Virtual Storage Access Method (VSAM) is one of the access methods used to process data. Many of us have used VSAM and work with VSAM data sets daily, but exactly how it works and why we use it instead of another access method is a mystery. This book helps to demystify VSAM and gives you the information necessary to understand, evaluate, and use VSAM properly. This book also builds upon the subject of Record Level Sharing and DFSMStvs. It clarifies VSAM functions for application programmers who work with VSAM. The practical, straightforward approach should dispel much of the complexity associated with VSAM. Wherever possible an example is used to reinforce a description of a VSAM function. This IBM® Redbooks® publication is intended as a supplement to existing product manuals. It is intended to be used as an initial point of reference for VSAM functions.

This IBM® Redbooks® publication gives a broad understanding of integrated catalog facility (ICF) catalog environments. It includes suggestions for design, planning, and deployment tasks to help you create and maintain a balanced and efficient catalog environment. Four scenarios are provided to illustrate sample implementations of typical activities that are associated with an organization’s requirements. Chapter 5, “Record-level sharing support for ICF catalogs” describes Record Level Sharing (RLS) for Catalogs and shows the results of our tests in a controlled laboratory environment. This version of the book is set at the IBM z/OS V2R2 level. This publication is for readers who want to gain an understanding of ICF catalogs and the considerations and practices that surround an ICF catalog environment deployment.

This IBM® Redbooks® publication helps you to become familiar with the technical changes that were introduced into the Storage Management and Utilities areas with IBM z/OS V2R2. This book is one of a series of IBM Redbooks that take a modular approach to providing information about the updates that are included with z/OS V2R2. This approach has the following goals: - Provide modular content - Group the technical changes into a topic - Provide a more streamlined way of finding relevant information that is based on the topic We hope you find this approach useful and we welcome your feedback.