An overview of result set commands

You can use the following commands to create result sets and manage the resources that they represent.

GET: Returns a result set containing selected resource table records that represent instances of a managed resource.
PERFORM: Performs an action on one or more managed resources. PERFORM SET acts upon the resource table records in an existing result set. PERFORM OBJECT does not require a result set to exist; it creates one implicitly.
REFRESH: Refreshes the data for some or all of the managed resources as represented by resource table records in a result set.
SET: Modifies the attributes of one or more managed resources as represented by resource table records in a result set.

These commands affect not only the resource table records in a result set, but also the managed resources that those records represent. Figure 1 illustrates the relationship of these commands to the API environment.

This figure illustrates the use of the GET, PERFORM, REFRESH and SET commands to create results sets in CICSPlex SM, and to manage the CICS resources they represent. — Figure 1. API commands that manipulate managed resources

Once a result set is created, you can perform various operations on the records it contains. You can sort, mark, copy, delete, and summarize the records in a result set. Most importantly, perhaps, you can retrieve records from a result set into local storage where they can be processed by your program.

You can use the following commands to manipulate one or more records in a result set:

COPY: Copies some or all of the resource table records in one result set to another result set.
DELETE: Deletes one or more resource table records from a result set.
EXPAND: Returns a result set containing all of the records summarized in a summary record.
FETCH: Retrieves data and status information for one or more resource table records in a result set.
GROUP: Returns a summarized result set by grouping some or all of the resource table records in a result set.
LOCATE: Positions the record pointer within a result set.
MARK: Marks selected resource table records in a result set.
ORDER: Sorts the resource table records in a result set.
UNMARK: Removes the marks placed on resource table records by a previous MARK command.

These commands affect only the current contents of a result set; they have no impact on the managed resources that the result set represents. Figure 2 illustrates the relationship of these commands to the API environment.

This figure illustrates the use of the COPY, DELETE, EXPAND, FETCH, GROUP, LOCATE, MARK, ORDER and UNMARK commands to manipulate records in a result set in CICSplex SM. — Figure 2. API commands that manipulate result set records

CICSPlex® SM also provides tools for managing result sets as a whole: filters and views for controlling the contents of a result set and commands for reviewing and discarding result sets.

You can use the following commands to manage result sets and their contents:

DISCARD: Discards a result set.
QUERY: Retrieves information about a result set and the resource table records it contains.
SPECIFY FILTER: Defines an attribute or value filter that can be used to control the contents of a result set.
SPECIFY VIEW: Builds a customized view of a resource table that can be used to control the contents of a result set

These commands affect only an existing or newly created result set; they have no impact on the managed resources that the result set represents. Figure 3 illustrates the relationship of these commands to the API environment.

This figure illustrates the use of the DISCARD, QUERY, SPECIFY FILTER and SPECIFY VIEW commands to manipulate a result set in CICSplex SM without affecting the managed resources. — Figure 3. API commands that manipulate result sets