partitionMethod Option

The partitionMethod method option specifies that the method is used to determine the partition in which the receiver is to be stored. The method is used to specify the partition for an object in the following usage contexts:

• Automatically, when an object is created.

  The intent of a user-defined partition method is to determine the target partition for the receiver object, by evaluating attributes of the receiver.

  The method in the following example reimplements the default autoPartitionIndex method of the Object class that is invoked when an object is created

  autoPartitionIndex(): Integer partitionMethod;
  begin
      return completionDate.month();
  end;

• When a non-partitioned database file is converted into a partitioned one.

  A partition method other than a reimplementation of the autoPartitionIndex method can be defined and its name passed as an optional parameter to the JADE Database Administration utility (jdbadmin) MakePartitioned action.

The following restrictions apply to a method marked with the partitionMethod method option.

• Can use only if and return instructions

• Can use only the self system variable (for example, app and global are not allowed)

• Cannot declare and use local variables

• Cannot use expressions with property de-references (for example, myCustomer.name is not allowed)

• Cannot use property expressions such as results[4] or the equivalent results.at(4), or customers["Jones"] or the equivalent customers.getAtKey("Jones")