General Considerations and Restrictions

A data set cannot be deleted if the expiration date in the format-1 DSCB has not passed unless you override the expiration date. You can request SCRATCH to ignore the expiration date by specifying the OVRD option in the CAMLST macro instruction. SCRATCH processing supports three never-scratch dates. To prevent a data set from being scratched, specify one of the following expiration dates:

1999.365
1999.366
1999.999

To delete a virtual input/output (VIO) data set, the data set must be allocated for use by your job step.

You cannot use the SCRATCH macro with either a SYSIN or SYSOUT data set or an z/OS® UNIX file. You will receive unpredictable results if you use SCRATCH for z/OS UNIX files.

If you attempt to delete a password-protected data set that is not also RACF® protected, the operating system issues message IEC301A to the operator at the console, or the terminal operator of a TSO console, to enter the password. The data set will be scratched if the password supplied is associated with a WRITE protection mode indicator. The protection mode indicator is described in Using Password Protected Data Sets.

If a data set is RACF-defined (indicated in its format-1 DSCB or described by a RACF profile) or the volume upon which it resides is RACF-defined, you can scratch the data set only if you have ALTER access authority to either the data set/volume serial in the DATASET class or to the volume serial in the DASDVOL class.

Requirement: For an SMS-managed non-VSAM data set, you need RACF authority to the data set or to the catalog to delete it.

For a non-VSAM data set that is not SMS-managed, DADSM invokes RACF to verify authorization. If you have ALTER access authority to the data set/volume serial in the DATASET class, DADSM deletes the data set from the volume. If you have ALTER authority to the data set/volume serial in the DATASET class, or UPDATE access authority to the catalog/volume serial in the DATASET class, you can delete the catalog entry.

Use the STOW macro to delete or rename a member of a PDS or PDSE. STOW is described in z/OS DFSMS Macro Instructions for Data Sets and z/OS DFSMS Using Data Sets. You can also use the IEHPROGM utility to delete a member (see z/OS DFSMSdfp Utilities).