Specifying SYSOUT without an output descriptor

When you use the OUTADD macro or an OUTPUT JCL statement to specify the processing options for a SYSOUT data set, the system creates an output descriptor that you can reference when you invoke dynamic allocation, as described in OUTPUT statement reference - Key = '8002'. However, a more convenient method of specifying the processing options for SYSOUT, a method that does not create any output descriptor, is to use dynamic allocation. Dynamic allocation lets you specify, through the use of certain keys, the processing options for the SYSOUT data set that you are allocating. However, this method has limitations:

The selection of SYSOUT processing options available through dynamic allocation is very small, compared to the selection available through dynamic output. (See the third column in Table 1.)
Because the SYSOUT processing options are not contained in any output descriptor, they cannot be referenced by other invocations of dynamic allocation.
Although the options available through dynamic allocation correspond in some cases to the options available through dynamic output, the correspondence is not necessarily equivalent. Make sure that the dynamic allocation option is functionally close enough to the dynamic output option before you decide to use the dynamic allocation processing option.

If you are planning to write a program that uses both dynamic output and dynamic allocation, determine if the SYSOUT processing option that you need is available through dynamic allocation.

For example, the DEST and BURST options of dynamic output are also available through dynamic allocation. If DEST is all you need, you can use the DALUSRID option of dynamic allocation; you do not need dynamic output. If you need BURST, it may be easier to use the DALBURST option of dynamic allocation; again, you do not need dynamic output. Thus, if the options that you need are available through dynamic allocation, you can avoid coding the OUTADD macro. The following table lists the dynamic output SYSOUT processing options (column two) that are also available through dynamic allocation (column three):

Table 1. Alternate Sources of SYSOUT Processing Options. Comparable SYSOUT processing options in OUTPUT JCL, dynamic output, dynamic allocation, and DD JCL
OUTPUT JCL Parameter	Dynamic Output Key, equivalent to OUTPUT JCL parameter	Dynamic Allocation Key, comparable to dynamic output key	DD JCL Parameter, equivalent to dynamic allocation key
BURST	DOBURST	DALBURST (0064)	BURST
CHARS	DOCHARS	DALCHARS (0065)	CHARS
CLASS	DOCLASS	DALSYSOU (0018)	SYSOUT (class)
COPIES (data set count)	DOCOPIE9	DALCOPYS (001D)	COPIES (data set count)
COPIES (group value count)	DOCOPIEA	DALCOPYG (0066)	COPIES (group value count)
DEST	DODEST	DALUSRID (0063), or DALSUSER (0058)	DEST
FCB	DOFCB	DALFCBIM (0025)	FCB
FLASH (overlay name)	DOFLASE	DALFFORM (0067)	FLASH (overlay name)
FLASH (count)	DOFLASF	DALFCNT (0068)	FLASH (count)
FORMS	DOFORMS	DALSFMNO (001A)	SYSOUT (form name)
MODIFY (module name)	DOMODIF6	DALMMOD (0069)	MODIFY (module name)
MODIFY (trc)	DOMODIF7	DALMTRC (006A)	MODIFY (trc)
OUTDISP (normal output disposition)	DOOUTDB	DALSHOLD (0059)	HOLD
OUTDISP (abnormal output disposition)	DOOUTDC	DALSHOLD (0059)	HOLD
UCS	DOUCS	DALUCS (0029)	UCS
WRITER	DOWRITER	DALSPGNM (0019)	SYSOUT (writer name)