2. USAGE GUIDELINES › 2.3 Data Analysis Guidelines › 2.3.1 File Overview
2.3.1 File Overview
The CA MICS Analyzer Option for CICS processes data from SMF
type 110, ASG-TMON for CICS TS (TCE) records in the DAY040
step of the CA MICS DAILY job. From type 110 and ASG-TMON
for CICS TS (TCE), it inputs transaction and system level
records. In particular for CICS TS 2.1 and higher, it inputs
the SMF type 110 Statistics records as well as the type 110
Performance and Exception records. The type 110 Performance
records carry the transaction level data. Each data field in
these records is read during the input processing step in
DAY040, but not all of the fields are retained in the CA MICS
database. Due to the large volume of CICS transaction
records, many users prefer to keep summarized user activity
files in the DAYS timespan instead of the DETAIL timespan.
Any data fields, such as error flags, that may not be
meaningful after file summarization are typically dropped
from the CA MICS database.
The CA MICS Analyzer Option for CICS creates eight files in
the CIC Information Area. A general description of each is
given below. For detailed file descriptions and a list of
data elements, see Chapter 5. To compare the possible data
sources, see Chapter 6.
OVERALL ACTIVITY
o CICCSY - CICS System Activity File
The CA MICS Analyzer Option for CICS provides overall
system activity data in the CICS System Activity
(CICCSY) file. At the DETAIL timespan, the CICCSY file
provides system level information for each interval at
which a system record is written by CMF or by ASG-TMON
for CICS TS (TCE). For CICS releases 3.1.1 and higher,
which do not produce CMF global performance records,
the CA MICS Analyzer Option for CICS processes and
populates the CICCSY file with data from selected SMF
type 110 subtype 2 global statistics records, which are
produced on an interval basis. At the DAYS timespan,
the CA MICS Analyzer Option for CICS incorporates both
system and user activity information in the CICCSY file
to provide you with a total picture at the hourly
basis. This is done by merging the CICCSY file with
the CICS User Activity File (CICCSU) by hour.
By using the information provided by the CICCSY file in
the DAYS timespan, you can monitor both system and user
workload performance on a daily basis. The CICCSY file
size is relatively small compared to the CICCSU and
CICS Application Unit Activity (CICCAU) files. This
enables quick access through MICF for reporting
purposes. In addition, the CA MICS Analyzer Option for
CICS produces standard analysis and management reports
using the CICCSY file. For a detailed description of
the reports and MICF inquiries provided by the CA MICS
Analyzer Option for CICS and the lists of data elements
used by the reports, see Chapter 3.
USER ACTIVITY
o CICCAC - CICS User Application Count File
o CICCSU - CICS User Activity File
The CA MICS Analyzer Option for CICS summarizes CICS
resource usage at the user level in several ways. Two
files in particular are the CICS User Activity (CICCSU)
file and the CICS User Application Count (CICCAC) file.
These files are populated from the transaction records,
which can be CMF (type 110 subtype 1 Performance Class
3) or ASG-TMON for CICS TS (TCE) TRANSACTION (TA)
records.
The CICCSU and CICCAC files contain the identification
information for CICS users, which are known to the CA
MICS Analyzer Option for CICS as user account codes.
You define account codes during installation of the CA
MICS Analyzer Option for CICS, and they allow you to
identify users based on USERID, OPERID, or any other
method of identifying the user based on the input data.
You can define up to nine levels of account codes
(CICACT1- CICACT9), which are used as sequence elements
during the CA MICS file summarization processing.
Therefore, you should be careful when defining the
accounting fields, as they will affect the sizes of the
higher timespans of the CICCSU and CICCAC files in your
CA MICS database.
The CICCSU file is used to generate summary reports for
workload analysis. In addition, it is used for
exception analysis to capture information about users
with high resource usage.
APPLICATION ACTIVITY
o CICCAU - CICS Application Unit Activity File
The CA MICS Analyzer Option for CICS provides CICS
resource usage information at the application level in
the CICS Application Unit Activity (CICCAU) file. This
file is created from the transaction records produced
by CMF type 110 subtype 1 Performance class 3 records
and by ASG-TMON for CICS TS (TCE) transaction (TA)
records.
The CICCAU file contains the Application Unit
Identification (CICAPU) element that you can define
during installation of the CA MICS Analyzer Option for
CICS. CICAPU allows you to identify the CICS
applications running at your site, and enables the CA
MICS Analyzer Option for CICS to provide you with
summarized resource usage information for these
applications.
The CICCAU file is used to generate summary reports for
workload analysis. In addition, it is used for
exception analysis to capture any application with high
resource usage.
CICS INCIDENTS
o CICCIN - CICS Incident File
The CA MICS Analyzer Option for CICS records abnormal
events, such as transaction ABENDs, in the CICS
Incident (CICCIN) file, which is used for exception
analysis. This file is created from the CMF type 110
subtype 1 Performance class 3 and Exception class 4
records and from ASG-TMON for CICS TS (TCE) Transaction
(TA) records.
FILE ACCESS ACTIVITY
o CICCSF - CICS File/DBD Activity File
The CA MICS Analyzer Option for CICS records access to
individual files in the CICS File/DBD Activity (CICCSF)
file. This file is created from the file segments in
the ASG-TMON for CICS TS (TCE) Transaction (TA) records.
It is not available from CMF data sources.
The CA MICS Analyzer Option for CICS creates summary
reports using the CICCSF file to analyze your file
activities.
MRO ACTIVITY
o CICCMR - CICS MRO Activity File
The CA MICS Analyzer Option for CICS records MRO
interactions between a single transaction and a
different system in the CICS MRO Activity (CICCMR) file.
This file is created from the MRO segments in the
ASG-TMON for CICS TS (TCE) Transaction records from
versions 2.0 and higher. It is not available for CMF.
The CA MICS Analyzer Option for CICS creates summary
reports using the CICCMR file to analyze your MRO
activities.
DATA DICTIONARY PROCESSING
o CICCDC - CICS Dictionary File
The CA MICS Analyzer Option for CICS uses type 110 data
dictionary records, which are of subtype 1 and class 1,
to populate the CICS Dictionary (CICCDC) file. Before
the Performance records, which are of type 110 subtype 1
and class 3, for a particular region are processed, CA
MICS must process a data dictionary record for that
region, and this data dictionary record must be at the
same CICS release level as that of the Performance
records that follow it. The data dictionary records
provide offset, length, and type information about each
of the fields in the Performance records.
A data dictionary record is the first type 110 record
that is produced when a CICS region is started. If a
data dictionary record is needed but its region cannot be
restarted just to obtain a new data dictionary record,
one can be produced by using the IBM utility DFHMNDUP,
which has been available since the release of CICS 3.1.1.
A record that has been produced by DFHMNDUP should be
concatenated to the front of the input for the next
update run whether it is a DAILY or an incremental. Once
a data dictionary record has been input to the CA MICS
Analyzer Option for CICS once, care should be taken to
make sure that it not necessarily appear in future update
runs. Since the data dictionary information is retained
in the CICCDC file, it is usually not necessary to keep
an old data dictionary record in the input stream.
Moreover, if a CICS version is changed, one should make
sure that a new data dictionary record comes before the
Performance records from the new CICS release.
Information on how to run the DFHMNDUP utility can be
found in Section 2.7 (monitoring dictionary utility
program) of the IBM CICS Operations and Utilities Guide.
Since the data dictionary values for each CICS region are
retained in the CICCDC file, CA MICS will use the
information from CICCDC when new data dictionary records
do not appear in the input. Observations that carry data
dictionary information for a particular region will be
deleted from the CICCDC file after a specified number of
days if no data from that region are processed by the CA
MICS Analyzer Option for CICS for that number of days.
The CICCDCEX parameter in prefix.MICS.PARMS(CICTHRSH) is
used to specify the number of days for this cutoff. It
is described in Section 7.3.8 CICS Processing Thresholds
(CICTHRSH).
Since the only purpose of the CICCDC file is to allow the
CA MICS Analyzer Option for CICS to decode the input data
properly, only one cycle of the CICCDC file is kept in
the DETAIL timespan.
Data dictionary records and the CICCDC file are required
to process only the type 110 subtype 1 Performance class
3 records or type 110 look-alike Performance records. No
other type 110 records require data dictionary records.
No ASG-TMON for CICS TS (TCE) records require data
dictionary records.
