Specifying File Names in the OLAP DML

The FILEOPEN function opens a file and returns an integer that uniquely identifies that file. This file identifier is known as a fileunit. Once you have opened a file and obtained a fileunit, all subsequent calls to data-reading commands and file I/O commands for that file reference the fileunit instead of the file name.

A file identifier is a character string that specifies a file stored on disk. The file identifier includes the directory alias and the file name; these two components are separated by a forward slash (/). You can use the CDA command to specify a current directory alias. In this case, you do not have to specify a directory alias in a file identifier, because Oracle OLAP assumes that the file is in your current directory alias. Contact your Oracle DBA for access rights to a directory alias where you can read and write files.

When specifying file identifiers in OLAP DML commands, it is good practice to always enclose them in single quotation marks. This will prevent parsing errors in cases where file name components are also workspace object names or reserved words.