IBM Mainframe Forum

Say i have some JCL Code:



When running the full job I get an error in that 2nd line that talks about an invalid referback. I cannot understand why I am getting it? * is a wildcard which can match anything and the .SET matches the end?

why not look Yourself at the JCL manuals ???

enrico-sorichetti wrote:why not look Yourself at the JCL manuals ???

I already have, that's why it doesn't make sense, based on what I've read it should work!

If SORT is writing to that DDname, you don't need any DCB information. SORT will provide it. Therefore it is best not to provide DCB information for output files from SORT/ICETOOL (you'll end up with two places to maintain the information, which is never good).

You'll have to post the full JCL and the messages produced. DCB is not required, but a couple of other things are.

* is not a wildcard in this context. What do you think it would do if it was?

The error is:



Is this enough?

DCB=*.ddname in the same step, or DCB=*.step.ddname in another step. Where is the SET DD statement in your JCL?

The other thing about this is it refers to DCB data in the JCL. Something like this will work.

The * in *.ddname in not a "wild card." There are no wild cards in JCL. Period. End of story.

I very much doubt anyone now living understands the purpose of the * in *.ddname, except to indicate that the text string that follows is not a data set name or a DCB parameter keyword.

I think you would be better off following Billyboyo's advice.

And please do not lie to us when you said you read the JCL manual.

steve-myers wrote:And please do not lie to us when you said you read the JCL manual.

Not cover to cover!

Gallium wrote:... Not cover to cover!

Very few, if any, have read JCL reference from cover to cover. However extracting the section that discusses //xx DD ...,DCB=*.ddname takes just a few seconds. And, I don't think you bothered to do that. This link will take you directly to the section that discusses DCB=*.ddname. Granted, I knew where to go, so it took me about 20 seconds. I don't like - and rarely do it any more - providing these links, mainly because they may be release dependent.

One mark of a true professional in this trade is a pro knows how to find information of this nature, quickly and accurately. Granted it's sometimes hard to read and understand, though this subsection seems - to me - fairly easy to understand.

(fair use excerpt)
Specify a backward reference to an earlier DD statement. The system is to copy DCB information from the DCB parameter specified on that DD statement. The DCB parameter of the referenced DD statement must contain subparameters, and it cannot name a cataloged data set or refer to another DD statement.

Now, please tell me what is so confusing about that.

steve-myers wrote:

(fair use excerpt)
Specify a backward reference to an earlier DD statement. The system is to copy DCB information from the DCB parameter specified on that DD statement. The DCB parameter of the referenced DD statement must contain subparameters, and it cannot name a cataloged data set or refer to another DD statement.

Now, please tell me what is so confusing about that.

What DD and DCB they are actually referring to.

I tried your solution, but it didn't work?

Gallium wrote:... What DD and DCB they are actually referring to.

I tried your solution, but it didn't work?

... it didn't work?

What a useless comment. What, exactly, did you try? What message did you receive? What actual DCB parameter was applied if it executed?