How Data Set Disposition Is Determined

When a step requests restart and is eligible for restart, disposition processing of the data sets used by the step or by the job does not occur until the operator replies to the request for authorization. If the operator denies restart, disposition processing occurs normally and programmer-specified final or conditional dispositions are performed. If you indicate that a step is to be executed after abnormal termination (COND=EVEN or COND=ONLY) the step is executed. The next step in a job that will be executed based on abnormal termination (COND=ONLY), will not execute if a restart is successfully performed.

If step restart is to occur, all data sets with OLD or MOD dispositions in the restart step and all data sets passed around the restart step are kept, even if they are declared temporary. Temporary data sets normally cannot be kept.
All data sets with NEW dispositions in the restart step are deleted.
If a checkpoint/restart is to occur, all data used by the job (data sets that were not previously disposed of) is kept.

If the operator performs an operator-deferred restart by replying HOLD to the request for authorization, a CANCEL command for the job can be issued instead of a RELEASE command. If CANCEL is issued, no further data set disposition processing or step executions occur. The disposition of these data sets remains as it was when the HOLD was issued.