Types of DDIO files

There are two main categories of DDIO files: report or source listing files and report or source listing databases, which are grouped into pools attached to Shared Directories. CSS uses the Shared Directory architecture to manage the available pool space.

Within these two categories of DDIO files, there are three different types of DDIO files characterized by the type of information that is stored in them: BMC AMI DevX Abend-AID reports, source listings, and CICS transaction dump information.

Important

If you use the Shared Directory architecture for your DDIO files, different database types cannot be attached to the same Shared Directory (for example, you cannot attach a source listing database to a report Shared Directory, and vice versa). You can attach transaction databases and report databases to the same Shared Directory.

Non-database report or source listing files cannot be attached to a Shared Directory until they have been converted using the batch utility CONVERT command in CWDDALLU, or CWAASDUT (report only) and CWDDLPUT (source listing only). See Batch File Utility_CWDDALLU for detailed command and parameter descriptions.

Abend Reports:
1. Report Shared Directories and Databases. This type of file is used to store abend reports created by BMC AMI DevX Abend-AID. This Report Shared Directory architecture is only supported for BMC AMI DevX Abend-AID Release 9.4 and later. Report databases are attached to a report Shared Directory. The report databases are managed as a POOL of space belonging to the report Shared Directory to which they are attached.
2. Report DDIO files. This type of DDIO file is used to store Abend Reports created by BMC AMI DevX Abend-AID. Prior to BMC AMI DevX Abend-AID Release 9.4, this was the only type of report file available. For compatibility purposes, BMC AMI DevX Abend-AID Release 9.4 can also use this type of report file. A conversion utility is available to run when the user is ready to migrate the report file to the report database format.
  BMC AMI DevX Abend-AID Classic Report files are not supported with BMC AMI DevX Abend-AID Release 12.4 or newer.
Source Listings:
1. Source Listing Shared Directories and Databases. This type of DDIO file is used to store compiler source listings for use by various BMC AMI products. Source listing databases are attached to a source listing shared directory. The source listing databases are managed as a POOL of space belonging to the source listing Shared Directory to which they are attached. The Source Listing Shared Directory architecture can now be used with all supported language compilers. However, Code Debug users should see notes and exceptions here.
2. Source Listing DDIO Files. This type of DDIO file is used to store compiler source listings. A conversion utility is available to run when the user is ready to migrate the listing file to the source listing database format.
  The same source listing file, database, or source listing member can be used by multiple BMC AMI products. It is not necessary to create duplicate source listing files, databases, or source listing members for each BMC AMI product.
Transaction Databases and Shared Directory for BMC AMI DevX Abend-AID for CICS. Transaction databases are used by BMC AMI DevX Abend-AID for CICS to store CICS transaction dump information. BMC AMI DevX Abend-AID for CICS catalogs both CICS transaction dumps and imported Region Dumps into the Shared Directory.

The BMC AMI Language Processors are a set of programs that analyze the output from a compiler execution and store that information in a source listing DDIO file. BMC AMI DevX Abend-AID and BMC AMI DevX Abend-AID for CICS use source listings when BMC AMI DevX Abend-AID reports or CICS transaction abend reports are formatted with source support. BMC AMI DevX Code Debug for CICS and BMC AMI DevX Code Debug for TSO use source listings during interactive debugging. Usually, one or more source listing files can be shared between all BMC AMI products that use CSS while other DDIO files such as report files, transaction databases, and profile files cannot.

The following table lists the types of DDIO files created by the CSS utilities and which products use/require them:

BMC AMI Product	Report File	Source Listing File	Transaction Databases & Shared Dir.	Report Shared Dir. & Database	Source Listing Shared Dir.	Source Listing Database
BMC AMI DevX Abend-AID	x¹	x		x	x	x
BMC AMI DevX Abend-AID for CICS		x	x		x	x
BMC AMI DevX Code Debug for TSO		x			x²	x
BMC AMI DevX Code Debug for IMS		x			x²	x
BMC AMI DevX Code Debug for CICS		x			See Note	x
Code Debug/Eclipse		x			See Note	x
BMC AMI Strobe		x			x	x

_1. BMC AMI DevX Abend-AID Classic Report files are not supported with BMC AMI DevX Abend-AID Release 12.4 or newer.

₂. If using Code Debug TSO and Code Debug IMS with the C Language Processor, VisualAge PL/I, or Enterprise PL/I, and you use Long Program Names, the Source Listing Shared Directory must be used.

Source listing DDIO files

Source listing files are DDIO files that contain one or more source listing members. The source listing member contains the compiler listing and other program information collected by the appropriate BMC AMI Language Processor. Any source listing DDIO file of any type (sequential or VSAM) can be shared among any of the BMC AMI Products that provide source listing support. For performance reasons, VSAM source listing DDIOs are recommended when using BMC AMI DevX Abend-AID for CICS. Source listing DDIO files used by BMC AMI DevX Code Debug for CICS must be VSAM.

BMC AMI DevX Abend-AID, BMC AMI DevX Abend-AID for CICS, BMC AMI DevX Code Debug for CICS, and BMC AMI DevX Code Debug for TSO can use COBOL and PL/I listings.

BMC AMI DevX Abend-AID, BMC AMI DevX Code Debug for CICS, and BMC AMI DevX Code Debug for TSO can use Assembler listings.

BMC AMI DevX Code Debug for TSO also supports C language, VisualAge PL/I, and Enterprise PL/I programs. Short named C language, VisualAge PL/I, or Enterprise PL/I programs (eight character and shorter program names) can be stored and used from conventional source listing DDIO files. See Source Listing Databases and Shared Directories for special source listing DDIO files required for C language, VisualAge PL/I, and Enterprise PL/I programs if using LONGNAME (program names longer than eight characters) compiler support.

For a description of how source listing files are created and used, see SOURCE-working-with-source-listing-files.

BMC AMI Abend-AID report DDIO files

BMC AMI DevX Abend-AID creates diagnostic reports at the time of a program fault. It extracts data from the affected application and associated control blocks and writes this data to a DDIO report file. At view time, the data stored in the BMC AMI DevX Abend-AID report is retrieved and formatted into a readable report that can then be displayed online and/or printed.

For a description of how BMC AMI DevX Abend-AID report files are created and used, see AAREPORT-working-with-Abend-AID-report-files.

BMC AMI Abend-AID report databases and Shared Directories

BMC AMI DevX Abend-AID diagnostic reports can now be routed into a database pool, which is managed via a shared directory. Abend reports are stored in a report database. Multiple report databases can be attached to a single shared directory and can be managed as a pool of report databases. Standard report DDIO files can be converted into the database format using the CWAASDUT or CWDDALLU utility's CONVERT command. For detailed information on the batch utility CONVERT command (CWAASDUT or CWDDALLU) see Batch File Utility_CWDDALLU. The BMC AMI DevX Abend-AID install process creates a CWROUTE module which points to the site default shared directory (see the Abend-AID Installation and Customization space for more information on CWROUTE). However, an alternative shared directory can be specified at abend time by using the ABNLTERM DD statement to point to the desired shared directory.

Transaction databases and Shared Directories

BMC AMI DevX Abend-AID for CICS collects transaction dump information from CICS transaction terminations. The transaction databases are managed via a shared directory, which is a special type of VSAM DDIO file. Multiple entries containing transaction dump information are stored in a transaction database and multiple transaction databases can be attached to a single shared directory. The shared directory can give you a single, enterprise-wide view of all CICS transaction and region faults. BMC AMI DevX Abend-AID for CICS can also manage region dumps (SYSMDUMP) in the shared directory.

Source listing databases and Shared Directories

A source listing shared directory is a specialized VSAM RRDS file used by CSS to manage a POOL of source listing databases and to provide LONGNAME support. All products that utilize source support can use source listing databases. Multiple source listing databases can be attached to a single source listing shared directory. Standard source listing DDIO files can be converted into the database format using the CWDDLPUT or CWDDALLU utility's CONVERT command. For detailed information on the batch utility CONVERT command (CWDDLPUT or CWDDALLU), see Batch File Utility_CWDDALLU.

Source listing shared directories and their related databases can be created and maintained with CWDDLPUT or CWDDALLU utilities via batch or online panels in the BMC AMI V/F. For detailed information, see Batch File Utility_CWDDALLU. Source Listing Databases used by BMC AMI DevX Code Debug for CICS must be VSAM.

All CSS-enabled BMC AMI products can use individual source listing databases if the databases are explicitly referenced. If the C, VisualAge PL/I, or Enterprise PL/I Language Processors are used with Long Program Names, source listing shared directories must be used.

A source listing shared directory or database can be specified for CWPDDIO in your language processing JCL.

Long program name support

Long Program Name (LONGNAME) compiler support with BMC AMI DevX Code Debug for TSO for C, VisualAge PL/I, and Enterprise PL/I language processors uses source listing shared directories. Source listing shared directories allow member names greater than the previous DDIO limit of eight characters. The source listing database contains source listing from the language processor. The source listing shared directory contains all of the keys necessary to handle LONGNAME support. This allows C, VisualAge PL/I, and Enterprise PL/I member names to be mixed case and have a length of up to 1024 characters.

LONGNAME compiler support involves the BMC AMI language pre-processor for the programming language being used. It accepts the source code, invokes the specified compiler, and waits until the compilation step is complete. It then analyzes the output, produces the source listing member, and writes the source listing member to the source listing database and special source listing keys to the source listing shared directory.

When processing programs that use LONGNAME’s, your JCL must point to the source listing shared directory.

Advantages of using Shared Directories and databases

There are several advantages of using Shared Directories and Databases:

You only need to list one source shared directory to view BMC AMI DevX Abend-AID or Code Debug source listings.
All databases attached to this directory will be searched for a source match. Likewise, individually listed report databases may be substituted with a single shared directory in the Viewing Facility or for ABNLTERM to capture run time abends. Source can be processed by pointing CWPDDIO directly to a shared directory.
You will be least affected when file maintenance is performed.
For example, if more space is required to accommodate a large number of listings or reports, the new database can be allocated and attached to the shared directory. It will not be necessary to modify the compile or process JCL to point to the new file, as it will be incorporated with the shared directory. Since the new database will be a part of the shared directory, you will not be required to add it at view time.

Tip

When doing any type of file management, ensure that the required database is detached. It can be re-attached after maintenance is complete.

CSS uses the “best-fit” approach when processing against a source shared directory.
CSS verifies an attached database for most available space before making a file selection. If all attached databases are full, it selects the last file used and invokes AUTODELETE. If space is still not enough and the shared directory has a DBMODEL created, a new source database is dynamically allocated and attached to store the new listing without halting processing.
To avoid contention when processing abends against a report shared directory, CSS distributes the abend reports across all eligible databases.
BMC AMI DevX Abend-AID reports can be routed directly to a report shared directory or to specific databases, if you wish to distinguish between different groups.

Where to go from here?

For more information about the functions of DDIO files, see DDIO-file-functions.