When you use CICS® Configuration Manager to manipulate resource
definitions in a CSD file, a CICSPlex® SM context, or an
export file, rather than referring directly to the data set name of
the CSD file, the name of the context, or the data set name of the
export file, you refer to the name of a CICS configuration.
A CICS configuration contains:
- The type of location that the CICS configuration refers
to: a context, a CSD file, or an export file.
- The location of the CICS configuration, depending
on its type: the name of the context, the data set name of the CSD
file, or the data set name of the export file.
- Optionally, for CICS configurations
that refer to CSD files: the names of the remote system connections
to the CICS regions that use this CSD file. The CICS Configuration Manager server uses these
remote system connections to communicate with the CICS Configuration Manager agent installed
in the CICS regions, enabling you to perform actions
such as install, discard, and newcopy.
- For CICS configurations that refer
to export files: various export file processing options.
- Optionally, transformation variables.
Figure 1. Contents of a CICS configuration
A change package contains a list of keys that identify
resource definitions, a list of commands, or both. (Each command specifies
the resource definition key on which that command will operate.) A
change package may also contain: 
- The name of an approval profile
- An external reference (for example, the unique ID of a corresponding
item in your enterprise's change management system or problem tracking
system)
- Notes (lines of freeform text; for example, special instructions
to users for processing the change package)
Figure 2. Contents of a change package
When you issue a command to process a change package (for example,
to migrate it), you select the migration scheme that you want to use.
A migration scheme contains:
- One or more migration paths (pairs of source and target CICS configuration
names).
- For each migration path:
- Optionally, the name of a transformation rule set.
- A "delete at source?" option. If you specify "yes", migration
effectively moves rather than copies resource definitions:
after copying resource definitions to the target CICS configuration, CICS Configuration Manager deletes them from
the source CICS configuration.
The default value is "no" (do not delete at source). If the source CICS configuration refers to an
export file, you must specify "no".
- Optionally, transformation variables for use in the transformation
rules.
A migration scheme also specifies whether or not to perform approval
processing for a change package.
Figure 3. Contents of a migration
scheme
An approval profile defines up to five approver roles for each
migration scheme.
Figure 4. Contents of an approval
profile
The following figure shows how these concepts fit together.
Figure 5. Relationships between key CICS Configuration Manager concepts