Format SMF 64 record type

Ajay Baghel · Posted: Mon Aug 10, 2009 12:58 pm

Hi Friends,

I want to format the information into an understandable format from the record type SMF 64 . I have done the extract from SYS1.MAN dump dataset 's backup file to a my VBS dataset.

I want to format the information about the VSAM activity for a given VSAM dataset which is used in a particular jobname.

I do not know assembler but i am ready to learn SAS if required. Also if we know the format, will it be possible to infer the information using SORT tool (syncsort) ?

Please throw some light in the direction in which i need to proceed (like manuals i need to go thru or skills i need to acquire for learning this)?

Thanks,
Ajay

expat · Posted: Mon Aug 10, 2009 1:27 pm

To read about SMF records click HERE

Robert Sample · Posted: Mon Aug 10, 2009 5:02 pm

Contact your site support group and find out if they use MXG, MICS, or any other SMF analysis tool. Running through the output of one of these tools is much simpler than handling the raw data yourself.

The code, in SAS or assembler or whatever, is not easy since you must do bit-level manipulations and work with variable numbers of variable length groups. I certainly would not recommend a newcomer to SAS start by attempting to process SMF data -- that would be like telling an architecture student her first assignment is to design a 90-story skyscraper!

Ajay Baghel · Posted: Sun Aug 16, 2009 9:34 pm

Robert,

Our support people are using MXG. I do not now the full process yet how they are processing the SMF data.

But i see that SMF data can be interpreted in REXX for which i got some examples on CBTTAPE .

I will try it thru REXX.

Thanks

Robert Sample · Posted: Sun Aug 16, 2009 9:51 pm

MXG converts the SMF data into a set of SAS data sets that can be analyzed with much, much less trouble than attempting to process the raw SMF data. The MXG TYPE64 and TYPE64X records are what you need to use in SAS. Use them instead of redoing the work already completed by MXG to determine what the data is. I strongly recommend using the MXG data even if you have to learn some SAS to use them -- it will take no longer to learn the SAS code you need than it would take to figure out the details of the SMF records.

SMF processing usually is done after midnight each night for the accumulated data for the day. MXG usually has a weekly or monthly accumulation of the daily records.

Ajay Baghel · Posted: Tue Aug 18, 2009 8:35 pm

Thanks a lot Robert!!