Comparing CICS regions

You can use the compare editor to compare the attributes for two CICS regions and see how they are different. The compare editor shows the region attributes side-by-side, with a list of the attributes that do not match in the top panel. You can compare regions of similar type, or different types. The attributes that are shown in the editor are those attributes that are applicable to at least one of regions that you compare.
The DA model contains some attribute information, but more information is retrieved from the regions when the Compare editor is opened. To retrieve the information, you must have an active connection to the DA server, the regions must be running, and the client ID must be authorized to view the region information. If these conditions are not met, then the Compare editor shows only the attributes in the DA model.
Note: The compare function compares only the SIT override parameters. The parameters in the SIT tables are not compared.

Procedure

  1. In the DA Explorer view, the Visualization views, or the Connections view, hold down the Ctrl key and click the two regions that you want to compare.
  2. Right-click and select Compare with each other. The results are shown in the Compare view, with the APPLID of the regions that are being compared shown in the view tab.

Results

The Compare view is divided into three parts. The lower part of the view is split vertically and shows the attributes for the first region in the left side, and the attributes for the second region in the right side. The top part of the view shows a list of the attributes that are not the same in both regions.

An example screen capture that shows the Compare view. The view is divided into three parts. The region attributes are shown side-by-side in the lower part of the view. The top part of the view shows a list of the attributes that are not the same in both regions. The icon alongside each item indicates the differences.

The icons alongside each item in the top panel provide more information about the differences:
  • The gray arrow Gray pointing arrow that points to the left, indicates that the resource is included only in the region on the left side of the Compare editor.
  • The blue arrow Blue pointing arrow that points to the right, indicates that the resource is included only in the region on the right side of the Compare editor.
  • The double-red arrow Double-red arrow indicates that the resource is in both regions but is not the same.
When you click an attribute in the top panel, the details in the lower part of the view scroll to show the attribute values in both regions.
The attributes that are shown are grouped by type. The groups that are shown depend on the region type. The following list describes the content of each group:
General
Attributes that are common to every region; APPLID, CICS version, z/OS system, and other attributes.
WUI
Attributes that are specific to a region that is a WUI server. This group is shown only if one, or both, of the regions are WUI servers.
CICSPlex SM
Attributes specific to CICSPlex SM. This group is shown only if one, or both, of the regions are managed by CICSPlex SM.
SIT Overrides
The SIT override parameters. These parameters are available only if the regions are running. The information is retrieved in real-time and is not available in the CICS DA model.