Need Clarification regarding CICS usage

pkmurali · Active User Joined: 15 Dec 2005 Posts: 271

Hi all,

We use web services,SOA,MQ which interfaces JAVA,XML with Mainframe through CICS. I have one basic doubt that if an application which just gets the inputs from the front end screen like XML etc do need CICS to run in background? What could be the reason for using COBOL-CICS program to be handled which doesn't receive any inputs further after invoking the services. To be more clear let me pull you all to an example

Assume i am getting a personal details from front end through XML screen/any open system stuff which inturn invokes the web services which carries the information from front end through WSDL process(not sure) and invokes the CICS which process the details received and send backs the feedback to the front end. In such scenario do we need only CICS to help and process the details received from web services? why not Batch program can't be interface with front end? what difference CICS makes compared with BATCH? Is web service supports only CICS. Please clarify.

Thanks,
Murali.

Robert Sample · Posted: Tue Nov 17, 2009 4:18 pm

Batch programs are designed to run, do a set of processes, and then quit. They cannot -- without having potentially severe impacts to your overall system -- be allowed to run all day, waiting for web services to pass data to them. CICS is designed to run all day and handle transactions (i.e., one or more programs that do something and then quit -- not handling an entire file, for example, but a single record). Web services can use CICS, MQ series, Websphere, so you're by no means limited to CICS. However, you do need a transaction processor instead of a batch program.

pkmurali · Active User Joined: 15 Dec 2005 Posts: 271

Thanks Robert.

I want to know the where we can apply CICS SPOOL WRITE, what type of application demands CICS SPOOL..

Robert Sample · Posted: Wed Nov 18, 2009 5:56 pm

I think you're going about that backwards -- you don't ask what type of application demands CICS SPOOL, you ask when does CICS SPOOL make sense for your application? I've not used CICS SPOOL since I haven't been involved in CICS development in quite some time, but I'm aware of it being used to submit batch jobs, write reports to printers, and write emails to SMTP. If your application needs these kinds of services, then you would look into using CICS SPOOL -- but that's based on what the application requires.