Edit and Manage VSAM and MVS Files

BMC AMI Test Drive


This tutorial will introduce you to the BMC AMI DevX Data Studio that enables you to manage various file types and understand data relationships.

Revised: 2024/10/15 00:00 


 and Data Management


Getting Started

Instructions:

  • This guide contains many screenshots to provide a visual reference.
  • Please note each place that you must enter your own specific ID or number.
  • You must complete each step before proceeding to the next to successfully follow the test drive script.

This script requires that you first complete the "Getting Started" script.
 If, at any point during your experience, your host connection times out, you may need to log back in to the TestDrive host connection.

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If at any time during the execution of this script the Common Enterprise Services Login popup is shown, enter your test drive ID and password under User ID and Password, check the Save credentials box and then depress the ENTER key or click OK.


BMC AMI DevX Data Studio Data Editor

The Data Editor enables you to edit data files and provides similar functionality to the edit and browse functions in File-AID MVS, DB2, and IMS.  Workbench for Eclipse takes a "data is data" design approach: If you know how to use the Data Editor for VSAM files, you also know how to use it for DB2 tables. In Part 4A, you will learn the basic functionality of the Data Editor.


Do This
  • Open the Data Editor by going to the BMC menu and selecting DevX Data Studio.

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Note: Instead of "CWEZXXX.WBSAMP," you should see "yourid.WBSAMP" as the first two nodes of the dataset names.

Do This
  • Open a dataset in the Data Editor by right-clicking on yourid.WBSAMP.EMPLOYEE and choosing Open with File-AID Data Editor.

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Do This
  • Enter yourid.WBSAMP.LAYOUTS(EMPLOYEE) in the "Layout dataset" area.
  • Click Get Layout.
  • Add EMPLOYEE for the Request Name at the top.
  • Click Run. 

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Note for future reference: If you do not have a layout and want to view your data unformatted, uncheck Use record layouts.

We are defining a request to see the dataset. Naming this request allows you to reuse it in the future.


Do This

 Data Editor opens the file for display.

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Do This
  • Click Return to request to modify the request with some selection criteria.

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Using Selection Criteria


Do This
  • Select the Conditions tab.
  • Click <select field> to view the column list.

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We are using a record layout, so we will build formatted conditions.

 

Do This
  • Select the Formatted radio button.
  • Click OK.

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Do This
  • Scroll down and Click on EMP-MARITAL-STATUS.
  • Click OK.

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Do This


  • Under the Operator column, select the dropdown menu.
  • Choose the "is equal to" option.

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Do This
  • In the Value column, type "S"
  • Run the request by clicking Save and then Run.

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 Tip: At this point, do not click Add Condition. This would start another set of conditions.

You now see only specific records that match the selection criteria.  Note that the record numbers from the file no longer match the row numbers being displayed under the filter column.  


Do This
  • Click on the Show Data Source Statistics icon on the top right.

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Here you will see how many records were read from the file and with our selection criteria applied how many records were selected.  This can be very useful information when dealing with large files and navigating through the paging icons.  


Do This
  • Click OK to return to the edit screen.

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Column Chooser

This section investigates the Column Chooser function, which allows you to eliminate and reorder columns in the display.  Let's display only the relevant columns including our selection criteria.


Do This
  • Right-click on the column header to display the column commands.
  • Select Choose Columns.

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Do This
  • Click on one of the column names and simultaneously hold down the Ctrl and A keys on your keyboard.
  • Click the left arrow to move your selections into the Available Columns area.

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Do This
  • Select the following columns by holding down the Ctrl key while clicking the column names: EMP-NUMBER, EMP-LAST-NAME, EMP-FIRST-NAME, EMP-MID-INIT, EMP-DATE-OF-BIRTH, and EMP-MARITAL-STATUS..
  • Click the right arrow.

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Do This
  • Press Done.

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Now the Data Editor shows just the columns chosen.  You can see that the Marital Status column reflects the Selection Criteria is equal to S.

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Do This
  • Reset the display to show all columns by right-clicking on the column header and selecting Show All Columns.

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Row vs Table Mode

The Data Editor within Workbench for Eclipse displays the data in Table Mode by default. You can also view data in Row Mode at the same time.


Do This
  • Click Show/Hide the Row Editor to toggle Row Mode on and off.

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The table and row stay in sync when different fields are selected. 

Do This

The screen has now been divided showing table mode and row mode.  Note the middle division with up and down arrows to maximize and minimize each mode.  


  • Use the vertical scroll bar within each mode to view more records or more fields.
  • Click on Line 3 in table mode to see Row Mode synchronize.
  • Click on the right arrow in the left-hand border.

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Do This

The screen has now been divided again with an additional pane showing the Metadata Viewer displaying the copybook being used with this file.  


  • Use the vertical lines to drag right to view more of the Metadata Viewer.

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 Hex mode displays the data with up-down hex.


Do This
  • Select Display Mode to toggle between Normal and Hex mode.

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Do This

You now see data displayed in both table and row mode in Hex format.


  • Minimize the Metadata Viewer by clicking on the left arrow .
  • Remove the Row Mode by clicking on the Show/Hide Row Editor toggle icon in the top right.
  • Click the Unformatted tab at bottom to see Hex mode in this layout.

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Do This

You are now viewing the unformatted data in Hex mode.

  • Select Display Mode to toggle back to Normal mode.
  • Click the Layout Formatted tab at the bottom.

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Find and Replace Data


Do This
  • Open the Find/Replace dialog by clicking the Binoculars toolbar icon or pressing Ctrl+F on your keyboard.

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Do This
  • Open the Numeric tab.
  • Type a value in the "Find" field.
  • Click Find All.

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The number of occurrences is displayed at the top of the Find/Replace dialog box above the tabs.  Noted are occurrences on the current page, and total number found in the entire file.

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Do This
  • Type a replacement value in the "Replace with" field.  For a Replace All, use the Column/Field Select button to narrow the action. 
  • Select the EMP-REGION-TAX-WITHOLD-PCT field with a left arrow to selected columns.
  • Click OK and then Replace All.

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The number of occurrences replaced is displayed in the message area.


Do This
  • Click Close.

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Changed rows are marked with an icon in the far left column. This column allows you to select an entire row and issue row commands with a right-click. An editor icon also appears in the left-hand column when data in the row changes.

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Do This
  • Click on the fourth row then right-click on the left-hand column.

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For a changed row, the Undo command will be available.
You can undo changes in any order, even out of sequence of how the changes were made.


Do This
  • Simultaneously press the F and Ctrl keys on your keyboard.
  • Open the Numeric tab.
  • Click the dropdown next to "Find operators" to select Invalid.
  • Click Find All.

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Do This

Notice the message: "3 occurrences found" .  

  • Click Close.

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Add a Filter to Data

The filter row is located between the headers and the data.  The display filters all but that row.


Do This
  • Within the filter row, type a name under EMP-LAST-NAME and hit enter.

Filters can be set on multiple fields to view only specific data.

  • Click the Clear Filter icon next to the text in the filter row to display all the data.

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Freeze Columns


Do This
  • Right-click on the header row.
  • Select Freeze Columns.

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Do This
  • Using the yellow arrows, select and move the two fields shown below to the Frozen Columns area.
  • Click OK to return to the file display.

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Do This
  • Scroll left and right to see the effect.

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Navigation Menus and Icons


Do This
  • Select a row and then click the Navigation (Paging) menu in the toolbar or right click for the command menu and select Navigation.


    These items are also available with the icons in the top right of the screen.

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Do This
  • Click on the Go To icon in the top right.

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Do This
  • Type a line number and select OK.

Note you can Go To a specific line or page. You can also go to a Page by typing a number in the Page box under the icons and clicking Go.

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Do This
  • Because of any changes made to the data you may receive this message.
  • Click OK to continue.


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Do This
  • We now see the last line, 32. Note that this is Record #47 in the file, but since we did not retrieve all of the data because of selection criteria the line numbers being displayed and record numbers do not match. You will also see this as you insert and delete records.


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Do This
  • Click the Go to Key icon on the top right.



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Do This
  • Type in a key value.



Note you can enter text or hex values, and File-AID shows the offset and length of the key for this file.

You may also go to the next key if there is not an exact match.


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Do This
  • You are now positioned at the correct record.
  • Close the file by clicking the "X" on the tab with the file name.
  • Click Save to save your changes.

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Compare for zOS Files

You can run previous requests, organize favorites and manage requests using the DevX Data Studio toolbar icon, denoted with the orange DevX Data Studio icon.

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Another option is to select the Data Explorer tab and expand the File-AID Requests in Workspace.

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Notice that you can also launch the Compare functionality from either of these menus.

Another way to launch the Compare functionality:


Do This
  • In the Host Explorer tab select yourid.WBSAMP.COMPARE and yourid.WBSAMP.EMPLOYEE by holding down the Ctrl key while clicking the names.
  • Right-click on one of the files, select Compare With and then Each Other Using File-AID.

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Do This
  • Format the compare by selecting Browse next to the Layout field.

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Do This
  • Type yourid.WBSAMP.LAYOUTS and click List
  • Select the Employee member and then OK.

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Do This
  • Choose Run..

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The Comparison Summary will open.


Do This
  • Maximize the view by clicking the square in the top right corner of the window or by double clicking the tab.
  • Click on the yellow Differences bar within the Comparison Summary chart to display Comparison Details.

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Explore and play with the filter controls for File Differences and Record Differences. Your results may vary depending on changes made to your data.

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Do This
  • Select a Changed Record in the top section to see differences highlighted below. 
  • Change vertical to horizontal view with buttons on right of that section.
  • To finish close the window by clicking the X in the tab.

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This completes the File-AID Compare section.


Data Visualizer

The Workbench for Eclipse Data Visualizer allows you to see relationships that you have defined between DB2 tables and VSAM files. This is equivalent to the File-AID for DB2 and File-AID/RDX functionality, where you can display relationships between files in the ISPF interface.
 In this section, you will view a relationship file visualization containing sample tables.


Data Visualizer Perspective


Do This
  • Open the Data Visualizer Perspective by opening the BMC menu and selecting Data Visualizer.

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Do This
  • On the Import tab, click Relationship file.
  • Select the Import button.

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Choose the Visualizer Data Source


Do This
  • Click Browse to view the file list mechanism.

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Do This
  • In the Name field, type yourid.WBSAMP.RELATION.
  • Click List and then OK.

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Do This
  • In the DB2 Location dropdown menu, select DB01CW01.
  • Click Finish.

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Note: DB01 is a subsystem on the LPAR CW01 where this relation file was created. The relationship information itself is self-contained and independent of the fact that you are currently connected to a different LPAR.


Topaz displays all the relationships defined in this file.

You may wish to change the way the visualization is laid out, either for readability or to ensure everything is on the screen. On the graph, you can right-click and select a different layout to see alternative ways to lay out the information.

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Relationship Visualizer Object Filters

We can filter out parts of this chart to see only the section in which we are interested.


Do This
  • Click the Group ID option, and type "2-29."
  • Select Add.

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The Relationship Visualizer shows:

  • Application relationships (dashed lines)
  • Referential integrity (solid lines)


Do This
  • Maximize the visualizer by clicking the square icon in the top right corner.
  • To finish close the window by clicking the X in the tab.

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This completes the Data Visualizer section.


Search

Search within Workbench for Eclipse allows you to locate the contents of multiple datasets simultaneously. This is similar functionality to File-AID/MVS option 3.6 or ISPF option 3.14 (SEARCH) or 3.15 (SEARCHE).

Do This
  • Open the Host Explorer perspective by opening the BMC menu and selecting Host Explorer or by selecting the Host Explorer perspective switcher.

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Do This
  • Reset the Host Explorer Perspective by right-clicking the perspective name, selecting Reset and confirming.

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Do This
  • Select both WBSAMP.COBOL and WBSAMP.JCL.
  • Right-click on WBSAMP.JCL.
  • Select Search.

 

Tip: Hold the Ctrl key on your keyboard while selecting your items.

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At the top of the Search window, the first two tabs are for the File-AID and Host Explorer dataset searches.

File-AID Search

Host Explorer Search

Search sequential, PDS and, VSAM Files

Search sequential or PDS files only

Option to process as JCL

Does not provide the JCL processing capability

We will use the File-AID search.


Do This
  • Type "Salary" in the Search for text field and click Search.

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Do This
  • Results will appear in a new tab.  Maximize the search view by double clicking the search tab.

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Do This
  • Click Expand All within the Search tab.

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The first section of the search results shows the COBOL source code where salary is a part of a data name or is a constant. Another section shows where salary is part of a comment in the JCL.

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Do This
  • Double-click on Employee Salary Data in the last entry.

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The member opens with the cursor position at the search result.

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Do This
  • Click on the X on the toolbar in the search tab window to remove the highlighted line from the search results.
  • Close the JCL member.

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Tip: You can use search results like a checklist, removing results as tasks are completed.

You may choose to reset the Host Explorer perspective at this point.

This completes the Search section.



 

Tip: For faster searching, add an asterisk to the end of your partial query. Example: cert*