Audit trail feature

File-AID allows you to create an audit trail of your edit session. To activate the audit trail feature, enter a Y in the Create audit trail field on the Edit - Dataset Specification Screen.

Before and after images of changed records are written to the audit trail whenever you change the contents of existing records through use of primary commands such as CHANGE and RCHANGE or by typing directly over the records’ contents. After images of added records and before images of deleted records are also recorded.

File-AID keeps track of each time you enter the CANCEL primary command:

If a SAVE command was not entered during the edit session prior to the CANCEL command, the audit trail dataset is automatically deleted.
If at least one SAVE was entered before CANCEL, File-AID writes records to the audit trail containing all updates entered prior to the SAVE primary command.

Disposition of Audit Trail

The Disposition of Audit Trail screen, shown in the following figure, is displayed when you use the END command (PF3) (or the CANCEL command when editing a data file after having entered at least one SAVE command sometime during the edit session) to terminate your edit session. This screen enables you to decide what to do with the audit trail dataset just created during your edit session.

If you use the RETURN command (PF4) or a jump command to end your edit session, File-AID creates the audit trail dataset but does not display the Disposition of Audit Trail screen. You can use File-AID option 5.5, Print Audit Trail, to print the audit trail dataset.

Disposition of Audit Trail screen

Field Descriptions

Audit trail disposition

Specify one of the following:

Print and keep the audit trail.

Print and delete the audit trail.

Delete the audit trail without printing it.

Audit trail dataset

File-AID allocates the audit trail dataset at the beginning of your edit session. If your tso-prefix matches your tso-id, the audit trail dataset name is:

tso-id.FILEAID.AUDT.Dyymmdd.Thhmmss.Msss

tso-id

Your TSO user ID, up to seven characters, or up to eight characters if eight character user ID has been implemented with z/OS 2.3 or later.

Dyymmdd

Gregorian date when the audit trail is created.

Thhmmss

Hour, minute, and second the audit trail is created.

Msss

Millisecond the audit trail is created.

tso-prefix

Your TSO user prefix, up to seven characters, or up to eight characters if eight character user ID has been implemented with z/OS 2.3 or later.

If your TSO-prefix does not match your user ID and the audit dataset name does not exceed 44 characters, the audit trail dataset name is:

tso-prefix.tso-id.FILEAID.AUDT.Dyymmdd.Thhmmss.Msss

When the tso-prefix is included and the construction of the audit dataset name exceeds 44 characters, then millisecond will be omitted. For example, if you had a 4 character tso-prefix and a 5 character tso-id, millisecond would be included. If you had a 4 character tso-prefix and a 7 character tso-id, millisecond would be omitted:

tso-prefix.tso-id.FILEAID.AUDT.Dyymmdd.Thhmmss

Important

When no audit trail prefix is specified for a batch job, the audit trail prefix will default to the batch job name minus the last character.

Audit trail description

Enter an optional 96-position description of the edit session you just completed. This description is written to the audit trail dataset and prints on the Audit Trail Report.

Specify Batch JCL Information:

Sysout class

Specify the SYSOUT class for the Audit Trail Report.

Specify JOB Statement Information:

Specify the JOB statement JCL for the batch print job submitted when you specify the PK or PD options.

When you complete this screen, press Enter to process the option or, if you want to keep the audit trail dataset to print later, use the END command (PF3). After processing, the Edit - Dataset Specification screen is displayed.

When the END command (PF3) was used on the Disposition of Audit Trail screen, you can use option 5.5, Print Audit Trail, to print the audit trail. Print Audit Trail describes the Audit Trail Report and the Audit Trail Print feature.

Printing Audit Trail with Unicode Data

Use the CCSID parameter when printing Unicode data to specify the code page to be used. Manually add the parameter to the print JCL to override the default CCSID, for example:

$$DD01 APRINT CCSID=0500

Guidelines

The audit trail dataset that File-AID creates is a sequential, variable-blocked spanned file. Because each audit trail record contains a File-AID control area, you cannot create an audit trail for a non-keyed file whose LRECL is greater than 32,724. For keyed files, the sum of the key length and LRECL must not exceed 32,724.

File-AID writes all audit records after the edit data set is saved. If the number of updates written to the audit file exceeds the available audit file space, File-AID notifies you and discontinues auditing. The audit records are not written to the audit dataset and cannot be recovered. File-AID still displays the Disposition of Audit Trail screen at the end of your edit session.

The default amount of space allocated to the audit trail dataset by File-AID is (1,5) cylinders. If you make massive changes, it is important to increase the size of the audit trail dataset. You can modify it with File-AID option 0.5 Audit File Allocation Parameters.

Your installation can force the creation of an audit trail during your edit session through use of the File-AID audit routine. In this case, even if you enter N in the Create audit trail field on the Edit - Dataset Specification screen, the audit routine overrides your specification. This means the Disposition of Audit Trail screen is displayed unexpectedly at the end of your edit session.

In addition, the audit routine can force the printing of an audit trail at the end of your edit session. This causes an unexpected batch job submittal message at end of your edit session without the display of the Disposition of Audit Trail screen.

The audit routine also has the ability to override the default syntax File-AID uses when constructing the audit trail dataset name. Therefore, when the Disposition of Audit Trail screen is displayed, you may see an audit trail dataset name that does not coincide with the syntax described in this reference manual.

If you require information on how your installation is using the audit routine to force audit trail creation and/or print or to supply the audit trail dataset name, contact the person responsible for File-AID at your installation.