Data Center Management Systems


The Expert JCL Manager - JED                                               Download JED today!


The Future of Automated JCL Management

JED is a fully automated JCL management solution for today's z/OS data centers providing JCL validation, standards enforcement, reformatting, and syntax checking. JCL maintenance, conversions and tuning are now possible --- automatically! Robust, yet simple to use, JED provides a flexible, automated way to address the labor-intensive tasks associated with the JCL change lifecycle. JED significantly improves operations and production control environments, resulting in improved SLAs. 

JED has been designed from the ground up to be JCL-intelligent. Management and control of JCL components in the change lifecycle can be fully automated with the DCMS CCS (Change Control System) product or other automated code deployment tools. Used this way within the JCL change lifecycle or as a stand-alone tool, JED simplifies JCL management, resulting in improved productivity for the entire Information Systems department, including Applications Programming, Operations, Production Control and Systems Programming. When customization is desired, it is not necessary to learn a new programming language or understand the coding and setup of unfamiliar control card formats. JED provides its benefits using an intuitive, high-level user interface.


JED Highlights:(Partial list)

Other uses for JED
The JED Process
Operating Environments Supported

z/OS, JES2, JES3

JED Features and Functions:
Option Handling:
JCL Syntax Checking:
Edit Macro Invocation:
  • Validates and reformats JCL member during edit session
  • Shows error/warning messages embedded within edited member
  • Expands and shows JCL within PROCS
  • Expands and shows JCL within INCLUDE groups
  • Expands and shows PARMLIB (PDS) members --- can be limited to first ‘x’ lines
  • Uses labels to make it easier to locate messages in long members
  • “Flower box” provides error summary, total number of messages of each severity
  • Optionally submits JCL based on specified error message severity levels
  • Optionally shows edit macro command syntax in pop-up window
  • Optionally invokes browse on generated reports
  • Optionally reformats edited JCL, replacing existing member
  • Optionally validates reformatted JCL
  • Validates IDCAMS statements
  • PF key expands error message help in pop-up window
  • Permits selection of Admin or User option profiles
  • Permits specification of step return codes to validate conditional (IF/COND) constructs

ISPF Interface:

ISPF Member Selection: 
  • Include/Exclude members by specified name
  • Include/Exclude multiple members separated by commas
  • Include/Exclude members by range of names (from-to)
  • Include/Exclude members generically with wildcards (ABC*) (A*C)
  • Include/Exclude members based on last-changed date
  • Leave member blank to receive library member list
  • Multiple members may be selected from the list
  • From selection list, order column can be used to select processing sequence

Batch Invocation:
  • Reads members from PDS, CA-Panvalet, CA-Librarian or sequential file
  • PARM specifies Admin or User option profile
  • Permits use of file to override default or selected profile options
  • Optionally copies original member to new PDS
  • Provides integrated Scan/Replace facility

Batch Member Selection:
  • Include members by specified name
  • Include members by range of names (from-to)
  • Include member names equal, less than, greater than a value
  • Include members generically with wildcards
  • Include members based on last changed date
  • Exclude members by specified name
  • Exclude members by range of names (from-to)
  • Exclude member names equal, less than, greater than a value
  • Exclude members generically with wildcards
  • Exclude members based on last changed date
  • Specify more than one library whose members are to be processed in a single run

Reformatting - General:
  • Performs validation and reformatting in single pass
  • Provides ability to simulate JCL reformatting
  • Optionally stores reformatted member to PDS, CA-Panvalet or CA-Librarian or a sequential file
  • Optionally generates update control statements for output to CA-Panvalet and CA-Librarian

Reformatting - Options:
  • Formatting options can be specified for each statement type
  • Specify formatting options for DD, EXEC,JOB,PROC,OUTPUT
  • Specify formatting options for ENDIF, INCLUDE, JCLLIB, PEND, SET
  • Specify formatting options for JES2 statements
  • Specify formatting options for JES3 statements
  • Choose the statement types that are NOT to be reformatted

Reformatting - Keyword Positioning:
  • Specify starting position of JCL statement type
  • Specify starting position of first JCL statement keyword
  • Specify number of parameters per JCL record
  • Specify column threshold to continue next parameter
  • Specify starting continuation column

Reformatting - Ordering
  • Specify order of first JCL keywords
  • Reorder JCL statement keywords alphabetically

Reformatting - Inline Comments:
  • Specify starting position of JCL statement comment field
  • Choose to remove inline comments
  • Choose to retain original sequence of inline comments
  • Choose to keep inline comment with first keyword on line
  • Convert inline comment as JCL comment statement before/after to current statement
  • Choose to left-justify inline comments to specified column
  • Choose to right-justify inline comments to specified column

Reformatting - JCL Comment Statements:
  • Provides ability to remove all blank comments (//*)
  • Provides ability to 'flower-box' JCL comments
  • Specify comment 'flower-box' characters
  • Provides ability to left-justify or right-justify JCL comment to specified column
  • Specify placement of embedded JCL comment statements
  • Maintain 'x' blank comment statements prior to each EXEC

Reformatting - Renumbering:
  • Provides renumbering of statement line numbers
  • Specify starting statement line number
  • Specify statement line renumbering increment

Reporting:
  • Report: Lists the original JCL contained in the member being processed
  • Report: Lists the JCL with PROC's expanded, symbolics resolved, and any error messages
  • Report: Summarize all error messages generated
  • Report: Lists the reformatted JCL
  • Report: Shows the processing options used
  • Report: Shows IDCAMS, utility and DB2 simulations
  • Report: Shows dataset usage cross-reference
  • Report: Shows program usage cross-reference
  • Report: Shows procedure usage cross-reference
  • Report: Shows statistical summary with counts of: lines, jobs, PROC's, steps, DD's
  • Report: Shows "Tape Pull List" from jobs being checked
  • Options sets minimum message severity to be shown
  • Each report is optionally generated
  • Uses unique DDNAME for each generated report

Messaging:
  • Supports 5 severity levels – Informational, Warning, Alert, Environmental and Fatal
  • Most severe message severity determines batch return code when processing a list of jobs
  • Each internally-generated message is prefixed with a unique message identifier
  • Globally override or suppress messages using the unique message identifier
  • The severity of any message can be overridden – upgrade or downgrade the severity
  • The text of any message can be overridden to your own phrasing
  • Any message can be suppressed so it no longer appears
  • Override or suppress message for single JOB with an embedded JCL comment

Security Functions:
  • Uses RACROUTE to check JOB's access to datasets
  • RACROUTE tests JOB's USER= value as owner
  • RACROUTE tests JOB's owner in JOBUSER table
  • RACROUTE tests user’s authority to read JOB’s load and PARM libraries
  • Validates JOB's access authorization to user catalog

Major Toggled Functions:
  • Prohibits jobs from updating the master catalog by validation of dataset aliases
  • Manages temporary datasets for step restartability
  • Enforces use of OS catalog
  • Renumbers jobsteps and associated references
  • Choose from a variety of step renumbering styles
  • Enforces specified JOBLIB concatenation
  • Verifies if OLD/SHR existing datasets are cataloged
  • Verifies if DISP=NEW datasets are already cataloged
  • Verifies referenced GDG bases are defined
  • Verifies if a referenced PDS member exists
  • Verifies all executed programs exist in STEPLIB/JOBLIB/LPALIB/LNKLST
  • Shows the library containing executed programs
  • Validates contiguous labels on multi-file tape volumes
  • Validates proper use of RETAIN on multi-file tape volumes
  • Validates referenced VOLSER's against mounted disk volumes
  • Verifies that DISP=NEW GDG generations specify model DCB
  • Verifies that the specified model DCB dataset exists
  • Utility table (and DCMS XREF) defines required files for executed program
  • Warns when a required DD statement is missing
  • Warns when unused DD statement is encountered
  • Warns when duplicate DD statement encountered in step
  • Validates logical use of datasets
  • Validates logical dataset usage across list of jobs
  • Validates site-defined dataset naming standards
  • Validates site-defined JOB naming standards
  • Finds duplicate DDNAMES
  • Detects invalid concatenations
  • Detects incompatible DCB parameters
  • Detects LIKE dataset not found

PROCLIB Support:
  • Supports multiple PROCLIB concatenations
  • Supports automatic selection of PROCLIB based on JOBPARM PROCLIB
  • Supports automatic selection of PROCLIB based on JES2PARM JOBCLASS
  • Automatically captures and uses JES2 PROCLIB concatenations
  • Automatically switches between PROCLIB concatenations when processing a list of jobs

Toggled Validation Options:
  • Validates DEST value against list of values
  • Validates FCB value against list of values
  • Validates SYSOUT/OUTPUT forms against list of values
  • Validates JOB CLASS against list of values
  • Validates the JOB MSGCLASS against a list of values
  • Validates UNIT against a list of values
  • Validates each report SYSOUT class against a list of values
  • Validates dump SYSOUT class against list of values
  • Validates a referenced PDS library against a list of acceptable libraries
  • Require BLKSIZE coded for DISP=NEW file
  • Show error when RLSE missing on DISP=NEW disk dataset
  • Require RETPD or EXPDT=99000 coded for DISP=NEW tape GDG
  • Prohibit the use of instream data not following 'DD *' or 'DD DATA'
  • Prohibit multiple JOB statements within a single member
  • Prohibit the use of instream procedures
  • Verifies each defined instream procedure is executed
  • Verifies BLKSIZE is even multiple of LRECL when RECFM=FB
  • Verifies 'EXEC PGM' statements contain COND keyword
  • Verifies each JOB statement contains COND keyword
  • Verifies that the JOB name matches the member name

Toggled Correction Options:
  • When JOB CLASS missing or invalid, sets to default value
  • When JOB MSGCLASS missing or invalid, sets to default value
  • When report SYSOUT class missing or invalid, sets to default value
  • When dump SYSOUT class invalid, sets to default value
  • When report SYSOUT form missing or invalid, sets to default value
  • When FCB missing or invalid, sets to default value
  • When model DCB missing or invalid, sets to default value
  • When UNIT value invalid, sets to default value
  • When EXEC REGION less than default, removes parameter
  • When JOB REGION less than default, removes parameter
  • Sets BLKSIZE to optimum value for device
  • Adds RLSE parameter to SPACE keyword for NEW disk datasets
  • Adjusts secondary SPACE allocation to at least 10% of primary
  • Removes SPACE CONTIG parameter
  • Expands DISP parameters to show defaults
  • Expands JOB 'programmer name' field to maximum length
  • Expands EXEC to show PROC= default
  • Removes DCB parameters on existing datasets for standard utilities
  • Removes secondary duplicate DD statements
  • Removes any EXPDT except EXPDT=98000
  • Removes any JOBCAT statements
  • Removes any STEPCAT statements
  • Removes JOB account field
  • Removes JES2 PROCLIB statement and PROCLIB DD statements
  • Removes any unwanted JOB statement parameters

Scheduler Interfaces:
  • Simulates CA-7 handling of #JI, #JO, #XI, #XO and #JEND statements
  • Simulates CA-7 # control selection to validate each unique SCHID in JOB
  • Forecasts CA-7 jobs to be run, input to validation
  • Forecasts IBM TWS jobs to be run, input to validation
  • Interfaces to CONTROL-M to resolve scheduler symbolics
  • Simulates interface to IBM TWS scheduler to resolve scheduler symbolics
  • Simulates interface to CA JOBTRAC to resolve scheduler symbolics
  • Simulates interface to ASG Zeke to resolve scheduler symbolics
  • Simulates interface to CA ESP to resolve scheduler symbolics

Other Product Interfaces:
  • Interfaces with CA-1 (TMS) to validate tape datasets
  • Interfaces with IBM RMM to validate tape datasets
  • Interfaces to DCMS/CCS to provide automatic option profile selection
  • Verifies all executed programs are defined to DCMS/CCS
  • Verifies all executed procedures are defined to DCMS/CCS
  • Verifies all referenced VSAM files are defined to DCMS/CCS
  • Uses DCMS/XREF to determine if violations to dataset naming standards are already in use
  • Interfaces with DCMS/XREF to determine a program's optional and required DD's
  • Implements CA-11 in each JOB
  • Converts JCL to use DCMS/RAS for offloading a backup copy of reports
  • Validates DB2 library name exists
  • Validates DB2 program exists
  • Validates DB2 subsystem name

JED Remote Server (JEDSERV):
  • Used when validating JCL from an LPAR/image other than where it will run and DASD isn’t shared with that environment
  • Typically used at sites with separated production and test SYSPLEX’s
  • JEDSERV runs a continuous started task on the remote LPAR (typically production)
  • JED users (on test) communicate with JEDSERV through a VTAM connection
  • Permits validation of executed programs and PDS members, inspecting libraries on the remote site
  • Permits syntax check to occur remotely, using the JCL’s procedure and include libraries of the runtime environment
  • All other ‘environmental’ JED validations occur through JEDSERV

Miscellaneous Options:
  • Enable dynamic use of JES2 procedure libraries based of system definitions
  • Specify number of control (PDS) statement lines to be listed within expanded JCL report
  • Includes facility for simulating jobstep return codes to test COND keywords and IF/THEN/ELSE/ENDIF constructs
  • Interfaces to SMS to validate JCL’s DATACLAS, MGMTCLAS and STORCLAS values

User Programming Interface:
  • Provides programming interface using standard language (COBOL, assembler, etc.)
  • Permits use of IF-THEN-ELSE language to extend syntax validation rules
  • Inspect, add, delete or modify and JCL field on any JCL or instream data statement
  • Insert or delete entire statements or entire steps
  • Add to or delete from library concatenations
  • Edit, verify, correct and reformat in one pass
  • JCL statements are provided in parsed format to user program
  • Each JCL value is uniquely identified with variable name
  • Issue error/warning messages
  • Very easy to use

Interface points:
  • Exit point before open of dynamically allocated dataset (PARMLIB,PGMLIB)
  • Exit point to interface with tape management system to verify tape datasets
  • Exit point to modify JCL statements before they are processed
  • Exit points to set values for CONTROL-M, ZEKE and JOBTRAC variables
  • Exit point to permit modification or suppression of messages
  • Exit point after JCL statement is read
  • Exit point before non-JCL statement is written
  • Exit point before termination
  • Exits can be loaded from non-authorized library even when running APF-authorized

JED Generated Error Messages
  • "IEFC" messages. JED utilizes the OS JCL Converter component of z/OS to perform a portion of the syntax check of the JCL. JED detects all JCL syntax errors that z/OS detects.
  • "IDC" messages. JED uses a simulation option of IDCAMS to verify IDCAMS SYSIN data, so some messages are generated by IDCAMS.
  • "JED" messages JED generates hundreds of messages internally as issues are encountered.     JED Sample Messages