Defining classification rules for your CICS workload

Classification rules determine how to associate incoming work with a service class. Optionally, the classification rules can assign incoming work to a report class, for grouping report data.

There is one set of classification rules for each service definition. The classification rules apply to every service policy in the service definition; so there is one set of rules for the sysplex.

You should use classification rules for every service class defined in your service definition.

Classification rules categorize work into service classes and, optionally, report classes, based on work qualifiers. You set up classification rules for each z/OS® subsystem type that uses workload management. The work qualifiers that CICS® can use (and which identify CICS work requests to the z/OS Workload Manager) are:
LU
LU name
LUG
LU name group
SI
Subsystem instance (generic applid)
SIG
Subsystem instance group
TN
Transaction identifier
TNG
Transaction identifier group
UI
Userid
UIG
Userid group.
Note:
  1. Typically, work is classified in the region in which it arrives in CICS. For example, work originating from a user terminal is typically classified in a terminal-owning region. Web requests are typically classified in a listener region. Work originating in an application-owning region is classified in that region. Where a work request is passed between CICS regions, the transaction is not reclassified in each region. Instead, the original classification is passed with the transaction from region to region.
  2. You can use group qualifiers to specify groups of transaction IDs or user IDs; for example, GRPACICS could specify a group of CICS transaction IDs, which you could specify in classification rules by TNG GRPACICS. Using group qualifiers is a much better method of specifying classification rules than classifying each transaction separately.
  3. The WLM service class token is not supported over a z/OS Communications Server LU62 link because there is only one set of rules for the sysplex. LU62 links can be outside the z/OS SYSPLEX and WLM could not access the information.

You can use classification groups (see group qualifiers above) to group disparate work under the same work qualifier—if, for example, you want to assign it to the same service class.

You can set up a hierarchy of classification rules. When CICS receives a transaction, the z/OS Workload Manager searches the classification rules for a matching qualifier and its service class or report class. Because a piece of work can have more than one work qualifier associated with it, it may match more than one classification rule. Therefore, the order in which you specify the classification rules determines which service classes are assigned.

You are recommended to keep classification rules simple.