Introduction › Override the Preferred Date Pattern

Override the Preferred Date Pattern

The DATEFMT parameter provided in hlq.CTAPOPTN gives you the ability to change the system default date pattern yyyy/ddd to your own preferred date pattern. This pattern determines how external dates are entered, printed and displayed. The preferred date pattern specified in hlq.CTAPOPTN can be overridden by a unique date pattern during execution of most CA 1 utilities by using the following parameter in the JCL for that utility:

PARM='DATEFMT=(fmt)'

DATEFMT=(fmt) is an optional parameter which overrides the DATEFMT value specified in hlq.CTAPOPTN if CA 1 is active or batch active, or the Julian default date pattern yyyy/ddd if CA 1 has never been initialized.

The date pattern entered for (fmt) specifies how dates appear in reports. The value of (fmt) is a new date pattern. If DATEFMT=(fmt) is not specified, the default date pattern specified in hlq.CTAPOPTN is taken.

Important! Several programs (TMSEXPDT, TMSGRW, TMSUDSNB, TMSUPDTE, and TMSVMEDT) allow you to specify actual dates within control statements. If a non-Julian date format is used within control statements and you change your preferred date format, you must change the control statement dates accordingly.

We recommend that actual dates within control statements be maintained in Julian date format. This allows the job to execute properly even if you change your preferred date format.