Q122)    What tables must be updated when adding a new transaction and program?

A122)     At a bare minimum the Program Control Table ( PCT) and Program Processing Table (PPT) must be updated.

Q123)    What is the meaning of the SYNCPOINT command?

A123)     SYNCPOINT without the ROLLBACK option makes all updates to protected resources permanent, with the ROLLBACK option it reverses all updates.

 

Q124)    What do the terms locality of reference and working set mean?

A124)     They refer to CICS efficiency techniques. Locality of reference requires that the application program should consistently reference instructions and data within a relatively small number of pages.  The working set is the number of program pages needed by a task.

 

Q125)    What do the keywords MAPONLY and DATAONLY mean?

A125)     MAPONLY is a SEND MAP operand that sends only fields with initial values to the screen. DATAONLY is the SEND MAP operand that specifies only data from the map area should be displayed.

 

Q126)    What is the MASSINSERT option?

A126)     MASSINSERT is a WRITE option that modifies normal VSAM split processing, leaving free space after the inserted record, so subsequent records can be inserted without splits.  It is ended by an UNLOCK command.

 

Q127)    What is a cursor in CICS sql processing?

A127)     A cursor is a pointer that identifies one row in a sql results table as the current row.

 

Q128)    What are the DB2 steps required to migrate a CICS DB2 program from source code to load module?

A128)     A DB2 precompiler processes some SQL statements and converts others. It creates a data base request module (DBRM) for the binding step.  The bind process uses the DBRM to create an application plan, which specifies the techniques DB2 will use to process the embedded SQL statements. The link/edit step includes an interface to the CICS/DB2 attachment facility.

 

Q129)    Name some translator and compile options and explain their meaning?

A129)     For translator SOURCE option prints the program listing, DEBUG enables EDF and COBOL2 alerts the system to use the COBOL II compiler.  For the compiler XREF prints a sorted data cross reference and FDUMP prints a formatted dump if the program abends.

 

Q130)    What is the significance of RDO?

A130)     RDO is Resource Definition Online. Since release 1.6 RDO allows resources (terminals, programs, transactions and files) to be defined interactively while CICS is running.

 

Q131)    What is CECI?

A131)     CECI is the command level interpreter transid that interactively executes CICS commands.  It is a rudimentary CICS command debugger which does not require coding an entire program.

 

Q132)    What is CEDF?

A132)     CEDF is the execute diagnostic facility that can be used for debugging CICS programs.  

 

Q133)    What is CEBR?

A133)     CEBR lets you browse the contents of a specific temporary storage queue.

 

Q134)    Name and explain some common CICS abend codes?

A134)     Any AEI_ indicates an execute interface program problem – the abending program encountered an exceptional condition that was not anticipated by the coding.  APCT – the program could not be found or is disabled. ASRA – most common CICS abend, indicating a program check, identified by a one-byte code in the Program Status Word in the dump.  AKCP – the task was cancelled; it was suspended for a period longer than the transaction’s defined deadlock timeout period.  AKCT – The task was cancelled because it was waiting too long for terminal input.

 

Q135)    What is a logical message in CICS?

A135)     A logical message is a single unit of output created by SEND TEXT or SEND MAP commands. BMS collects the separate output from each command and treats them as one entity. This technique may be used to build CICS reports.

 

Q136)    What are the CICS commands associated with temporary storage queue processing?

A136)     WRITEQ TS,  READQ TS, and  DELETEQ, whose meanings should be self-explanatory.

 

Q137)    What are the CICS commands associated with transient data queue processing?

A137)     WRITEQ TD, READQ TD, DELETEQ TD, ENQ and DEQ.

 

Q138)    What is the meaning of the ENQ  and DEQ commands?

A138)     Neither command is exclusively a transient data command. The ENQ command reserves any user defined resource for the specific task.  For enqueued transient data no other task will be able to write records to it for as long as it is enqueued.  DEQ removes the lock.

 

Q139)    How do you delete Item 3 in a five-item TSQ?

A139)     You can’t–at least not directly. Options, none of them good, include: 

I.     adding a logical-delete flag to the contents of each item;

II.    moving item 4 to 3 and 5 to 4 and initializing item 5, all thru rewrites; this is a variant on 1;  

III.  creating a new ‘copy’ TSQ that excludes the unwanted item, killing the old TSQ (deleteq ts), writing the new TSQ with the original name from the new TSQ, and then deleting the ‘copy’ TSQ. This way, you will get an accurate report from NUMITEMS.

 

Q140)    What CICS command would you use to read a VSAM KSDS sequentially in ascending order?

A140)     READNEXT reads the next record from a browse operation for any of the three VSAM files.

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