How to edit a file for CICS?

[Anil]

Hi,

I am new to CICS. I learned that files are defined to CICS region and they are already defined when the system was built. So if I need to change the values in file or edit the existing file how do we do that?

[nicc]

For a start they are data sets not files. They are updated as any other data set is - by programs written to do that either via a batch program or an online program.

[Anil]

Yes but I need to edit it manually then how do I do it?

[nicc]

You don't - unless you want to be fired! If it is a test data sets then, when it is not allocated to CICS, use ISPF as normal.

[Robert Sample]

First, it would be a very rare site that allows a programmer to manually edit a production data set -- auditors really do not like such things happening.

Second, if the data set is in a test CICS region, probably CECI could be used. I've used CECI to read a VSAM KSDS record, change it, and rewrite it. As long as you are not changing the key, this is possible as long as you have the requisite security access.

[Anil]

First, it would be a very rare site that allows a programmer to manually edit a production data set -- auditors really do not like such things happening.

Second, if the data set is in a test CICS region, probably CECI could be used. I've used CECI to read a VSAM KSDS record, change it, and rewrite it. As long as you are not changing the key, this is possible as long as you have the requisite security access.

Thanks Robert. Actually, I need to edit the data in testing region for my test data, from that angle I was asking. So in test I can edit it using CECI and ISPF 3.4 both, is that correct?

[nicc]

I do not know what CECI is (I can guess) but the edit option in ISPF is 2. 3.4 is Utilities.Data set list. And, yes, you can invoke edit from the 3.4 screen.

[Anil]

I am not able to correctly ask it all. Let me try again.

If I have VSAM file. This file is used in CICS program. For testing, should I change the values in it for test condition using edit from ISPF or from CECI?

[Anuj Dhawan]

You can edit your VSAM data-set using ISPF 3.4 for TEST region, to test some test-cases. But I assume you know the native ISPF does not support editing VSAM dataset, you might DITTO for it or possibly a third party tool like FIle-Aid or IBM File manager.

VSAM data-sets defined to CICS do have entries in (sys?) catalog - they won't magically disappear or restricted from being located using IPSF 3.4 but you won't be able to edit it for the reason listed above...perhaps I misunderstood