Vsam Interview Questions
Vsam Interview Questions
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Contents
From a very basic to an advanced level, this article provides a comprehensive list of
top VSAM interview questions and answers that can serve as a solid foundation as
they make their way up the career ladder. In light of the foregoing, we will discuss
what is VSAM, and some common interview questions to help you prepare for your
upcoming interview.
2. Explain IDCAMS.
IDCAMS is an acronym for Integrated Data Cluster Access Method Services. VSAM
datasets can be easily manipulated with IDCAMS Utility. It can be utilized for creating,
deleting, and modifying VSAM datasets.
In contrast to non-VSAM data sets, VSAM data sets are formatted differently. The
VSAM data sets consist of collections of records that are grouped into CI (control
intervals). VSAM stores its records within the control interval, which is a fixed portion
of storage space. The maximum length of a VSAM record is 1 cylinder. In VSAM,
records are arranged according to the index key, the relative record number or the
relative byte address.
ESDS files store records in the order they were added to the dataset. The records are
referenced by their physical address, also known as RBA (Relative Byte Address).
Assuming we have 60 bytes per record in an ESDS dataset, then RBA of the 1st record
would be 0, RBA of the 2nd record would be 60, RBA of the 3rd record would be 120,
and so on. RBA allows for sequential access to records, known as addressed access.
The data is stored in the order in which it was entered. New records are added at the
end. Records cannot be deleted from the ESDS dataset, but they may be marked as
inactive. ESDS dataset records can be of variable or fixed length.
10. Explain Freespace.
"Freespace" is an important parameter in "Define cluster." In this parameter, we
specify the percentage of freespace (available storage) that will be reserved for the CI
(control intervals) and CA (control areas) of the data component. The default value is
0 per cent.
Syntax:
11. Can you tell me how o en you refresh your VSAM file and
how you did it?
You can refresh the VSAM file once a day, every week, or every month, however, you
prefer. Refreshing is the same as deleting/defining the VSAM file.
Step 1: Delete existing/current VSAM file
Whenever you try to delete a file that doesn't exist, you get a return code of 8. The
command VERIFY can be used in TSO Prompt to verify that the file exists.
14. What is shareopts?
VSAM Share Options determine how users can access VSAM datasets. By using these
options, different users/jobs can be granted different levels of access to a single VSAM
dataset. As part of the DEFINE statement, the SHAREOPTS parameter is written as
SHAREOPTS (a,b). Here, a represents the cross-region share option, which indicates
how two or more users/jobs on the same MVS system can share a file, and b
represents the cross-system share option, which indicates how two or more
users/jobs on different MVS systems can share a file. In most cases, this value is
SHAREOPTS(2 3).
If the cross-region value is 2, multiple users can simultaneously process the file
provided that only one of them is an updater. The value 3 for the cross-system
indicates the file can be processed by any number of jobs/users (VSAM does not
ensure integrity).
A VSAM file that contains no records or an empty VSAM file cannot be opened for the
purpose of being used as an input to the COBOL program. Users will no longer be able
to access them. Rather, an empty file may be opened for output purposes. COBOL
writes a dummy record into the file and deletes it once the user opens it.
The IDCAMS utility can process more than one AMS command in a single execution.
Thus, AMS sets a condition code a er every command execution and also a
maximum condition code value for each execution. The syntax for the AMS Modal
command is given below. Only IDCAMS can be used for this purpose and not the TSO
prompt.
Syntax:
CI and CA split occur when new data records are inserted. When a record is to be
inserted in a CI and there is not enough space to fit it, the CI will be split.
CI SPLIT: Essentially, it refers to the movement/transfer of some records from
an existing CI to a free CI within the same CA when an addition or update is not
feasible in the existing CI.
CA SPLIT: It refers to the movement/transfer of half of the records from one CA
to another one when an addition or update is not feasible in the existing CI. This
results in two CAs that are around half full rather than one full and one empty.
22. On what basis do you choose the optimum values for CI and
freespace?
The Control Interval (CI) size should depend on the length of the record and the type
of processing. In most cases, CI is 4K. In cases where the record length exceeds 1K,
choose CI sizes of 6K or 8K. If more insertions are anticipated, then FREESPACE (CI-
percent, CA-percent) should be large. Set the value to (20-20) when updates are
heavy.
DEFINE ALTERNATEINDEX -
(NAME(alternateindex-name) -
RECORDSIZE(average maximum)) -
FREESPACE(CI-Percentage,CA-Percentage) -
RELATE(vsamfile-name) -
UPGRADE / NOUPGRADE -
KEYS(length offset) -
CISZ(number) -
NONUNIQUEKEY / UNIQUEKEY -
DATA - (NAME(vsamfile-name.data)) -
INDEX - (NAME(vsamfile-name.index))
Here,
DEFINE PATH -
NAME(alternateindex-path-name) -
PATHENTRY(alternateindex-name))
Here,
NAME specifies the Alternate Index Path Name
PATHENTRY Specifies Alternate Index Name.
Step3: Building Index
The alternate index is built using the BLDINDEX command. It reads the entire VSAM
indexed data set (or base cluster) and extracts essential data to build the alternate
index.
BLDINDEX -
INDATASET(vsamcluster-name) -
OUTDATASET(alternateindex-name))
Here,
INDATASET specifies the VSAM Cluster Name
OUTDATASET specifies the Alternate Index Name.
REPRO INFILE(in-ddname)
OUTFILE(out-ddname)
Here,
in-ddname represents the DD name of the input dataset which has records.
out-ddname represents the DD name of the Output Dataset, into which the input
dataset records will be copied.
To create KSDS dataset, IDCAMS DEFINE CLUSTER command is used with INDEXED
parameters. A few other important parameters are RECORDSIZE, KEYS, etc.
Syntax: Here is the JCL to create a KSDS dataset with minimum parameters.
Here,
INDEXED Parameter indicates that the created file is KSDS.
All remaining parameters are almost the same as in ESDS or KSDS.
ABC.PQR.XYZ.GnnnnVmm
Here,
XYZ.ABC.PRS.GDG represents GDG Base.
Gnnnn represents the Generation number (Value range: 0000 – 9999).
Vmm represents Version number (Value range: 00 – 99).
Example:
If the GDG base name is SCALER.DATA.SAMPLE.GDG, then the datasets should be
named as follows:
SCALER.DATA.SAMPLE.GDG.G0001V00
SCALER.DATA.SAMPLE.GDG.G0002V01, and so on.
Here,
SCALER.DATA.SAMPLE.GDG.G0001V00 is the generation data set 1, version 0 in
the generation data group SCALER.DATAI.SAMPLE.GDG.
SCALER.DATA.SAMPLE.GDG.G0002V01 is the generation data set 2, version 1, in
the generation data group SCALER.DATA.SAMPLE.GDG.
The latest/current version of the GDG is SCALER.DATI.SAMPLE.GDG(0). The current
generation of GDG is called generation(0), previous versions are called
SCALER.DATA.SAMPLE.GDG(-1), and so on. SCALER.DATA.SAMPLE.GDG(+1) is the next
generation to be created a er the current generation.
Conclusion
In the 1970s, VSAM was introduced to replace the older IBM file-access methods with
greater functionality, and ease-of-use, and to reduce device-dependency issues. The
organized index in VSAM makes it easy to access data, and it also supports many
datasets within one cluster. For those preparing for an interview in this niche, the
above-listed VSAM interview questions will be beneficial to both experienced and
new candidates.
With this collection of 30+ solved VSAM questions, you can prepare for technical
interviews as well as online selection tests during campus placements and interviews.
Having this arsenal of tricky VSAM questions in hand, you'll be able to handle
objective type and multiple-choice questions on this topic with ease.
Learning VSAM will be easier if you are conversant with COBOL, although it is not
required. The attentive interviewer rarely plans to ask you a specific question during
the interview; instead, they start by asking some basic questions about the subject,
followed by further questions based on the discussion and your response. Candidates
should have solid conceptual knowledge, as well as the ability to communicate
confidently and clearly. It's a great way to build confidence and prepare for various
interview scenarios by taking a mock interview. Good preparation and a bit of
cleverness will easily get you through this interview.
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