List Generation Error Messages

ISMF uses short error messages to document errors in generating a list.The short error message appears on the first panel displayed after the error is detected. For more information, use the HELP command to display the long error message. Use the HELP command again to see the help panel associated with the error message.

If ISMF cannot complete the requested list, you may get a partial list to work with.

If ISMF cannot determine whether a data set meets your selection criteria, the data set will be included in the list and the data columns that represent information ISMF could not obtain or calculate will contain a series of special characters.

When ISMF cannot display a value in a data column, it displays a series of special characters instead:
A series of
Means
Dashes (–)
ISMF cannot obtain information for the data column.
Question marks (?)
ISMF encountered an error in obtaining the information for the data column.
In addition to the above symbols, less-than and greater-than symbols may appear in data set and DASD volume lists:
A series of
Means
Less-than symbols (<)
The value is less than one but greater than zero.
Greater-than symbols (>)
The value is too large to display.

When creating a volume list by collecting information about the device on which the volumes reside (by choosing option Y for Acquire Physical Data), your selection criteria may include a dismounted volume. In this case, the volume serial number is not available. ISMF includes the volume in the volume list but leaves question marks in the Volume Serialdata column.

When ISMF cannot access a volume to gather information for a data set, it displays a message next to the data set name field. The error message in Figure 1 indicates that ISMF cannot access the volume on which data set USER230.ISMF.ROOT.DATA resides. ISMF cannot display any information for that data set.

Figure 1. Data Set List with Information about a Volume ISMF Cannot Access
   Panel  List  Dataset  Utilities  Scroll  Help
 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                 DATA SET LIST
 Command ===>                                                  SCROLL ===> PAGE
                                                          Entries 15-27 of 29
 Enter Line Operators Below:                              Data Columns 3-5 of 41

     LINE                                      ALLOC      ALLOC    % NOT  
     OPERATOR          DATA SET NAME           SPACE      USED     USED   
    ---(1)----  ------------(2)------------  ---(3)---  ---(4)---  -(5)-  
                USER230.ISMF.LKED                  93K        93K      0  
                USER230.ISMF.MACLIB               185K       185K      0  
                USER230.ISMF.OBJ                  139K        93K     33  
                USER230.ISMF.PLIST               1020K      1020K      0  
                USER230.ISMF.PLS3                1020K      1020K      0  
                USER230.ISMF.ROOT.DATA       CANNOT ACCESS VOLUME: D64DLB
                USER230.ISMF.SRC             ---------  ---------    ---  
                USER230.ISMF.TESTCOPY        ---------  ---------    ---  
                USER230.ISMF.TESTHMI1        ---------  ---------    ---  
                USER230.ISMF.TESTHMI2        ---------  ---------    ---  
                USER230.ISMF.TESTHMI3        ---------  ---------    ---  
                USER230.ISMF.TESTJCL               46K        46K      0  
                USER230.ISMFA.RELEASE        ---------  ---------    ---
Parent topic: Generating Lists