Features and benefits

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Here are the features and benefits of the different components of DSC.

The menu-driven interactive front end to ISPF

The front end provides the Member List, OLIST and DLIST. The resulting member, data set, and object lists become powerful platforms where you can perform many tasks without navigating to other utilities.

DSC extends the ISPF Action Bar with options that provide access to new functionality so you do not have to learn new commands or syntax.

DSC provides extensive search capabilities that are fast and intuitive. You can easily search for volumes, data sets, members, and text within members. DSC also furnishes automatic drill-down system navigation to pinpoint volumes, data sets, and members.

In addition to the ISPF point-and-shoot capabilities, DSC has facilities that prompt actions upon cursor selection:

  • Hotbars (user-defined fields that execute commands)
  • Field-sensitive areas in MSLs and OLISTs
  • Automatic recognition of a data set name on any ISPF panel as a parameter to BROWSE, EDIT, VIEW, or parameters within any TSO command

DSC provides integrated and enhanced SCLM support within the standard member and data set lists. SCLM is a source library management component of ISPF that provides change control, multiple source versions, auditing, a built-in make facility, and automatic check-in/sign-out using standard libraries (PDS, PDSE).

All DSC functions are totally integrated. DSC can perform almost any activity within ISPF, or internally invoke the function that can perform the task. All DSC functionality is available without a need to modify any ISPF Primary Option Menu.

If you decide to modify the ISPF Primary Option Menu (see Sample modified main menu panel), it is changed only slightly, as shown in this example:

Figure 1. The Primary Option menu

                           ISPF Primary Option Menu        IBM DSC VERSION 9.1
 Option ===>                                                                   

0  Settings      Terminal and user parameters            User ID . : INTT125
1  Browse        Display source data or listings         Time. . . : 15:55
2  Edit          Create or change source data            Terminal. : 3290A
V  View          Display/change source data              Screen. . : 1
3  Utilities     Perform utility functions               Language. : ENGLISH
4  Foreground    Interactive language processing         Appl ID . : ISR
5  Batch         Submit job for language processing      TSO logon : SPFEIBM8
6  Command       Enter TSO or Workstation commands       TSO prefix: INTT125
7  Dialog Test   Perform dialog testing                  System ID : SP23
9  IBM Products  IBM program development products        MVS acct. : IS100
10 SCLM          SW Configuration Library Manager        Release . : ISPF 7.1
11 Workplace     ISPF Object/Action Workplace
12 z/OS System   z/OS system programmer applications
13 z/OS User     z/OS user applications
O  Olist         DSC Object/Data set list

     Enter X to Terminate using log/list defaults
     BRowse EDit VIew OList TSO DSC DSC? are available from any panel

The main menu does not look much different. If you are already familiar with ISPF, you can become productive immediately.

When you start using the enhanced features of DSC to perform standard BROWSE, EDIT, VIEW functions, as well as most of the ISPF capabilities, you will find almost every ISPF capability has been enhanced and new capabilities added.

Batch utility replacing IEBCOPY

The ISPF IEBCOPY is restricted to copying members, with limited support for wild cards, and a strict syntax. The replacement batch utility supports patterns for names, and many more activities, such as DELETE, RENAME, and RECOVER. As well, the syntax is much less strict. This means you can do much more using the batch utility, using a wider range of name patterns.

From DSC version 9.1 , we have introduced a Batch wizard to invoke and create customized JCLs for 20 different functions that can be performed by the batch utility.
Note: The Batch Job Wizard supports 28 commands in total. The wizard includes a comprehensive online HELP for each screen down to input field level plus a complete DSC batch utility documentation. Just start the batch wizard app from your DSC session and enter (or point-and-shoot at) HELP command to display the general overview, from which you can summarize the necessary information.

DSC Monitor

z/OS® provides the LLA (Library Lookaside Facility) to cache in memory directory entries of selected libraries. The cache can then be refreshed through manual console commands. The refresh is restricted to refreshing every entry for the members within the libraries.

The DSC Monitor provides an alternative way of managing this cache:

  • The updating of the cache can be managed through the DSC Monitor menu user interface.
  • Monitoring options can be at group, library or member level (so it is possible to control the monitoring of an individual member).
  • Monitoring can also be controlled for individual nodes in a sysplex,.
  • Updating of the cache is automatic, in response to member update events (such as change or delete).

    A forced automatic update ensures that in a busy environment overlooked events cause no damage.

The DSC Monitor makes it possible to refresh the LLA cache in a timely, controlled, and efficient fashion.