Checklist for defining the production cycle

When defining the production cycle, obtain the overall production cycle requirement and the support requirements for databases and batch-program scheduling. Collecting the initial availability requirements ensures that you can plan your follow-up activities accordingly.

Take the following suggested steps to define the production cycle:

1. Obtain the overall production cycle requirement.
   • For example, suppose the execution of an application program requires the online subsystem to be available from 0400 to 2000 hours, with no weekend requirements. Very often these requirements are made to fit the data processing organization's constraints. In this example, the operations group must be agreeable to the early-morning scheduling (which is probably required for transaction input from locations in different time zones).
2. Obtain support requirements for databases and batch-program scheduling.
   • For example, a daily batch-report program might cause certain databases to be unavailable until 0800. A /DBRECOVERY DB or UPDATE DB STOP(ACCESS) command stops additional transaction or CCTL access and allows offline processing for the database named in the command. Another example is a priority transaction, scheduled for database integrity purposes, that preempts other transaction processing.

The following table shows a checklist of initial availability requirements you need to collect.