This section enables users of the DFSMSdfp functional component of DFSMS to perform the following tasks:

• Develop a string of standard symptom keywords describing a DFSMSdfp program failure as precisely as possible. Record the keywords on the Keyword worksheet for permanent reference. You can make extra copies of the blank worksheet for future use.
• Use the procedure Searching with the keyword string to search an IBM® software support database (or contact the IBM Support Center to execute the search using your keyword string) to determine whether:
  • An APAR already documents the problem.
  • A resolution for the problem is already available.
  You may also contact the IBM Support Center for assistance with:

  • Developing a more effective keyword string
  • Gathering additional failure-related documentation
  • Submitting adequate documentation with an APAR, if required.

  Also see z/OS Problem Management for information about general z/OS® problem determination techniques.

The keywords that this guide describes are intended for use in freeform searches. Freeform searches enable you to retrieve only the RETAIN® records that contain all the search keywords you specified. You can use the same keywords as a base from which to conduct a search of the structured database (SDB) facility. Structured searches require that you specify the exact type of problem to retain. When you enter the keyword string, the SDB facility prompts you for the required information and then builds the structured keyword string for you in the appropriate format. In other words, the structured database performs the following tasks:

• Prompts you for failure symptoms
• Generates keywords according to a strict protocol
• Initiates the search operation.