What is the difference between application data dictionary and runtime data dictionary??

Hi,
Application Data Dictionary :
The relational database or repository in which data about the application is stored. The data in the Application Data Dictionary is filled using the sessions of BAAN Tools.
One of the examples could be Device Data

Runtime Data Dictionary :
The Data Dictionary that will be accessed by the bshell. The Runtime Data Dictionary consists principally of ASCII files and a few BAAN Tools tables. Most data in the Runtime Data Dictionary has been converted from the Application Data Dictionary using conversion sessions.
One of the examples could be Table Definition

Regards
Sriks

The Runtime Data Dictionary is also referred to as the "Active" Dictionary, and the Application Data Dictionary was referred to as the "Passive". Some people compare it to compiling a source into an object.

The best example that I can give is the environment that Baan starts in. In order to access the database, the bshell needs to know what database to access, and how to access it. However, this information is stored in the database itself. How can you read the connection information to the database, when you first have to connect to the database? (Old question: What came first the chicken or the egg?) To give access to certain information needed for startup, the information is made available to the bshell by converting to runtime data dictionary, which in reality are flat files stored in the directory tree in different locations. This is why people refer to it being similar to compiling, source to object.

You can make changes in the Application Data Dictionary and convert them to Runtime at a later time. This is where the term Passive and Active were earlier used.

From BaaN Standard Documents -

iBaan ERP 5.0c Tools
Reference Guide for Customization
and Development Prerequisites
Training Material T6203A US

8.1.2 Types of Data Dictionaries
There are two types of data dictionaries in iBaan ERP:
1 Application Data Dictionaries
2 Run-time Data Dictionaries
The application data dictionary is composed of various software components, such as layout of forms, menus, and reports, error messages, and session data that reside in the Company 000.
A conversion of the application data dictionary is called the run-time data dictionary. The runtime data resides in various Operating System directories.
There are two primary reasons for converting the application data dictionary to run time:
1 Constancy - The data dictionary is built from several iBaan ERP sessions. Converting to run time ensures that all the necessary definitions are written out at once.
2 Performance - Rather then accessing this information from the database, which may be on another hardware platform, the necessary definitions are locally available to the bshell.