Running IMS in Batch

There are three different ways to run an IMS batch program. These are:

as a DLI,
as a DBB, or
as a BMP
The way that the program is run and the JCL that you need to provide to run the
program in batch depend on which of these three methods that you plan to use to run
your program.

As a DLI

Running an IMS batch program as a DLI is the simplest and least efficient way of
running the program.

To be able to run a program this way your database administrator must first create
the DBD and run a DDGEN and you (or your database administrator) must create the
PSB descriptions and run a PSBGEN. This will create the files that you need to
reference via the DBDLIB and PSBLIB statements in your JCL. You must also include
the statements in your JCL to reference the necessary databases.

The actual program that you include to be run in your JCL is DFSRRC00 and this is
run with a series of parameters, the first parameter is DLI, the second is the name
of the IMS batch program, and the third is the name of the PSB that your program is
to use.

If you are running an online IMS environment then the databases that your program
references will need to be stopped in order for the program to run.

As a DBB

Running a program as a DBB instead of as a DLI involves only a couple of additional

steps. After running the DBDGEN and PSBGEN you (or your database administrator)
needs to run an ACBGEN. You then substitute DBB for DLI in the first parameter
passed to the program and substitute an ACBLIB statement for the DBDLIB and PSBLIB
statements.

The program will run slightly faster this way than as a DLI because the program is
being given the ACB rather than having to build it for itself.

As a BMP

If you are running MPP regions on your system in order to run IMS online programs
then you can save yourself from having to shut down your databases before accessing
them from batch programs by running those batch programs as BMPs.

In this instance you specify BMP in the first parameter and supply the ACBLIB
statement but you do not reference the databases in the JCL. The program will run
in an MPP region assigned to batch programs and will have access to all of the
databases that are attached to your online environment from there.

Glossary

This short glossary will help you understand some of the IMS terminology used
above.
DBD
database descriptor, describes the structure or a database.
PCB
program control block, describes the access allowed by a program to a single
database.
PSB
program specification block, the collection of all PCBs for a given program that
define all of the database accesses allowed to the program.
ACB
access control block, the combination of PSB and the relevant DBDs that connect a
program to the IMS databases that it needs to use.
DLI
data language one, the interface used to connect the program to the databases.
BMP
batch message processing, the means where a batch program can be run in a way
similar to an online IMS program but without waiting for terminal responses.
MPP
message processing program, online IMS programs and the environment in which they
run.

This article written by Stephen Chapman, Felg