without modifying the original values.
Designing a Database	Focuses on considerations to design and create a database. These guidelines help design a more efficient system.
Creating a Database in D3	Describes creating a database in D3.
Virtual Machine Environment in Windows	Describes the Virtual Machine Environment (VME).
File System Interface	Describes the File System Interface (FSI).
D3 Windows Utilities	Describes the D3 Windows File Manager and Performance Monitoring.
System Structure	Contains supplemental information for users with a specialized need for more technical information on the structure and internal workings of D3.
Proc	Describes the PROC processor, which allows executing a series of TCL and other commands from a single word command.
Update Processor	Describes the Update Processor, which is a dictionary-driven, full-screen editor, and data processor.