Understanding the CICS VR batch backout command and keywords

The key words that are used to run the BATCHBACK command.

BATCHBACK JOB(jobname) FAILED
FAILED
Specifies that CICS® VR backs out all updates that were made by the step that encountered an abend during the latest execution of the specified jobname. The step that encountered the abend must have been the last step run by the specified job. When FAILED is specified, CICS VR verifies that the last step run by the specified job did encounter an abend.

If the step did not encounter an abend, a message is produced and batch backout does not continue. However, if you wish to backout the updates made by a step regardless of if it encountered an abend or not, you can specify the STEP keyword.

BATCHBACK JOB(jobname) STEP(stepname)
STEP
Specifies that CICS VR backs out all updates that were made by the specified step, and all subsequent steps, during the latest execution of the specified jobname, regardless of whether the steps encountered an abend or not.
For example, consider a scenario where a batch job named TESTJOB ran the following four steps in the order shown:
  • STEP1
  • STEP2
  • STEP3
  • STEP4
Executing the following batch backout command causes CICS VR to remove all updates made by steps STEP2, STEP3, and STEP4:
BATCHBACK JOB(TESTJOB) STEP(STEP2)
BATCHBACK JOB(jobname)
JOB
Specifies that CICS VR backs out all updates that were made by every step during the latest execution of the specified jobname, regardless of whether the steps encountered an abend or not.
BATCHBACK JOB(jobname) JOBID(JES job ID)
JOBID
When a JOBID is specified, only the steps of the specified JOB name with a matching JES job ID is backed out. JOBID is an optional keyword. JOBID is processed when the RCDS is specified in the batch backout job, and also when the RCDS is not available to the batch backout job.
BATCHBACK JOB(jobname) SPHERENAME(spherename)
SPHERENAME
If SPHERENAME is specified, only the VSAM spheres listed are backed out. SPHERENAME is an optional keyword. Any number of spheres can be specified.

See the BATCHBACK command BATCHBACK: Remove updates to VSAM spheres for more information.

Figure 1. Example of executing the CICS VR batch backout utility
//BTCHBACK JOB ACCOUNTING INFORMATION,REGION=4M                              
//BA       EXEC PGM=DWWBACK                                        
//STEPLIB  DD DSN=DWW.SDWWLOAD,DISP=SHR
// DD DSN=DWW.SDWWLENU,DISP=SHR
//DWWLOAD  DD DSN=DWW.OPTIONAL.LOAD,DISP=SHR                       
//DWWMSG   DD SYSOUT=*                                                       
//DWWPRINT DD SYSOUT=*                                                       
//DWWCON1  DD DSN=DWW.DWWCON1.GRPPROD,DISP=SHR                               
//DWWCON2  DD DSN=DWW.DWWCON2.GRPPROD,DISP=SHR                               
//DWWCON3  DD DSN=DWW.DWWCON3.GRPPROD,DISP=SHR                               
//DWWIN    DD *                                                              
   BATCHBACK JOB(TESTJOB) FAILED
/*                                                                           
//
This example removes all updates that were made by the last step run in job TESTJOB, if it encountered an abend.
Note: Only one BATCHBACK command can be entered per job step that starts the DWWBACK program.