z/OS JCL and Utilities

Course Number:  629-TF
Recommended Duration:  3 days

Intended Audience
Programmers, operators, analysts, support staff and users who need to know how to code JCL to run jobs in a z/OS environment.  Anyone who needs to gain a basic understanding of the structure and workflow in z/OS.

Course Overview
This course is intended as an introduction to JCL, but also an introduction to z/OS concepts and terms.  Even though this is an introductory course, it is rich and thorough.  There are 13 hands-on exercises.

Objectives
Students who complete this course will be able to code JCL to run test and production batch jobs, use some common batch utility programs, and use a Sort / Merge program product.

Prerequisites
A basic understanding of computer concepts is needed.  Although a programming background is not required, people with such a background will generally get the most out of this course.  Familiarity with the ISPF editor (or other editor used to create and submit JCL).

Topics

• z/OS organization and workflow

• Introduction to the Work Load Manager

• JCL: rules of syntax

• JOB, EXEC, DD, OUTPUT statements

• SMS - Storage Management Subsystem

• Data sets and libraries; DASD organization

• VTOCs and catalogs

• Viewing job output using ISPF 3.8 and one of: SDSF, IOF, Flasher, (E)JES

• Data flow diagrams and JCL skeletons

• Utilities: IEFBR14, IEBGENER

• Introduction to IDCAMS

• Conditional JCL: IF/THEN, ELSE, ENDIF

• Cataloged and in-stream procedures

• Symbolic parameters in procedures and in open JCL

• INCLUDE, SET, JCLLIB

• Private proclibs

• Sort / Merge

• GDGs

• PDSEs

• Sources of Information