It is sometimes useful to have a SAS language macro variable with the JES-assigned job number from your TSO session or batch job, possibly to use with assigning a file name or to display in your log or report in a TITLE statement. This tip demonstrates how to…

Consider that the SAS database element ENDTS contains then Ending Timestamp (for an event or interval, depending on the SAS data file), so you can use the DATEPART function in a DATA step (using an IF or WHERE statement), or possibly using the DATEPART in a PROC step WHERE…

With CICS Version 4, IBM moved (and simplified) the activation of the CMF monitor so that the CICS SIT member must specify the following parameters:

MN=ON,
MNPER=ON, 
MNFREQ=hhmmss,

Without the parameter MNPER=ON, the CICS default settings (i.e., MN=OFF) will result in no CMF performance (transaction) data being generated yet some CICS Statistics records…

Use of the SAS IN operator now supports a range specification, simplifying user code and keying when selecting a numeric value range, as demonstrated below:

IF PGMTYPE IN (1:4) THEN OUTPUT;


This area always generates a healthy and sometimes revealing discussion given the evolution of MVS address space CPU reporting as well as processor speeds. With MVS/ESA 4.2, CPU measurement capture in the SMF type 30 “went to the next level” with IBM adding previously unaccounted CPU time measurement fields, though some sites…

A: Yes, starting with SAS 9.1.3 SP4, HOTFIX maintenance provides DSNTYPE=LARGE support for SAS databases which can help with reducing SPACE ABEND opportunities for MICS operational jobs. Refer to Problem Note 17038 at the SAS Support website for details.

A: Yes, the two systems MICS and MXG can work together, bridging with a MICS FDA MSI (MXG SAS Interface) component. It’s possible to leverage the MXG data source input decoding capabilities of the VMACxxxx members and also integrate that processing within a MICS FDA and unit database operational…

Similar to DFSORT, the CA-SORT product uses the //SORTCNTL DD to supply any run-time override configuration settings, however the configuration parameters for DFSORT and CA-SORT are not exactly the same values for optimal processing, which is similar to what you find when comparing SYNCSORT to DFSORT.  SAS-based applications, like…

A: The MXG Tape Mount Monitor runs on each LPAR and provides detailed job/step tape mount counts and related metrics which can enhance your tape subsystem performance and throughput reporting. For comparison, the information provided by RMF does not address these statistics at the job-level and only provides…