I access Query utilities and Work with Queries to submit each query individually.

I go into each query that require the date to be reset to the previous month and change the julian date range before running the queries.

It’s unfortunate this is a Query/400 issue. It would be far easier if these had been converted to Query Manager queries a decade or so ago when Query/400 became obsolete. But changes can still be made, even if the QM commands need to execute the modified Query/400 queries.

Before going into any details, you should review the Selecting records for an OfficeVision dependent column list in Query/400 topic in Chapter 7, Selecting records in Query/400, of the Query/400 Use manual. Although the topic goes back to the (obsolete) OfficeVision product, the technique still works and can be of good use in a case such as yours. It provides a way to embed a reference in the query to a parameter value that you supply when you run the query. The parameter will be the date that you are changing every month.

The Query/400 product can’t actually handle running this way, but Query Manager can. Also, QM can be used to both handle the date parameter and run the Query/400 query. The STRQMQRY command will be used to do the work.

Look through the topic to see the kinds of steps that will be done. Be aware that references to any “query or file” that your query will become dependent upon won’t ever actually exist. Don’t get sidetracked into thinking the topic is inappropriate. Your query won’t actually receive the date value from any file. You simply need to make changes as if a file will supply the date value. It will be handled without a file ever actually existing.

A similar QM query would do this directly. A Query/400 query needs some help. (You might consider converting them now.)

I’ll add this item to my WatchList to try to get back much quicker next time.

Tom

Also it should be pseudo code not psudo code.

Run your program on the first day of the month.

d  monthend       s               d   datfmt(*mdy)    
d  monthstart     s               d   datfmt(*mdy)    
d  lastdayofmon   s              2  0 inz(0)          

/free

   monthend = %date() - %days(1);       // get the end of the previous month.             
   lastdayofmon = %subdt(monthend : *days);    // extract month number of days          
   monthstart = monthend - %days(lastdayofmon - 1);   // get the beginning of the month

/end-free

I go into each query that require the date to be reset to the previous month and change the julian date range before running the queries.

The first query that I run is a history pull to extract the previous months data. From there the series of queries have different formats, data selections and sort sequences.

I would like a program to automatically change the dates or be able to pull the previous month’s history to a file and from there have a robot that runs the series of queries in sequence to build the various files and import them into excel.

The problem I need to overcome is how to set the data selection so that it knows to select the previous months history without having to go into the query and reset the data selection criteria for the julian date each month.

How? By typing an option on a menu? or Submitting a job that calls a program? or Calling programs from a command line? Executing a series of STRQMQRY (or RUNQRY) commands…? Are multiple queries run because of multiple files or just for multiple reports from a single file?

Currently I am setting the date range for the julian dates.

How? By changing each query before running? (QM query? Query/400? STRSQL? Web query? OPNQRYF? Other?) Do you type Julian dates or are the files defined with Julian dates and your input dates are converted to Julian? Other…?

I would like to automate this series of queries and need a way to automate the data selection criteria so it will automatically pull the previous months information.

One general interpretation is maybe –

You have a file(s) that you run monthly reports from, generally using the prior month’s data. The reports have different formats and possibly different sort sequencings.

You’d like this series of reports to happen automatically at (or very soon after) the start of every month. The series should know what month’s data to use because the system already knows the current date and, therefore, knows the current month, and should figure out the prior month’s records.

Close?

Tom

You could set up the job on the job scheduler to run at the first of each month and not have to “remember” to run the option. Also, can convert the report to excel, PDF, or even plain text and have the program email the report to a predefined distribution list.