Catalog Search Order for LISTCAT

When you do not use the ENTRIES parameter, or the command is not run through TSO/E and it is not a generic LISTCAT, the order in which catalogs are searched when entries are to be listed using the LISTCAT command is:

  1. If a catalog is specified in the CATALOG parameter, only that catalog is listed.
  2. If no user catalog is named in the current job step or job, the master catalog is listed.

If the command is not a generic LISTCAT and the ENTRIES or LEVEL parameter is used, or when the command is run through TSO/E, the order in which catalogs are searched when entries are to be listed using the LISTCAT command is:

  1. If a catalog is in the CATALOG parameter, only that catalog is searched. If the entry is not found, a no-entry-found error is returned.
  2. If the entry is not found, the entry's name is a qualified name, and:
    • One or more of its qualifiers is the same as the name or the alias of a catalog
    that user catalog is searched. If the entry is found, no other catalog is searched.
  3. The master catalog is searched. If the entry is not found, a no-entry-found error is returned.

When the ENTRIES parameter is used and this is a generic LISTCAT, the order in which catalogs are searched when entries are to be listed using the LISTCAT command is:

  1. If a catalog is shown in the CATALOG parameter, only that catalog is searched. If an entry is not found that matches the supplied qualifiers, a no-entry-found error is returned.
  2. If the entry's name is a qualified name, and:
    • One or more of its qualifiers is the same as the name or the alias of a catalog is searched. The catalog search continues with step 4.
  3. The master catalog is searched. If an entry has not been found in any of the catalogs searched that matched the supplied qualifiers, a no-entry-found error is returned.
Parent topic: Order of Catalog Use