When a control password entry is deleted from the PASSWORD data set, all secondary password entries for that data set are also deleted. However, when a secondary entry is deleted, no other password entries are deleted.

If the control password entry is deleted for an online DASD data set, the protection status of the data set in the DSCB is also changed to indicate no protection. When deleting a control password for a DASD data set, the user should ensure that the volume is online. If the volume is not online, the password entry is removed, but data set protection is still indicated in the DSCB; the data set cannot be accessed unless another password is added for that data set.

If the control password entry is deleted for a tape data set, the tape volume cannot be accessed unless another password is added for that data set.

The delete function should be used to delete all the password entries for a scratched data set to make the space available for new entries.