10. MODIFICATION

At times, additional system customizing is needed to tailor
CA MICS to meet your data center's needs. There are many user
exit points provided within CA MICS.  Each of these points
corresponds to a position in the CA MICS logic where user
modification:

o Is likely to occur, based on our experience

o Presents only a slight possibility of compromising CA MICS
  database or operational integrity

o Is relatively easy to document and understand

Using the CA MICS exit facilities to augment CA MICS
processing logic is the safest method of system modification.
Generally, we consider that the CA MICS system administrator
has four levels or methods by which CA MICS can be augmented,
changed, or enhanced:

  o  CA MICS Standard Option and Parameter Definitions

     The diverse installation and definition options provide
     most users with adequate provisions for customizing
     CA MICS.

  o  Modification Through User Exits

     There may be site-dependent requirements that are not
     adequately addressed through the standard options and
     parameters of CA MICS.  In these cases, one or more of
     the user exit points available to you can be used to
     code user-written routines that would satisfy these
     extended requirements.

  o  Extension Through Field Developed Applications

     Although most users do not initially consider this a way
     of modifying CA MICS, the development of field-developed
     applications can be the most advantageous method of
     addressing the need to modify a CA MICS product. For
     example, it may be better to write an application to
     handle additional SMF data than to attempt to modify the
     logic of the CA MICS Analyzer for CA-IDMS.

  o  System Code Modification

     As a last resort, you may be able to satisfy your data
     center's requirements by implementing a source code
     change.

This chapter explains the user exits that are provided with
the CA MICS Analyzer for CA-IDMS.  You must carefully explore
whether it is necessary to develop any user exit routines.
To this end, first ensure that the requirement cannot be
satisfied through one of the standard options or definitions.
This process can be greatly facilitated by discussing the
requirement with CA Technical Support.

Before attempting to activate an exit, you should read and
fully understand the information contained in Section 4.3 of
the of the CA MICS System Modification Guide, User Exit
Facilities.  The following material is intended to
supplement, not replace, that discussion.

The design, coding, testing, and implementation of CA MICS
user exit routines should be approached with caution, as
errors can result, causing corruption of data.  You should be
meticulous in the definition and validation of the exit
routines to ensure that system integrity and performance have
not been adversely affected.

The following sections identify and describe the user exit
points that are available for processing:

    1 - Available User Exits
    2 - Exit Routine Considerations
    3 - Input Exits
    4 - Output Exits