Keywords in JCL

nightbuzzz · Posted: Wed Aug 12, 2009 1:47 pm

There are 4 keywords in JCL..
1.JOB
2.EXEC.
3.DD
4???

I am getting the 4th one. Can some1 help me?

Thanks
Mayank

expat · Posted: Wed Aug 12, 2009 1:52 pm

I somehow believe that you are using the wrong terminology here.

I have never heard of a JCL keyword. Please tell us correctly what your question is.

Help is readily available from the "IBM Manuals" button at the top of each page, where you can access and read the JCL reference manual.

Go and read that manual and then come back to clarify any remaining doubts that you may have.

superk · Posted: Wed Aug 12, 2009 3:36 pm

I think by keywords the OP means the basic components that make up a valid job. I'd tend to agree that there are three - JOB, EXEC, and DD. I don't know what would constitute the fourth, unless you consider IF/THEN/ELSE as a basic component.

expat · Posted: Wed Aug 12, 2009 3:40 pm

Maybe it's the NULL statement

superk · Posted: Wed Aug 12, 2009 3:46 pm

I was also thinking that. Maybe.

I'm glad someone is finally posting a JCL topic that reflects how basically simplistic JCL is. One thing I've been harping on for many years now is that too many folks try to over-complicate JCL. Once you realize that there are only a few basic statements, factor in all of the coding standards as mandated by your site, and there's very little that should be left for discussion here in these forums.

Amolondhe007 · New User Joined: 16 Apr 2007 Posts: 49 Location: Pune

Hi Mayank,

I don't think so that there is any other keyword other than JOB, EXEC and DD in mainframe explained anywhere.

as per Expat it may be Null statement.

expat · Posted: Wed Aug 12, 2009 4:05 pm

But then what about

PROC, PEND, COMMENT, DELIMITER, COMMAND, CNTL / ENDCNTL, and various others

mtaylor · Posted: Wed Aug 12, 2009 5:35 pm

Yep, 'keyword' is an artificial distinction. There are JCL 'commands' (and JES2 and JES3 commands) such as superk indicates, and then there are logical units like jobs, steps, dds, and procs.

See chapter 3 in the JCL Reference. EXEC, DD, PROC, PEND, etc are referred to as the operation field of a JCL statement.

mmwife · Super Moderator Joined: 30 May 2003 Posts: 1592

Hi Mayank,

According to the JCL Ref those are not keywords, but "Operation fields" and there are about 20 of them. "Keywords" are parameters of these fields and they contain an "=" sign (e.g. RECFM=VB); the other type are positional parameters; these must be coded in the order stated in the manual.

Check the link below. Among other things, near the middle of the page you'll find a table listing the "Operation fields":

publibz.boulder.ibm.com/cgi-bin/bookmgr_OS390/handheld/Connected/BOOKS/IEA2B680/3.1

Terry Heinze · Posted: Thu Aug 13, 2009 7:44 am

All of which shows that proper terminology in IT is vitally important.

Amolondhe007 · New User Joined: 16 Apr 2007 Posts: 49 Location: Pune

Yes, Terry...You are correct.

I also add as per my information, JOB,EXEC and DD are JCL statements not keywords.

Keyword Parameters are like CLASS,MSGCLASS,MSGLEVEL ,COND,TIME etc.

Thanks,
Amol
Pune,India.

viveksurya · New User Joined: 08 Jun 2009 Posts: 36 Location: Bangalore

Hi Nightbuzz,

If u r referring to the statements, then JOB,EXEC and DD form the 3 basic statements in JCL. Other than these, NULL/COMMENT statements can also be considered as pointed by expat earlier.