Syncsort Remove data older than 18 months from KSDS

Bhargav_1058 · New User Joined: 13 Dec 2008 Posts: 53 Location: New York

My requirement is to remove the records older than 18 months from a KSDS file with LRECL=1220 using JCL.

Date in the input file is in +CYYMMDD (S9(007) COMP-3) format at 23 position with 7 bytes length.
(Ex: 2009/10/25 - +1091025).

Now I have to get the system date and compare that against the date of the record which is at 23rd position.

I tried getting the system date which is older than 18 months using &DATE1-546 in outrec (Got the system date as 20090910).
However this format is different from file date format.

Could some one please help me on this?

Robert Sample · Posted: Thu Mar 10, 2011 3:45 pm

Sorry, what you want to do cannot be done. JCL executes programs -- it cannot add data to a KSDS file, it cannot update data in a KSDS file, it cannot remove data from a KSDS file. JCL executes programs -- nothing more.

Now if you were using COBOL, or REXX, or SAS, or one of many other languages and utilities to do this -- then it could be done. But just using JCL, I'm sorry it is not possible.

Bhargav_1058 · New User Joined: 13 Dec 2008 Posts: 53 Location: New York

Hi Robert, Thanks for your reply!!

This can be done using a JCL by preparing 2 PS files with the records from KSDS using sort (INCLUDE or OUTREC or OMIT etc..).

PS file1. with the condition as data older than 18 months (compare system date with the date present in 23rd position of the KSDS file).

PS File2. with the other records (Latest 18 months records).

Then I will DEL/DEF the KSDS with the latest 18 month records.

Now I just want to know how to change the format of the SYSTEM date YYYYMMDD to +CYYMMDD (packed decimal).

Please let me know if I confused you...

Robert Sample · Posted: Thu Mar 10, 2011 5:36 pm

You are not "using a JCL" -- you are using SORT (a utility) to perform the action. All the JCL does is execute the SORT. Terminology is critical in IT, where similar things may mean very different things. If you cannot even get straight a simple concept like JCL executes programs (such as SORT), then you're going to have a very hard IT career.

Furthermore, your original post mentioned COMP-3. This is a term specific to COBOL -- the term when using SORT is "packed decimal". And you are extremely confused about the length -- PIC S9(07) COMP-3 is a 4-byte packed decimal field, not a 7-byte field as your post indicates. A 7-byte packed decimal field would be PIC S9(13) COMP-3 in COBOL. With all of your confusion and your lack of understanding of JCL, perhaps you would be better off in Beginners and Students Forum?

Have you searched the SORT forum? There's at least 2 or 3 questions per week about using dates and date conversions posted in the SORT forum; probably one of them would help you. Plus there are pointers to the SORT manuals and helpful guides on how to use SORT in various ways. If you haven't checked them out yet, you should start there.