Edit a big sequential file in ISPF.

[Bhaskar Virgo]

Hi,
How can we edit a huge file in ISPF itself? Whenever I try to edit a bug sequential file it goes to browse substituted mode. Can you please guide if there is any way to edit such huge files? Regards.

[Robert Sample]

  Talk to your site support group.
Since the data has to be in memory, the TSO region size controls the number of records that can be edited (record length is also important, obviously).  While we could tell you how to change the TSO region size, there may be site limitations and / or policy limitations on what you can use. My site allows me to edit up to almost 25 million 80-byte records but that is because I am a system programmer. Application programmers have a smaller limit.

[Bhaskar Virgo]

Thanks Robert. I understand the concern you made about getting in touch with support group. But can you please also tell me how do we really change it or where do we see the change if one is made, by support?

[Robert Sample]

 Depending on your site, when you login there is a screen where you enter your TSO password.  That screen has a region parameter.  However, if you change that value without talking to your site support group, bad things could happen - such as disciplinary action by management.  And the maximum value depends upon your site so only your site group can tell you the largest value you can use.

[Bhaskar Virgo]

Thanks. I have also seen that in SDSF when I am logged in I see a job against my ID. When I browse it, it also shows me a region value. Can that be of help in this relation?

[Robert Sample]

You do NOT see a "job" in SDSF.  z/OS identifies 4 basic types of work -- batch jobs, started tasks, TSO users, and OMVS (Unix System Services) processes.  What you are seeing is the address space being used for your TSO user id -- you will note that the JES ID will start with TSU, not JOB like submitted jobs.  As such, the region size you see is what you are given through the TSO login process.  It can be changed on the TSO login screen IF you have access to it (some sites suppress the screen).

You REALLY need to talk to your site support group and get them to help you.  Asking on a forum such as this can help you learn, but we cannot change your login region size, nor can we tell you what your site permits for that size.

[Bhaskar Virgo]

Thanks! As the "log on " screen you were saying about is not visible at my office. So I think it is disabled. Thanks for the confirmation on the TSO user ID details.

[Bhaskar Virgo]

What you are seeing is the address space being used for your TSO user id -- you will note that the JES ID will start with TSU, not JOB like submitted jobs.

Yes, it starts with TSU.

[Robert Sample]

As the "log on " screen you were saying about is not visible at my office. So I think it is disabled

The screen may be suppressed but I don't think it can be disabled.  It is NOT required to display if the user id and password are provided (by a terminal session manager, for example).  The screen looks like this and Size is the region:

Code: Select all

 ------------------------------- TSO/E LOGON -----------------------------------
                                                                                
                                                                                
    Enter LOGON parameters below:                   RACF LOGON parameters:      
                                                                                
    Userid    ===> IBMUSER                                                      
                                                                                
    Password  ===>                                  New Password ===>           
                                                                                
    Procedure ===> ISPFPROC                         Group Ident  ===>           
                                                                                
    Acct Nmbr ===> ACCT#                                                        
                                                                                
    Size      ===> 2048000                                                      
                                                                                
    Perform   ===>                                                              
                                                                                
    Command   ===> ispf                                                         
                                                                                
    Enter an 'S' before each option desired below:                              
            -Nomail         -Nonotice      S -Reconnect        -OIDcard         
                                                                                
 PF1/PF13 ==> Help    PF3/PF15 ==> Logoff    PA1 ==> Attention    PA2 ==> Reshow
 You may request specific help information by entering a '?' in any entry field 

[Blackthorn]

If you have File/Aid, you can use that to edit selected records from a larger dataset than you would otherwise be able to.

[nicc]

Depending on the dataset size you may be able to use the native TSO editor which is accessed from the READY prompt. But I do not recommend it! I seem to recall that it is much like ED on the pre-windows DOS personal computers. .

[Mukesh Mistry]

As the "log on " screen you were saying about is not visible at my office. So I think it is disabled

The screen may be suppressed but I don't think it can be disabled.  It is NOT required to display if the user id and password are provided (by a terminal session manager, for example).  The screen looks like this and Size is the region:

Code: Select all

 ------------------------------- TSO/E LOGON -----------------------------------
                                                                                
                                                                                
    Enter LOGON parameters below:                   RACF LOGON parameters:      
                                                                                
    Userid    ===> IBMUSER                                                      
                                                                                
    Password  ===>                                  New Password ===>           
                                                                                
    Procedure ===> ISPFPROC                         Group Ident  ===>           
                                                                                
    Acct Nmbr ===> ACCT#                                                        
                                                                                
    Size      ===> 2048000                                                      
                                                                                
    Perform   ===>                                                              
                                                                                
    Command   ===> ispf                                                         
                                                                                
    Enter an 'S' before each option desired below:                              
            -Nomail         -Nonotice      S -Reconnect        -OIDcard         
                                                                                
 PF1/PF13 ==> Help    PF3/PF15 ==> Logoff    PA1 ==> Attention    PA2 ==> Reshow
 You may request specific help information by entering a '?' in any entry field 

We also have this kind of screen in our project. But we are not allowed to increase the region size.

I have a question though, does this region size can be increased for a specific user or if it is changed it is changed for all the users?

[enrico-sorichetti]

I have a question though, does this region size can be increased for a specific user or if it is changed it is changed for all the users?

the initial/default region size and the privilege to change it are defined AD HOC for each user according to the business profile needs
in the hope that the user will be aware of the consequences for misusing his/her privileges
think twice and hit the keyboard once

[Robert Sample]

But we are not allowed to increase the region size.

This is a site restriction and hence could only be changed by you talking to your site support group and explaining the business reason you have for needing to edit a sequential data set that you cannot edit now.  Your site support group should be able to change the region size for your TSO user id if you can adequately justify the need.  As a support person, though, my first questions would be why you need to edit the data set in the first place (this is NOT a normal requirement for production data sets) and what happens when you're no longer with the organization -- who will edit the data set in your place?

[prino]

If you know ***exactly*** what you need to change, you can write an edit macro to make the required changes, and edit the dataset in batch, where there are possibly fewer restrictions on region size...

[nicc]

Or, if you know exactly what you want to do, you may be able to use DFsort or IEB/ICEGENER.

[Mukesh Mistry]

If you know ***exactly*** what you need to change, you can write an edit macro to make the required changes, and edit the dataset in batch, where there are possibly fewer restrictions on region size...

[font=Calibri]Thanks. I understand that. I have never thought about the REGION parameter for this purpose, so wanted to check how this is done.[/font]
[font=Calibri] [/font]

[Mukesh Mistry]

Or, if you know exactly what you want to do, you may be able to use DFsort or IEB/ICEGENER.

That's what (batch job) prino has suggested. Or you wanted to say something else?

[nicc]

Prino suggested running batch TSO/ISPF edit and using an edit macro, How doe that mean the same thing as running DFsort or IEBGENER? They are 3 different things although ICEGENER is part of the DFSort family and I do not know if it has the same editing facilities as IEBGENER (but you can check that out).

[Mukesh Mistry]

Sorry. I mistook it. Thanks for the explain.