The control statement operation and keyword parameters can be abbreviated to their first letters; for example, COPY can be abbreviated to C and OUTDD can be abbreviated to O.

If there are no keywords other than OUTDD on the COPY record, comments may not be placed on the record.

You can use COPY to copy and reblock data sets with fixed-blocked or variable-blocked records. You cannot use COPY to reblock undefined records or load module libraries. Instead, use COPYMOD to copy and reblock a load library.

Only one INDD and one OUTDD keyword may be placed on a single record. OUTDD must appear on the COPY statement. When INDD appears on a separate record, no other operands may be specified on that record, and INDD is not preceded by a comma.

A COPY statement must precede SELECT or EXCLUDE statements when members are selected for or excluded from a copy, unload, or load step. In addition, if an input ddname is specified on a separate INDD statement, it must follow the COPY statement and precede the SELECT or EXCLUDE statement which apply to it.