Another ULTIM important characteristic is its integrated dictionary which eliminates any redundancy pertaining to the definition of files and the fields composing their records. The dictionary is a central catalogue in which various data definitions (files, fields, procedures, translation tables, etc.) are stored. Once these definitions are included in the dictionary, they need not be re-coded in the programs since they are invoked automatically by the system whenever they are needed.

Here are the main advantages offered by the ULTIM dictionary:

• All frequently-used files, databases and translation tables are defined centrally only once.
  
• Fields are defined with descriptive names of up to 30 characters and default printing formats; the fields may be automatically transformed by functions.
  
• Existing COBOL-language field definitions, as well as original definitions found in most database dictionaries, can be used as is.
• Often-used blocks of ULTIM statements can be catalogued in the form of procedures with parameter substitution capabilities.
• Options can be specified to tailor the system to specific needs or change default values.

Here is an example of dictionary