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Status Under Review
Created by Detlef Ziermann
Created on Jun 10, 2026

Enhance reference analysis to detect usage of Data Areas via DEFINE DATA USING

In Natural for VS Code, reference analysis currently supports identifying references to fields and groups within Data Areas. However, there is no reliable way to determine where a Data Area itself is used via DEFINE DATA USING. This limitation significantly impacts impact analysis, refactoring, and clean-up activities in larger Natural applications.

Implement a reference analysis feature that allows – similar to Natural ONE Dependencies-View:

  • Identification of all programs/modules where a Data Area is included using DEFINE DATA USING

  • Navigation from a Data Area to all its consuming objects (similar to “Find References” functionality)

  • Fast and responsive access to results, even in large codebases

    • Reference lists should be available with minimal latency

    • Performance considerations should be taken into account when indexing and resolving references

Independently of Data Areas, it would be highly beneficial to extend reference analysis usability for all Natural objects:

  • Provide the ability to trigger reference analysis:

    • Directly for the object currently open in the editor

    • Via context menu in the Explorer tree