IBM Mainframe Forum

Friends,

DELETE GDG - deletes only index.

DELETE GDG FORCE - deletes all the attributes including generations

DELETE GDG PURGE - deletes all before the retention period.

Whenever we allocate a gds a retention period will be recorded for that data set and the same will get deleted from DASD at the retention period.

My query was

what was the difference between FORCE and PURGE.

Bcoz FORCE is also used to delete all the generations before the retention period.

kindly let me know how PURGE exactly differs from FORCE.

DELETE GDG FORCE deletes the GDG base -- after which, you no longer have access to that GDG.

Thanks Robert,

But Kindly let me know as DELETE GDG FORCE also deletes all by overriding the retention period, what is the exact use of PURGE.

How can we differ FORCE from PURGE.

why not look Yourself at the manual ???

z/OS V1R10.0 DFSMS AMS for Catalogs
http://publibz.boulder.ibm.com/cgi-bin/ ... 0602132758
here for the delete command
http://publibz.boulder.ibm.com/cgi-bin/ ... 0602132758
for the delete optional parameters
http://publibz.boulder.ibm.com/cgi-bin/ ... 0602132758

I posted the links to the specific chapters/paragraphs to save You some of Your precious time

Thanks enrico,

Kindly let me go through these and let you know am I got clear or not.

Hi,

I gone through those which I am already familiar.

I need to know the exact difference between FORCE and PURGE as FORCE also deletes the generations regardless of retention period.

In both cases the GDG base, model and its generation will be deleted from DASD.

So when we use FORCE, the GDG get deleted with all its generation from DASD before the expiration of retention period right (same as PURGE)?

Hope you understood my query.

Kindly let me clarify.

In both cases the GDG base, model and its generation will be deleted from DASD.

How did you get that from the manual statement on what PURGE does? There's no indication in the manual that PURGE does this -- so why do you think it does?

DELETE gdgindex FORCE

deletes any GDG datasets cataloged in gdgindex, and then deletes the GDG index. It will not delete disk data sets allocated with an expiration date that has not expired; it will not delete the index if it cannot delete all the data sets cataloged in the GDG index.

DELETE gdgindex FORCE PURGE

deletes any GDG data sets cataloged in gdgindex, even if their expiration dates are greater than the current date, and then deletes the GDG index.

Thanks steve,

But Whenever a GDS is created, a retention period was automatically recorded for the same by MVS. On that retention period the GDS will be deleted automatically.

From your reply I got the detail like GDS can be created with or without expiration date(retention period).

Is that possible. If possible, kindly let me know how to do it.

Robert,

Physical deletion of GDG means, deleting GDG from the DASD right? (I got the info from a manual like it was physical deletion)

Kindly let me clarify If I am wrong.

shabukumar wrote:But Whenever a GDS is created, a retention period was automatically recorded for the same by MVS. On that retention period the GDS will be deleted automatically.
Kindly let me clarify If I am wrong.

I have never seen a retention period set as default to GDS. In fact when I set up an SMS environment any user specified retention periods are just ignored.

I think that you will also find that a GDS will still be retained even if a retention period was permitted so long as it remains cataloged, even after said retention period has expired.