Data set vital record specifications

A data set vital record specification defines the essential retention criteria by setting the total number of data set cycles to be retained, or the total number of days during which a data set should be retained. Data set vital record specifications are defined in order to match to data set names, data set name masks, management class names, vital record specification management values, and optionally, match to job names. A data set name vital record specification can also specify special retention for data sets that are:

closed by abend processing (reserved name ABEND),
created with normal disposition of DELETE (reserved name DELETED), or
left open (reserved name OPEN).

In this way, DFSMSrmm applies retention and movement policies to data sets by matching a vital record specification to a data set by using the data set name and job name masks in the vital record specification. It is possible for two vital record specifications to match to a data set in order to combine or merge retention and movement policy values. When this happens, the vital record specifications are called primary and secondary vital record specifications.

The primary vital record specification matches on data set name, data set name mask, management class name, or vital record specification management value.

The secondary vital record specification matches based on management class or vital record management value.

If the data set is the subject of special ABEND, DELETED, or OPEN retention then the secondary vital record specification will also be the subject of special ABEND, DELETED, or OPEN retention, respectively.

See Identifying data sets for retention for more information about defining data set vital record specifications.

Also see Separating the data set name filter from the policy itself on the advantages of using separate VRSs for defining the data set name filter and the associated retention and movement information.