test1

Using VSAM (2 days)
also VSAM for Analysts (1 day)

Designed for: Applications programmers

Primary Objective: To create and control VSAM datasets efficiently

VSAM overview
Catalogs; clusters; ALIASes; non-VSAM datasets; alternate indexes; paths; Access Method Services and the IDCAMS program. JCL requirements; AMS command syntax; modal commands, IF, DO, END, SET; comments; error messages and return codes.

VSAM internals
Control intervals; control areas; RBA; storing, retrieving, deleting, and inserting records; control interval splits, control area splits, freespace.

Defining clusters
DEFINE CLUSTER command and its parameters; choosing the control interval size; implications for disk space. SMS considerations. Using ISPF to generate and save cluster definitions.


	Accessing VSAM catalog data Interpreting LISTCAT output; other products, CBLVCAT, VSAMTUNE. Maintaining VSAM datasets Loading, copying, and printing datasets; altering clusters; deleting clusters. Alternate Indexes How VSAM accesses records using alternate indexes, performance considerations; defining and loading an alternate index; defining and using a path; JCL requirements. The VSAM programming interface Accessing VSAM datasets from COBOL, PL/1, etc.; error handling; processing statements. VSAM performance considerations Bufferspace, IMBED, REPLICATE; multi-volume data sets; record layout, key compression and potential problems; SHAREOPTIONS; local shared resources.

OS/390, JCL, DB2, CICS, VSAM, REXX

oakcomp@globalnet.co.uk