Moving Data Bases

When you compile a data base definition the source file is XXXXXXXX.DBD (where XXXXXXXX is the first eight characters of whatever you said in the DATA BASE NAME IS clause), and the output files, that is, the files that will house the actual data base (the object files), are:
                                                                                               
                                                XXXXXXXX.CTL               -Control Space
                                                XXXXXXXX.DDD              -Data Space
                                                XXXXXXXX.TTT               -Structure Space (Trees)
                                                XXXXXXXX.LLL                -Structure Space (Lists)
                                                XXXXXXXX.SSS                -Users Tracking Space
                                                XXXXXXXX.MMM           -Memo Field Data Space
                                                XXXXXXXX.ABC              -A Folder for Document Space

and there is one other thing that happens: The data base is locating itself and posting that location to the dictionary(.DIC file) and in the CTL space.
That is how it knows where the data for document fields resides and how it knows where the Data Base Definition file and all Application Interface files for this data base are.

If, after a data base has been compiled, you use any of the Operating System mechanisms to move its' files to some other place then all of the posted information contained inside those files will be incorrect. You must correct it. Here is how:

After moving the data base files to a new home you must recompile the data base using either the S option (Recreate) or the R option (Reformat)
so that the posting information will be updated to the new location. After recompiling you must rebuild structure with the STRUCTURE command.

Both of these options preserve existing data so there will be no data loss. You must consider the recompile step as an integral part of the process of moving a data base.

After the data base has been moved, the next time you are in DCL you should do a PURGE command so that the old location will be purged from the dictionary.