Introduction to CICS control tables and macros

You use macros to define:

CICS® uses an external security manager for all its security management.

You must use resource definition online (RDO) for VSAM files, and to define programs, map sets, partition sets, queues, transactions, and profiles. You must also use RDO to define VTAM terminals, and links and sessions with MRO (multiregion operation) and ISC (intersystem communication) systems. RDO is described in What is resource definition?.

CICS is configured under your control during system initialization. You select a system initialization table (SIT) and, through it, CICS selects other control tables. Each control table is created separately and may be recreated at any time before system initialization. You prepare the required control tables by coding the appropriate macros. For each table, the macros automatically generate the necessary linkage editor control statements.

You may need to read about the following areas related to control tables:

The control tables that can be defined by macros are shown in Table 1.

Table 1. Control tables definable by macros. The third column shows whether the table is loaded above or below the 16MB line.
Control table Contents Above the line? Reference
Command list table (CLT) Sets of commands and messages for an XRF takeover. The command list table (CLT) is used for XRF (extended recovery facility). If you are using XRF, you must have a CLT; it is used only by the alternate CICS system. The CLT contains a list of commands that are passed to JES or MVS™ for execution. It also provides the authorization for canceling the active CICS system. Yes CLT—command list table
Data conversion table A data conversion table may be needed if the CICS system is using ISC to communicate with a member of the CICS family that runs on a hardware platform that does not use EBCDIC (such as CICS OS/2 or CICS/6000® which use ASCII). The conversion table defines how data is to be changed from ASCII format at the workstation to EBCDIC format at the CICS/ESA host.   The DFHCNV macros used to create the table are described in CICS Family: Communicating from CICS on System/390®.
Destination control table (DCT) The Destination control table (DCT) is retained for migration purposes only. Yes TDQUEUE definition attributes
DL/I directories (PDIR) Databases and program specification blocks. If you use CICS-IMS™ DBCTL (database control) exclusively to manage your CICS system's use of DL/I, you need not define the DL/I directory (PDIR) using CICS.

The PDIR is a directory of all the remote program specification blocks (PSBs) that are accessed by the CICS system.

If you function-ship requests to a remote database manager (remote DL/I), you need only one directory, the PDIR.

No PDIR—DL/I directory
File control table (FCT) BDAM file definitions. The file control table (FCT) is retained to allow you to define BDAM files. No FCT—file control table
Monitoring control table (MCT) Monitoring actions (data collection) to be taken at each user event monitoring point (EMP). Different actions can be specified for each monitoring class at each EMP. Yes MCT—monitoring control table
Program list table (PLT) A list of related programs. You may want to generate several PLTs to specify a list of programs that are to be executed in the initialization programs phase of CICS startup; executed during the first or second quiesce stages of controlled shutdown; or both, or enabled or disabled as a group by a CEMT ENABLE or DISABLE command. Yes PLT—program list table
Recoverable service table (RST) Sets of recoverable service elements. The recoverable service table (RST) is used for IBM® CICS IMS/ESA® DBCTL (database control) support. If you are using XRF and DBCTL, you must have an RST: it is used by the active CICS system. The RST contains a list of recoverable service elements that define the DBCTL configuration. It defines which DBCTL CICS connects to. Yes RST—recoverable service table
Resource control table (RCT) A CICS-DB2® connection. The Resource control table (RCT) is retained for migration purposes only.   RCT—CICS DB2 resource control table
System initialization table (SIT) Parameters used by the system initialization process. In particular, the SIT identifies (by suffix characters) the versions of CICS system control programs and CICS tables that you have specified are to be loaded.   See the CICS System Definition Guide.
System recovery table (SRT) A list of codes for abends that CICS intercepts.   SRT—system recovery table.
Temporary storage table (TST) Special processing for temporary storage. Application programs can store data in temporary storage for later retrieval. For the data to be recoverable by CICS if the system terminates abnormally, data identifiers have to be specified in the temporary storage table (TST). A generic data identifier can be coded so that any unique temporary storage identifier (generated dynamically in a program) that begins with the same characters as the generic identifier (in the TST) can automatically acquire the same properties as the TST entries. Resource security level checking can be done on the temporary storage queues. Yes TST—temporary storage table
Terminal control table (TCT) Retained to define non-VTAM terminal networks. No TCT—terminal control table
Terminal list table (TLT) Sets of related terminals. The terminal list table (TLT) allows terminal or operator identifications, or both, to be grouped logically. A TLT is required by the supervisory terminal operation (CEST), to define and limit the effective range of the operation. It can also be used by a supervisory or master terminal operation (CEMT) to apply a function to a predetermined group of terminals. A TLT can be used, singly or in combination with other TLTs, to provide predefined destinations for message switching. No TLT—terminal list table
Transaction list table (XLT) Sets of logically related transaction identifications. A list of identifications that can be initiated from terminals during the first quiesce stage of system termination, or a group of identifications that can be disabled or enabled through the master terminal. Yes XLT—transaction list table