Can any file be a GSAM file?

mf_user · New User Joined: 05 Jan 2006 Posts: 47

Hi,

An EASYTRIEVE program is reading 10 files and creating a PS file an output file. This file is should be read by an IMS/DB program for further processing.

Can we consider the PS file as GSAM and read it in IMS/DB fashion (like use GN etc)?

What is the problem in reading a PS file as GSAM file using IMS/DB?

Please explain.

TIA.

Bitneuker · Posted: Mon Nov 26, 2007 7:09 pm

What type is the IMS program?

Sandy Zimmer · Posted: Mon Nov 26, 2007 7:45 pm

Why do want to create a GSAM file? The only type of IMS program that cannot read a sequential file is an online program. Why consider the additional overhead of a GSAM file if there is no need?

Bitneuker · Posted: Mon Nov 26, 2007 8:08 pm

About your original question; not any file can be a GSAM file. Follow the first link in this sticky, search for GSAM, explore and learn

dr_te_z · Posted: Tue Nov 27, 2007 6:23 pm

Sandy Zimmer · Posted: Tue Nov 27, 2007 6:30 pm

dr_te_z

Why not wait and see what the requirements are? We do not know how long the job runs - if run time is short - if run time is extensive. We just do not know.

dr_te_z · Posted: Tue Nov 27, 2007 6:46 pm

Sandy Zimmer · Posted: Tue Nov 27, 2007 6:58 pm

I have been doing IMS for over 30 years - done lots of database and systems design. Like I said, let's just wait for the requirements.

Bitneuker · Posted: Tue Nov 27, 2007 10:17 pm

Let's return to the original question;

Sandy Zimmer · Posted: Tue Nov 27, 2007 11:47 pm

Hey George! I have an idea......well, actually, lots of ideas. This deals with IMS file access and database access. For instance, we all know that if most of a system is online, then HDAM is the most efficient database - when you extract from it, you would then need to sort the extract since it will not be in key sequence. HIDAM is better for reporting purposes since it is alwyas in "extract" sequence.

Bitneuker · Posted: Wed Nov 28, 2007 12:02 am

Sandy: what is the relationship between your last post and the question of TS

I might miss something but, if there is a relationship, please explain a bit in detail.

Sandy Zimmer · Posted: Wed Nov 28, 2007 1:05 am

OK - George! Many of us of lots and lots of experience. We come here to HELP - we do not get paid - we do not gain much of anything except to try to help people just learning or stuck in a problem that perhaps we have faced in our previous experiences. References and book learning are great if you have basic concepts and know what you are looking for. A very basic understanding of IMS helps immensely. I have seen very few posters that have a "mentor" - or, even the basics of IMS. Most of IMS, you cannot learn in a book - you need to learn by doing and having someone to guide you along the way.

Years and years ago, people just learning wanted to "impress" - we called them "closet programmers". They shut themselves away with no basic concept of problem solving. They thought that they would impress everyone by making their system as complex and un-maintainable as possible. Hopefully, most of these people got out of the business. The secret to a successful system is to make it as easily maintainable and easy to understand as possible.

Why have a system with lots of overhead if you do not need to do it that way? KISS - keep it simple stupid!

Bitneuker · Posted: Wed Nov 28, 2007 1:38 am

Compressing your post I read:

Why would TS want to use a GSAM file, including DBD-stuff, instead of simply reading the OS-file as a PS one.

Is it a business requirement or did he discover some new toy and likes to explore it. May be TS knows nothing about GSAM and the program type where it's used for and is just........whatever

Bitneuker · Posted: Wed Nov 28, 2007 5:10 am

dr_te_z · Posted: Wed Nov 28, 2007 12:38 pm

Mogge George

No, I am not a GSAM fanboy. But when you observe a site
- where all batches are run as BMP
- where there are many ways of doing sequetial file I/O (cobol, assembler routines, GSAM, you name it)
- where they have big problems about programs being "setup" one way and later on restartablity requirements came up. So files are subdiveded in "critical" and "not critical" and only the criticals are changed to GSAM... In the middle of the night you are called to solve abends... perhaps in the next step... something with double records, or, missing records.

Then you think to yourself: "I wish they'd started a more uniform way so it would not be such a mess now". I know it is more work and people find it difficult. But when you've coded your first 3, the 4th is relatively easy.

Years later, on a forum like this, you can share that thought. That's all.

Bitneuker · Posted: Wed Nov 28, 2007 3:19 pm

You're right about sites that demand all IMD/DB batches to run as BMP. Worked at a similar site (NMB later ING). And it helps indeed when you have to troubleshoot at night.

In this case however we don't know the requirements of TS. If it's just a simple batch then why even think about GSAM. But still no reply from this guy.

dr_te_z · Posted: Wed Nov 28, 2007 4:25 pm

Yeah. I was refering to that other bank. The one that is now seizing to exist because it will be assimilated by some belgian bank.
but that's okay. feyenoord overtaking ajax, thats good

Bitneuker · Posted: Wed Nov 28, 2007 4:41 pm

dr_te_z · Posted: Wed Nov 28, 2007 5:21 pm

No. I was a "huurling" then. Left more than 2 years ago now.