Selection criteria options
The following figure enables you to control record selection based on starting record key, RBA, or RRN or record counts which determine how selection processing is executed and when it stops. File-AID/Data Solutions determines whether an individual parameter is valid based on the access method of the processed data set.
Enter option 0 on the Change Criteria Menu to display the Selection Criteria Options screen. Selection criteria options can be combined with formatted change and selection criteria. Selection options are processed first. The formatted selection criteria and change criteria are applied after a record passes the selection criteria options selection process.
Selection Criteria Options Screen
COMMAND ===>
Specify Selection Criteria Options:
Start at the following record key
(both blank for start of dataset)
Starting record key ===>
- OR - OR at the following RBA or RRN
Starting RBA or RRN ===>
Initial records to skip ===> 0 then skip this many records
Subsequent Selection Interval: then repeat the following
Records to select ===> 1 - select this many records
Records to skip ===> 0 - then skip this many records
until
Number of records to search ===> ALL you have read this many records
Number of records to select ===> ALL or selected this many records
Use END key to return to the criteria menuxvn
Field Descriptions
Specify Selection Criteria Options:
The Starting record key field and Starting RBA or RNN field are exclusive of each other.
Starting record key
Specify a generic or specific record key in a character or hexadecimal data format. This field allows you to specify a random starting point for record selection in a VSAM KSDS, or keyed BDAM file. Records before the starting record key are not selected, regardless of matching formatted selection criteria.
To specify a hexadecimal record key, enter the value enclosed in single quotation marks ( ’ ) and precede the quoted value with the letter X. For example, X’03E2’.
Starting RBA or RRN
Specify a generic or specific relative byte address (RBA) or relative record number (RRN).
This field allows you to specify a random starting point for record selection in a VSAM or BDAM dataset. Records before the specified starting RBA or RRN are not selected, regardless of matching formatted or unformatted selection criteria.
For VSAM KSDS and VSAM ESDS data sets, enter a specific relative byte address. RBAs must be on a record boundary. To specify a hexadecimal RBA, enter the value enclosed in single quotation marks ( ’ ) and precede the quoted value with the letter X.
For VSAM RRDS or BDAM data sets, a relative record number (RRN) can be specified.
Initial records to skip
Specify a number of records for Data Solutions to skip before processing the data set. Possible values are any number from 0 (zero) through 999999. Use the 0 (zero) value to process all records.
Subsequent Selection Interval:
The values in the Records to select and Records to skip fields determine the record selection pattern that Data Solutions uses to select records from a data set until the value in the Number of records to search or the Number of records to select field is reached.
Records to select
Specify the number of records for Data Solutions to retrieve from the data set at a time. Possible values are any number from 1 (one) through 999999. Selection criteria is applied after the record has been retrieved. The default is 1 (one).
Records to skip
Specify the number of records for Data Solutions to skip after fulfilling the Records to select parameter when processing the data set. Possible values are any number from 0 (zero) through 999999. Use the 0 (zero) value for File-AID to process all remaining records. All skipped records are not selected, regardless of the selection criteria specified.
Number of records to search
Specify a limit for the number of records File-AID/Data Solutions reads and checks for matches to selection criteria. The default for this parameter is ALL. Possible values are any number from 0 (zero) through 999999. 0 (zero) or ALL searches the entire file.
Number of records to select
Specify a limit for the total number of records for File-AID/Data Solutions to retrieve from the data set. Possible values are any number from 0 (zero) through 999999. The default is ALL. Use the 0 (zero) or ALL value to retrieve all selected records. A value that exceeds the number of records in the file does not cause an error.
The below figure shows an example of the effect of selection criteria options.
Selection Criteria Options Example
Subsequent Selection Interval: then repeat the following
Records to select ===> 2 - select this many records
Records to skip ===> 3 - then skip this many records
until
Number of records to search ===> ALL you have read this many records
Number of records to select ===> 10 or selected this many records
Selected/Not Selected Records in the file
NS Record 1
NS 2
NS 3
NS 4
S Select 2 5 <=== Starting Record Number
S 6
NS Skip 3 7
NS 8
NS 9
S Select 2 10
S 11
NS Skip 3 12
NS 13
NS 14
S Select 2 15
S 16
NS Skip 3 17
NS 18
NS 19
S Select 2 20
S 21
NS Skip 3 22
NS 23
NS 24
S Select 2 25
S 26 <=== 10th Record Selected
NS 27
NS 28
NS 29
NS Not Selected 30
NS Because Limit 31
NS Has Been Reached 32
NS 33
NS 34
NS 35
When the values shown in the below figure are entered in the selection criteria options fields, all records in the file pass this portion of the selection process and are processed by any specified formatted selection criteria.
Selection Criteria Options Example. Default - Examines All Records
Subsequent Selection Interval then repeat the following
Records to select ===> 1 - select this many records
Records to skip ===> 0 - then skip this many records
until
Number of records to search ===> all you have read this many records
Number of records to select ===> all or selected this many records