CICS VSAM Transparency for z/OS, Version 1.2


Data analysis

You should pay particular attention to copybook fields that migrate to DB2® column types that are value-sensitive, such as numeric and date columns. As part of your analysis before you start mapping a file, you might consider writing one-off programs to identify the relative consistency of your VSAM data.

One way to reduce the number of exits you potentially require is to ensure that your data is as consistent as possible. Uninitialized fields can cause data conversion problems, so you should consider coding a one-off program to correct inconsistent field values.

You should also bear in mind that data is sometimes provided within your application programs. For example, consider a file with a packed decimal key that is mapped to a decimal column in DB2. A CICS® user optionally specifies a value that your program uses to issue a START BROWSE. If the user leaves the field blank, your program may use a key of low-values. This will result in a data conversion error in CICS VT because low-values is not a valid packed decimal value.

This situation may only emerge during application testing .



Concept topic


Last updated: February 8, 2013 20:44:0