CICS Command Level Programming

This course teaches CICS command level programming on CICS version 6.1. This course is also available at previous releases, please ask for details.

• IBM CICS COBOL Programmers.
• Batch COBOL Programmers moving into an IBM CICS environment.

Attendees should ideally have some experience of COBOL programming in a Batch
environment.

Upon completion, attendees will be able to:

• Confidently code Command Level CICS Programs
• Understand how to use File Control, Temporary Storage and Transient Data
• Describe how to use time dependent commands, and how to link between programs
• Understand how to deal with error conditions
• Use CEDA to define their program to CICS and to use CEDF to test and debug their programs
• The CICS/DB2 and CICS/MQ communication interfaces are covered

An Introduction to CICS Web Services is included. Basic Mapping Support is included for 3270 screen design. The attendees will have access to a CICS/TS 6.1 System and will write a Command Level program, updating it to handle recovery and code a BMS map.

DAY 1

Introduction to CICS Programming

• Basic CICS Terminology and Functionality
• Command level Syntax
• CICS and COBOL considerations
• CICS Translator and Co-Processing

Exception Conditions and access to System Information

• How to deal with Exceptional Conditions
• The Handle Condition Command
• The Ignore Condition Command
• RESP/RESP2
• The Exec Interface Block
• The Address Command
• The Assign Command

Terminal Control Commands

• The Receive Command
• The Send Command
• The Issue Print Command
• The Issue Disconnect Command
• Dealing with Function keys
• DFHAID
• EIBAID
• The Handle Aid Command
• Screen Attributes
• DFHBMSCA

Basic Mapping Support

• How to code a map
• DFHMSD
• DFHMDI
• DFHMDF
• Symbolic Map
• Screen Handling
• The Receive Map Command
• The Send Map Command
• The Send Text Command
• The Send Control Command
• Printing

DAY 2

File Control Commands

• The Read Command
• The Write Command
• The Rewrite Command
• The Delete Command
• The Unlock Command
• The Startbr Command
• The Readnext Command
• The Readprev Command
• The Resetbr Command
• The Endbr Command
• CICS and VSAM and RLS
• Recoverable Resources
• Record Locking

Control Operations

Interval Control

• Time Dependant Operations
• The Start Command
• The Retrieve Command
• The Delay Command
• The Cancel Command
• The Asktime Command
• The Formattime Command

Task Control

• The Suspend Command
• The Enq Command
• The Deq Command

Program Control

• Conversational vs Pseudo Conversation
• Passing Data – Commarea, Channels/Containers
• Hierarchical Processing
• The Link Co• Conversational vs Pseudo Conversation
• Passing Data – Commarea, Channels/Containers
• Hierarchical Processing
• The Link Command
• The XCTL Command
• The Return Control
• The Load Command
• The Release Command
• What are Channels and Containers
• How to request a Channel
• How to Get and Put data to a Containermmand
• The XCTL Command
• The Return Control
• The Load Command
• The Release Command

Temporary Storage Control

• What is Temporary Storage?
• The Writeq TS Command
• The Readq TS Command
• The Deleteq TS Command

Transient Data Control

• What is Transient Data?
• Remote Printing
• Automatic Transaction Initiation
• External Logging/CICSlog
• The Writeq TD Command
• The Readq TD Command
• The Deleteq TD Command

Journal Control

• What is Journalling?
• The Write Journalnum Command
• The Wait Journalnum Command

Storage Control

• Dynamic Storage
• The Getmain Command
• The Freemain Command

Defining Applications to CICS

• What are CICS Resources
• Resource Definition Online
• DFHCSD
• CEDA
• CEDB
• CEDC
• Defining Transaction/Programs/Mapsets/Files
• Batch utility DFHCSDUP

DAY 3

Workshop: Building a Map and a Command Level Application

CICS Application Transactions

• CICS Execution Diagnostic Facility – CEDF
• How to test and debug using CEDF
• View Working Storage
• Change Commands and set Breakpoints
• CICS Enhanced Command Interpreter – CECI
• Syntax check any Command level Command
• Execute any Command level Command online

DAY 4

Abnormal Termination and Recovery

• Why Transactions Abend
• Dynamic Transaction Backout
• Emergency Restart
• What is available for recovery
• The Handle Abend Command
• The Abend Command
• The Enter Tracenum Command
• The Dump Transaction Command
• What is a Logical Unit of Work
• The Syncpoint command
• The Syncpoint Rollback Command

Workshop: Testing the Application and Using Recovery

DAY 5

CICS/DB2 Interface

• The Attachment Facility
• The DSNC Transaction
• Connection threads
• How DB2 is defined to CICS
• Entry Threads
• Program and Package preparation
• Bind

Introduction to CICS Intersystem Communication

• Understanding a CICSPlex
• Why have it – Service Level Agreements
• Terminal Owning Region – TOR
• Application Owning Region – AOR
• File Owning Region – FOR
• MultiRegion Option – MRO
• Intersystem Communication
• IPIC using TCP/IP
• Transaction Routing
• Function Shipping
• Asynchronous Processing
• Distributed Program Link
• CICSPLEX System manager
• CMAS
• Distributing Transactions across the CICSPlex