Configuration Best Practices › Processors

Processors

You can use the processors delivered with the Best Practices Implementation for reference.

The following best practices apply to processor JCL:

• Use symbolics in your processors to reference data sets.

  Business Value:

  With symbolics, one physical processor can support multiple processor groups. Symbolic overrides can be very valuable in providing flexibility to processors. They can support variations in compile and link parameters and in the inclusion or exclusion of steps such as adding or bypassing testing tools such as CA InterTest Batch.

  Additional Considerations:

  Avoid having an excessive number of processor groups. When the number of processor groups becomes unwieldy an alternative approach to supporting some of the functions (such as compile and link parameter substitutions) should be used.

• Use the LIBENV option on the C1DEFLTS table to enable -INC or ++INCLUDE syntax in processors for code that is used in multiple processor locations. The LIBENV parameter does not indicate that CA Librarian or CA Panvalet is used; it merely indicates which INCLUDE syntax style is used.

  CA Endevor SCM determines which syntax to resolve, based on the definition of the field LIBENV in the C1DEFTLS table. This value can be set to either PV (for CA Panvalet syntax) or LB (for CA Librarian syntax). PV resolves ++INCLUDE statements and LB resolves –INC statements. You can set these values even if you do not have the CA Panvalet or CA Librarian CA Endevor SCM interfaces, because the purpose of LIBENV is only to identify to CA Endevor SCM how to resolve the syntax when it is encountered in element source.

  Business Value:

  Using INCLUDE statements makes it easier and quicker to create new processors as new languages and processing requirements arise at your site. You can exploit INCLUDE statements in CA Endevor SCM processors to clean up the look of the processor and to share commonly used routines across various processors. INCLUDE statements read from a library and insert commonly used JCL into processors.

  Additional Considerations:

  You can also imbed INCLUDE statements within other INCLUDE statements to expand the modularity of your routines.

• Use consistent processor symbolic variable names across processors.

  Business Value:

  Using consistent processor symbolic variable names make the maintenance of processors easier, because there is no need to constantly ask yourself what the variable is referring to. The consistent naming of variables in processors is as valuable to the maintenance function as is the consistent naming of variables in programs.

  Additional Considerations:

  You can use an INCLUDE statement in your processor to insert a member that contains the symbolic variable names.

• Use site symbolics as a method of reducing or eliminating processor group overrides.

  Business Value:

  The Site Symbolics table provides the ability to override symbolics without having to modify a large number of processor groups.

• Use CA Endevor SCM utilities before using IBM utilities in executing processor steps.

  Business Value:

  The CA Endevor SCM utilities are specifically designed to work with CA Endevor SCM within processors. These utilities support code (such as footprints) that may not be supported by other utilities and they capitalize on internal CA Endevor SCM functionality that is foreign to other utilities.

  Additional Considerations:

  IBM utilities can be used where CA Endevor SCM utilities are not available to perform the required function. IBM utilities are generally more reliable and more consistently updated within the operating system than are those of third parties.

• Other best practices for processors:
  • Balance the number of processors and the complexity level of the processors with the technical skills of the individuals who must support them. With an experienced staff, you can use one very complex COBOL generate processor that supports batch, CICS, DB2, and CA InterTest Batch. With a less experienced staff, you would need multiple processors that are less complicated, such as separate processors that support batch, CICS, DB2, and CA InterTest Batch. Multiple Processors support more limited functionality but are easier to understand and maintain.
  • Label or indent IF/ELSE/ENDIF statements to make them more readable and their ranges more identifiable.
  • Comment the steps in your processors to make it easy to understand the purpose of each step.
  • Each language level should have its own generate processor to reduce the complexity of each processor and to make it easier to retire obsolete levels. In addition, one move processor and one delete processor are recommended for each type.
  • If your types are defined as reverse delta and compress=N, then use the symbolic &C1BASELIB in processors to reference the type base library.
  • Use the processor parameter ALLOC=PMAP | LMAP for building concatenations using the Processor Map Allocation feature.

    More Information:

    For more information about Processor Map Allocation, see Use Symbolic Variables in Data Set Names.

  Business Value:

  These best practices help to reduce administrative maintenance.

ESYMBOLS Table

Use symbols in the ESYMBOLS table to represent common values that are used in processors. The ESYMBOLS table can hold these types of symbols in addition to the C1 CA Endevor SCM symbols.

Business Value

Using symbols to define common values once for the site makes it easier when updates are required. Also, these symbols make it easier to write processors.