Cross Reference Processor › Developing a File of Control Statements

Developing a File of Control Statements

Control file specifies report organization

To direct the operation of the Cross Reference Processor, a file of control statements must be developed. The control file specifies the organization of information to be reported in the System Data Cross-Reference Report by identifying groups of records (most commonly files) for which individual cross-reference reports are needed. The control file uses three types of statements:

• The parameter statement (to specify processing options)
• The title statement (to identify a group of records)
• The selection statement (to specify selection criteria for records in a group)

Worksheets

To aid in developing a file of control statements, a worksheet is provided. Information found in the File and Record Layouts Reports and the DATA DIVISION Cross Reference Reports for the system of programs aids in filling out the worksheets.

Control file optional, but recommended

Note that the purpose of the control file is to limit the amount of information cross referenced together so that the report can be used to research various descriptions of the same records easily. The control file can be omitted, in which case all records from all programs and files will be reported together. But the value of the System Data Cross-Reference Report depends upon its organization. A carefully planned control file results in a more useful report.

Steps

To develop a file of control statements, follow the four steps outlined below:

Step 1—Specify processing options

Refer to the following table and determine whether the default processing options in effect are acceptable. Select any override processing options needed for the run. Specify the override options with a parameter statement. This statement, if used, must be the first statement in the control file. For syntax and rules, refer to Parameter Statement later in this chapter.

Step 2—Identify groups of records

Determine the groups of records for which cross referencing is desired and assign a descriptive title to each group. Any group of records can be cross referenced, but the most common group is the file. Therefore, consider first the files common to multiple programs in the system of programs being processed and give each file a descriptive title. Then, identify any other group of records for which cross referencing would be useful. For example, defining a group of records to be all records from working storage from all programs yields a cross-reference report that allows extensive analysis of the use of work records for the system of programs.

Step 3—Fill in worksheets

Determine which records are to be included in each group and identify these records by filling in worksheets. Completed worksheets will be used to code title and selection statements. A sample worksheet is shown below. Instructions for filling in worksheets are presented later in this session.

Step 4—Create the control file

When the worksheets are complete, create the control file by generating one statement for each line on each worksheet. If used, the parameter statement must be first, followed by the title statement and its selection statements. Continue to code a title statement and selection statements for all of the remaining worksheets. For syntax and rules for coding title statements and selection statements, refer to Title Statement and Selection Statement later in this chapter.