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Tuesday Tip: How to read a VSAM-file sequentially using NCL

  • 1.  Tuesday Tip: How to read a VSAM-file sequentially using NCL

    Posted Aug 20, 2014 11:52 AM

    NCL provides access to VSAM-Clusters by using &FILE verbs.

    It may be necessary to read a complete file sequentially from the first to the last entry or vice versa. An easy way to get the first (or the last) entry of a File is by using parameter OPT=FWD (or OPT=BWD) in the first &FILE GET statement. The key of that &FILE GET is stored in &FILEKEY. In the loop you read the next entry by using OPT=FWD (or OPT=BWD) again without referencing a key value! The loop is controlled by the Feedback provided into variable &FILEKEY. As long as this value is 0, a record from the file could be read. When trying to read after the last record was read, &FILEKEY contains 4 and the loop ends.

    Note: You will only get the first record of a file using OPT=FWD if there was no prior &FILE GET to that file.

    The following example shows how a complete file is read in ascending order. The fields of the file are read into variables &1, &2, etc. as ARGS is used:

     

    -*---------------------------------------*

    -* Reading a file in ascending order     *

    -*---------------------------------------*

    &FILE GET DD=<ddname> OPT=FWD ARGS

    &DOWHILE &FILERC = 0

       ...

       processing of read record

       ...

       &FILE GET DD=<ddname> OPT=FWD ARGS

    &DOEND

     

     

    The complete file can be read in descending order, too. Two small changes in the above example will fulfill that:

    - Change OPT=FWD to OPT=BWD in both &FILE GET statements:

     

    -*---------------------------------------*

    -* Reading a file in descending order    *

    -*---------------------------------------*

    &FILE GET DD=<ddname> OPT=BWD ARGS

    &DOWHILE &FILERC = 0

       ...

       processing of read record

       ...

       &FILE GET DD=<ddname> OPT=BWD ARGS

    &DOEND