JCL statements

Table 1. MVS Job Control Language (JCL) Statements
Statement Name Purpose
// command JCL command Enters an MVS™ system operator command through the input stream. The command statement is used primarily by the operator. Use the COMMAND statement instead of the JCL command statement.
// COMMAND command Specifies an MVS or JES command that the system issues when the JCL is converted. Use the COMMAND statement instead of the JCL command statement.
//* comment comment Contains comments. The comment statement is used primarily to document a program and its resource requirements.
// CNTL control Marks the beginning of one or more program control statements.
// DD data definition Identifies and describes a data set.
/* delimiter Indicates the end of data placed in the input stream.

Note: A user can designate any two characters to be the delimiter.

// ENDCNTL end control Marks the end of one or more program control statements.
// EXEC execute Marks the beginning of a job step; assigns a name to the step; identifies the program or the cataloged or in-stream procedure to be executed in this step.
// EXPORT export Makes specific JCL symbols available to the job step program.
// IF/THEN/ELSE/ENDIF
IF/THEN/ELSE/
ENDIF statement
construct
Specifies conditional execution of job steps within a job.
// INCLUDE include Identifies a member of a partitioned data set (PDS) or partitioned data set extended (PDSE) that contains JCL statements to include in the job stream.
// JCLLIB JCL library Identifies the libraries that the system searches for:
  • INCLUDE groups
  • Procedures named in EXEC statements.
// JOB job Marks the beginning of a job; assigns a name to the job.
// null Marks the end of a job.
// OUTPUT output JCL Specifies the processing options that the job entry subsystem is to use for printing a sysout data set.
// PEND procedure end Marks the end of an in-stream or cataloged procedure.
// PROC procedure Marks the beginning of an in-stream procedure and may mark the beginning of a cataloged procedure; assigns default values to parameters defined in the procedure.
// SCHEDULE schedule Specifies scheduling attributes for a job such as the job group it is associated with and whether the job should be held for a time before execution.
// SET set Defines and assigns initial values to symbolic parameters used when processing JCL statements. Changes or nullifies the values assigned to symbolic parameters.
// XMIT transmit Transmits input stream records from one node to another.