Collection of JCL Interview Questions by Experts asked in top companies like IBM, HP, CTS, TCS.
A: A CONTROL CARD can be a member of a PDS or a sequential dataset and is used for storing the date fields, definitions of VSAM files etc., We use CONTROL CARD because we cannot use an in-stream procedure in a procedure. Generally you will be calling a PROC from your JCL and you cannot code instream procedure in the PROC and so you will point to the dataset, which is called controlcard.
Q: How do you submit JCL via a Cobol program?
A: In your JCL define as: //JOBA JOB 1111,JOB1 //STEP01 EXEC PGM=PROG1 //ddname DD SYSOUT=(*,INTRDR)....and your COBOL (PROG1) should look like this: SELECT JCL-FILE ASSIGN TO ddname. Open this file and write the JCL statements into this file. Example: MOVE '//TESTJOB JOB 1111,VISVEISH' TO JCL-REC.MOVE '//STEP01 EXEC PGM=IEFBR14' TO JCL-REC.and close this file. Then TESTJOB will be submitted.
Q: How do you submit a JCL under CICS environment?
A: Pass all the JCL codes to a COBOL variable (should be declared using OCCURS clause) and then write the line one by one to the spool using CICS commands like SPOOLClose, SPOOLOpen and SPOOLWrite. For more help refer CECI of CICS or CICS manual.
Q: What is the parameter to be passed in the job card for the unlimited time, irrespective of the job classA: TIME=1440
Q: What is the parameter to be passed in the job card for the unlimited time, irrespective of the job class
A: TIME=1440
Q: Define COND parameter in JCL?
A: COND is a condition parameter, consists of 2 subparameters, 1st - return code from the previous step, 2nd - condition. If COND is true, the step on which COND is coded will be BYPASSED. It is compared with system return code of previous step //STEP1 EXEC PGM=ABCD //STEP2 EXEC PGM=XYZ, cond=(4,lt) STEP 2 will be executed when system return code of step1 is less than 4.
Q: What is meant by S0C-07 system ABEND codes
A: S0C7 - Data exception error - you will get it whenever you are trying to move the low values or spaces into the numeric field, or compare the numeric fields with low values, or try to do some arithmetic operations on the low values. To avoid this you have to always initialize the numeric fields otherwise they will contain the low values.
Q: How to pass the temp dataset form one JOB step to another?
A: By specifying the DISP as PASS for the temp dataset
Q: Write a JCL to execute a Job by 7:00 AM on Jan 20,1986?
A: TIME=1440
Q: Define COND parameter in JCL?
A: COND is a condition parameter, consists of 2 subparameters, 1st - return code from the previous step, 2nd - condition. If COND is true, the step on which COND is coded will be BYPASSED. It is compared with system return code of previous step //STEP1 EXEC PGM=ABCD //STEP2 EXEC PGM=XYZ, cond=(4,lt) STEP 2 will be executed when system return code of step1 is less than 4.
Q: What is meant by S0C-07 system ABEND codes
A: S0C7 - Data exception error - you will get it whenever you are trying to move the low values or spaces into the numeric field, or compare the numeric fields with low values, or try to do some arithmetic operations on the low values. To avoid this you have to always initialize the numeric fields otherwise they will contain the low values.
Q: How to pass the temp dataset form one JOB step to another?
A: By specifying the DISP as PASS for the temp dataset
Q: Write a JCL to execute a Job by 7:00 AM on Jan 20,1986?