MCT - monitoring control table

The monitoring control table (MCT) defines the user data fields in CICS® monitoring performance class records and describes how they are manipulated at event monitoring points (EMPs). It also controls which system-defined performance class data fields are recorded.

See The monitoring control table (MCT) for details of the MCT and performance.

The MCT is required only in these circumstances:
  • You call EMPs in your application programs.
  • You need to exclude specific system-defined fields from being recorded.
  • You want to use monitoring resource classes.
  • You want to collect additional monitoring performance data for the resource managers used by your transaction.
  • You want to deactivate data compression on monitoring records.
If no MCT is present in the CICS region, CICS assumes the following defaults:
  • The performance, transaction resource, and exception monitoring classes are available.
  • All CICS system-defined data fields are collected.
  • Data compression is performed on monitoring records.

In your application programs, you can call EMPs using the EXEC CICS MONITOR command.

The MCT consists of the following macro instructions:
  • Control section, DFHMCT TYPE=INITIAL
  • User event monitoring points, DFHMCT TYPE=EMP
  • Control data recording, DFHMCT TYPE=RECORD
  • End of monitoring control table, DFHMCT TYPE=FINAL (described in TYPE=FINAL (end of table))