How to Handle duplicates in Vsam through Cobol Program.

G1NXU6T · New User Joined: 22 Jun 2009 Posts: 11 Location: India

Hi

I am using a KSDS file and I have an alternate index defined on it with Nonunique option, so my alternate index value field has duplicates.

My requirement is that I have to read this VSAM file Sequentially and if there are any duplicate records in the file I have to delete them.

I know it can be handled by JCl, but I have to check it through Cobol Program only. Is this possible.

Can someone please help me with this.

Thanks in advance.

dick scherrer · Posted: Mon Sep 06, 2010 10:29 am

Hello and welcome to the forum,

Why does someone believe the file needs to be read "sequentially"?

If there are 3 records with the same duplicate key are all 3 of them to be deleted?

G1NXU6T · New User Joined: 22 Jun 2009 Posts: 11 Location: India

Apologies Dick, By JCl I mean Sort utility.

If there are three records then we need to delete 2 records.

dick scherrer · Posted: Mon Sep 06, 2010 11:05 am

Hello,

G1NXU6T · New User Joined: 22 Jun 2009 Posts: 11 Location: India

By sequential I mean reading the file from the top.

It is not mandatory that I have to read it sequentially, it can be read in any mode.

At present there are 10K records in the file.

(Unique Key value) (alternate key value)

1.............................. 3
2.............................. 3
3.............................. 3

If this is how the data is in the file then I have to preserve the data with the unique Key value '1'. Data with unique key value 2 and 3 should get deleted.

dbzTHEdinosauer · Posted: Mon Sep 06, 2010 2:37 pm

PERSONAL OPINION ON

Here we go again, requirements

G1NXU6T,
Is this stupidity homework? or is this a real work situation?
If this is homework, you should own-up to it.

if this really is a work situation

is the same fool that designed this alternate index the same one telling you to do this with a COBOL program?

This can be done very, very easily with SORT;
I would venture to say, it would be much faster by using SORT.

Has any thought been made to the fact that unless the design of the alternate key is changed, this process of removing duplicates will need to be run after every incidence of a new record being added to the file in another process?

PERSONAL OPINION OFF

expat · Posted: Mon Sep 06, 2010 3:08 pm

But you can not have duplicate records within a KSDS

G1NXU6T · New User Joined: 22 Jun 2009 Posts: 11 Location: India

dbzTHEdinosauer,

I am analysing one design in my project and some one has proposed this solution (Using cobol program to remove the duplicates), which sounds weared to me.

I know this can be done very easily using SORT, this I have already mentioned in my previous post, but I have no clue if and how we can achive it through Cobol Program.

Before taking any action i just want to get educated if at all this solution is possible ( Though it is not a good solution at all).

I did some of analysis but not able to find any solution, So i have posted my query on this forum.

expat · Posted: Mon Sep 06, 2010 4:16 pm

Huh. Maybe the OP should state clearly which file it is that has to be read. Is he talking about duplicates in the KSDS or in the AIX.

But, even so, there will not be duplicate records in the AIX either.

dick scherrer · Posted: Mon Sep 06, 2010 10:11 pm

Hello,

Hopefully, someone "there" completely understands what is actually needed. At this point, i don't believe i do

If there is more to do in this process than merely discard duplicates, i believe writing code is more appropriate.