Difference btwn uncatalog & deleting a file & COPY s

pranta · New User Joined: 23 Feb 2006 Posts: 16

Hi Freiends,

I have some doubt regarding the following.Please have a look in it.

1.If we delete a file does that mean that we have uncataloged the file also?How can we access an uncataloged file..please provide sample JCLs if possible.

2.What is the difference between COPY and INC(include) a copyboob in a cobol program?In which case should we use what?

expat · Posted: Fri Mar 16, 2007 3:23 pm

expat · Posted: Fri Mar 16, 2007 3:26 pm

I should have added that it is normal to uncatalog the file when it is deleted, IDCAMS does this by default, but depending on which utility you use you can delete the file and retain the catalog entry.

murmohk1 · Posted: Fri Mar 16, 2007 3:28 pm

Expat,

pranta · New User Joined: 23 Feb 2006 Posts: 16

Tkanks a lot for your quick response.

pranta · New User Joined: 23 Feb 2006 Posts: 16

well few new questions has arised in my mind..
suppose i have deleted a file but retained it's catalog...shall i be able to restore back the file by cataloging it again or the contents of the file is lost? I think we can't....please correct me if i am wrong.

and please have a look in my 2nd question also...my friend faced that question in an interview.

raak · Posted: Fri Mar 16, 2007 3:47 pm

What is the point in ( or advantage of ) deleting the file without Uncataloging it ??

Expat,
U told IDCAMS does this uncatalog by default. Can u explain a bit more on this?
Any example of a utility which ONLY DELETES the file without uncataloging??

expat · Posted: Fri Mar 16, 2007 3:56 pm

muthuvel · Posted: Fri Mar 16, 2007 3:57 pm

expat · Posted: Fri Mar 16, 2007 4:29 pm

Raak,

When you use DELETE 'dataset name' with IDCAMS it will automatically

Remove the F1 DSCB from the VTOC
Remove the NVR or VVR from the VVDS - If SMS manged
Remove the catalog entry from the correct catalog

The utility in question is IEHPROGM which can be used to scratch a dataset without uncatalog. The only concievable use is to delete NON SMS managed datasets from NON SMS managed volumes.

If you use it on SMS managed volumes it may not remove the NVR or VVR from the VVDS and will need you to process a DELETE NVR or VVR.

expat · Posted: Fri Mar 16, 2007 4:31 pm

Oooooooooooops, forgot to mention,

if you use DELETE NOSCRATCH the catalog entry is untouched.

expat · Posted: Fri Mar 16, 2007 4:33 pm

Ooooooooooops, correction to that

DELETE NOSCRATCH will delete the catalog entry and not the dataset.

That will teach me to reply to posts whilst on the phone.

dick scherrer · Posted: Fri Mar 16, 2007 7:52 pm

Hello,

This is one of the "features" that should not be used. The catalog and the physical dasd should be in sync.

When allowed, this causes problems more than 99% of the time.

Many centers will not allow this - uncataloged dasd files are automatically deleted nightly or weekly.

There is no good business reason to have an application file on dasd that is not in the catalog. If multiple copies of the file are needed, they may be copied and saved for future use (preferably to removable media and with a different dataset name).

padma_prakasam · New User Joined: 06 Oct 2005 Posts: 31

Hi,

Few more questions on UNCATLG...

To access an UNCATLG data set, is it mandatory to give its VOLSER number. Beacuse i have tried to copy an UNCATLG dataset to another and i didn't code VOLSER. It went fine.

Thanks,
Padma

expat · Posted: Fri Mar 30, 2007 2:38 pm

Then I suggest that there is a catalog'd version of said dataset in existence along with the uncatalog'd version.

padma_prakasam · New User Joined: 06 Oct 2005 Posts: 31

How does it exists like that? And if i'm not wrong dataset with disposition KEEP on normal termination will not be catalogued. So in that case too, we need VOLSER right?

expat · Posted: Fri Mar 30, 2007 3:00 pm

Depends, SMS can override KEEP to CATLG for DASD datasets. Usually is.

dick scherrer · Posted: Fri Mar 30, 2007 10:07 pm

Hello,

And you may not have copied the data you intended.

It would be a good thing to find out how many copies of this dsn are on various volumes. At one site, i was asked to look into an allocation problem and found 1 entry in the system catalog and 30 others spread across their dasd (one on each volume of that group).