Using ISPF/PDF › About ISPF/PDF

About ISPF/PDF

CA Auditor operates under the IBM Interactive System Productivity Facility/Program Development Function (ISPF/PDF). Because CA Auditor functions in much the same way as ISPF/PDF, it is important to understand how ISPF/PDF works, what ISPF/PDF‑related functions you use, and what new functions CA Auditor provides for your use.

Although you can perform a wide variety of tasks using ISPF/PDF, this appendix covers only those tasks related to CA Auditor. If you require more information about ISPF/PDF, see its online help feature or the appropriate IBM publication.

ISPF/PDF is an IBM program product that acts as an interface between the user and various interactive applications. The base program product of ISPF/PDF is the Dialog Manager, that, as its name suggests, manages the dialogs between the user and the computer system. A dialog usually consists of the following elements:

• Menu selection screens that let you select a particular processing option
• Commands or programs that you use to perform the processing you selected
• Selection criteria screens, where you can supply additional information required for processing
• Display screens that display information after processing is completed
• Information screens, such as the online help panels, that provide you with information about how to perform a particular function

The number of applications that run under ISPF/PDF depends on the needs of the data center. Besides ISPF/PDF, you can have several user‑designed applications. In short, ISPF/PDF is a hierarchically structured program interface that provides a series of panels that can process information between you and the computer system.