JCL

Average customer rating:

Endorsing other people reviews
Excellent z/OS JCL reference resource
Now I Understand Mainframes
Excellent Book
A great way to learn about mainframe systems

Murach's OS/390 and z/OS JCL
Raul Menendez , and Doug Lowe
Manufacturer: Mike Murach & Associates
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Vsam for the Cobol Programmer: Concepts, Cobol, Jcl, Idcams

ASIN: 1890774146

Book Description

"Murach's OS/390 and z/OS JCL" teaches JCL statements and coding techniques for all versions of IBM's OS/390 operating system, including the latest release, called z/OS, that runs on IBM's new z/900 servers. This book lets you reach a new level of professionalism in a minimum of time. It takes a practical approach to JCL that zeroes in on everyday jobs, so you can learn to code significant job streams in a hurry. It's filled with syntax and examples, so you have plenty of guides for coding JCL on your own. And all the content is presented in our distinctive paired-pages method that saves you so much training and reference time, you'll wonder how you ever got along without it.

But that's not all…

This book is much more than JCL code, though. It gives you an insight into mainframe processing that any programmer or operator will benefit from. You'll find out about the hardware components that your JCL is controlling. You'll find out about the operating system operations that affect the efficiency of your jobs. You'll find out how file-handling facilities, like VSAM, SMS, and HFS, fit into the overall picture. In fact, you'll get a complete view of the facilities that OS/390 and z/OS offer.

The result is, you won't just learn how to code JCL but you'll know why you code the parameters the way you do. And as you understand more about your system, you'll find yourself working at a level of confidence and competence that many experienced mainframers lack.

Customer Reviews:

Endorsing other people reviews.......2007-04-10

I must agree with the others reviews. This book is an invaluable resource that will save your time reading those boring, 1000-page, IBM Redbooks. It gives a nice introduction on IBM Mainframes, operating system concepts, as well mastering JCL skills. After reading this book you will feel more confident to go deeply into the IBM documentation and learn the extra skills needed to your area (databases, networking, programming, etc.).

Excellent z/OS JCL reference resource.......2006-06-29

This book is a tremendous reference resource for anyone who works in the IBM mainframe environment, especially for those who don't work with JCL on a daily basis or for those seldom-used tasks for which you may not have any "canned" JCL readily available. I strongly recommend this book as an invaluable JCL reference document.

Now I Understand Mainframes.......2005-09-18

My job requires me to write scripts on Windows and Unix platforms. I have no problem writing Windows batch files or Unix shell scripts to copy or move files, change permissions, create and delete directories, write results to log files, etc.

Recently, I was asked to write a mainframe script. I was told to write this script in Rexx. When I looked into Rexx, it was just another scripting language. It was not hard to understand how it worked. However, unlike Windows batch files or Unix shell scripts, there was more to writing a Rexx program than just knowing the Rexx language - I needed JCL to run it!! I had seen JCL before. I knew each job started with a JOB card and that it executed PROCs and PGMs. I also knew that I did not know nearly enough about JCL to write JCL to do what I wanted it to do. That's when I went to Amazon and found this book.

Not only did this book confirm what little I did know and correct some misundertandings I had, it went far more deeply into JCL to describe how to use many features that I did not know existed. One of the best features of this book is that it provides some background information on how mainframes work and the naming conventions used. This information is useful when JCL coding is introduced because the reader has a better idea of what the JCL is used for and what it happening with the various statements. JCL coding is not even introduced until Chapter 4!!

After the background information, this book then goes through the various aspects of JCL coding. The basics of what I needed to know to run my Rexx program were addressed as were many concepts that I can now put in my "bag of tricks" for future projects. I am sure most of our mainframe programmers do not know most of this material.

This book is not limited to JCL. It also describes how to compile Cobol programs, how to copy, move, sort, delete and print datasets using common mainframe utilities. It even has a chapter on Unix System Services. Prior to reading these chapters, I had no idea how to copy a dataset to a new dataset on the mainframe using a batch program. For me, this was a trivial issue on a Windows or Unix platform. I now know how to do it on the mainframe. This book clearly explains the process. It also provides coding examples for all concepts described throughout the book.

If you are new to computing, I don't think you want to start with the mainframe as the first platform you learn. However, if you have some computing background from working with Windows and Unix, then I highly recommend this book to get a solid foundation on how to run batch programs on the mainframe.

In the past, I had to ask a coworker to help me when I needed to work with JCL. I purchased this book so that I could code some JCL for myself to run my Rexx program. Now, not only does my Rexx program execute flawlessly, I also have a thorough understanding of how to write mainframe batch programs for future projects. Who knows, maybe my coworkers will start coming to me with their complex JCL coding problems!!

Excellent Book.......2005-04-01

I am a mainframe programmer for 8 years and never had a good book like this one. I wanted to have a good book that will give me all the information I need so I selected this book after reading the review comments of this book.When I received this book and checked the contents I was disappointed so I thought I should return this book.But after started reading this book I was so surprised to see a book that was so organized and well explained.It was like when we study we make important notes of the concept which will be useful to refresh for interviews.
But we don't need to do this if we have this book as after a detailed explanation , there is a picture and description .

So I recommend this book who wants to train/learn/refer in their job and I couldn't wait to write this comment after reading for 3 days.

A great way to learn about mainframe systems.......2003-08-05

Several years ago, i had to deal with a mainframe system. My attitude
then was to minimize my exposure as much as possible, as if it were a
disease. I figured that mainframes were obsolete and any time i spent
learning about them would be time wasted. Well, they are still around,
and i recently found myself having to advise some mainframe
testers. Mainframes are still around. It was time for me to learn more
about them.

I picked up Murach's OS/390 and z/OS JCL, and it does an excellent job
of describing the architecture and nomenclature of mainframe
systems. It presumes that you nothing about mainframe systems. To get
started, you should know that MVS, OS/390 and z/OS are all basically
interchangeable terms for the mainframe operating system (quibbling
over these terms would be like quibbling over whether Linux were a
Unix operating system). JCL is "job control language" and is the
original front end for mainframe systems when punch cards were their
primary external interface. There are now a number of easier
interfaces that allow you submit JCL to a mainframe.

Anyhow, this book has been a very valuable guide to me for
understanding the basics of mainframe systems and giving me the
information i need in order to analogies between it and other systems
that i know better. For example, i now know that a data set is kind of
like a file, a directory, or a filesystem, depending on how you look
at it. And i have some sense of what CICS and VSAM are.

I was also surprised to see such a modern book format on a topic that
i'm prone to consider dated. It's a large format with the text running
on the left hand pages and examples, diagrams and summaries on the
right. The main ideas of each spread are covered three times: in the
narrative on the left, and in the examples and summary ("description")
on the right. On many pages, i found myself not turning the page until
i understood the material before me. It's a great format, and on the
strength of it alone, i've already picked up Murach's book on Java for
my technical library.

Control Language Programming for the AS/400 (2nd Edition)
Average customer rating:

Its a good book

Great tool to teach yourself CL

Excellent text for your AS/400 CLP library!

Control Language Programming for the AS/400 (2nd Edition)
Bryan Meyers , and Dan Riehl
Manufacturer: 29th Street Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Programming in RPG IV, Third Edition

Understanding AS/400® System Operations

Mastering the AS/400: A Practical Hands-On Guide, Third Edition

Programming In COBOL / 400

SQL/400 Developer's Guide

ASIN: 1882419766

Customer Reviews:

Its a good book.......1999-03-15

This book is helpful for beginers and advanced programmer

Great tool to teach yourself CL.......1998-11-05

This book was definitely an effective tool in helping me learn and implement CL into my development techniques. I definitely recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn CL or just wants a good reference book on hand

Excellent text for your AS/400 CLP library!.......1998-07-09

Being new to the AS/400, I ordered this book to learn about AS/400 CLP. This is an excellent, one or two semester college-level course on AS/400 Control Language Programming. Get off by yourself and go through this book chapter by chapter, doing the exercises, and by the time you are finished, you will feel confident about your ability to do CL programming! Excellent reference book also!

System 390 Job Control Language, 4th Edition

Average customer rating:

The "Brown Book" is the only one you need.
Very Well Written but...
A "must have" book
THE Essential book for MVS mainframers
Great Book

System 390 Job Control Language, 4th Edition
Gary Deward Brown
Manufacturer: John Wiley & Sons
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Mainframes | Hardware | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

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Similar Items:

Murach's MVS TSO: Concepts and ISPF (MVS TSO)
Advanced COBOL for Structured and Object-Oriented Programming, 3rdEdition
MVS Tso: Commands and Procedures (MVS TSO)
MVS JCL (2nd Edition)
Murach's OS/390 and z/OS JCL

ASIN: 0471283096

Book Description

This authoritative guide to JCL has sold over 200,000 copies. The fourth edition has been revised and updated to reflect the recent changes in the language and its emerging applications, including mission-critical coverage of the two most talked about topics in the field, Year 2000 retrofitting of legacy systems and secure e-commerce. Reformatted to match the profiles of today's programmers, this edition places new emphasis on providing guidance for programmers with a PC background. JCL features no longer supported by IBM have been gathered in one chapter on obsolete technology for use by those maintaining legacy systems. The book also features updates for the latest version of OS/390, including changes in architecture, hardware, devices, and terminology.

Customer Reviews:

The "Brown Book" is the only one you need........2004-10-07

In days past when I was up to my tush in alligators while attempting to drain the swamp (of IBM mainframe applications) I used only one reference each and every day: this book.

This may be the only book in the world that makes IBM's condition code job control understandable.

With this book you can make IBM's JCL rock and roll to your music.

Very Well Written but..........2001-12-14

I really like this book and I would recommend it to anyone who needs a reference to JCL and to grasp JCL concepts.

For those not acclimated to the mainframe environment I would recommend reading chapter 21-22 first. They cover ISPF and TSO which is the Mainframe "IDE" in the JCL Context. It is the method in which you code JCL, submit JCL, Debug JCL. I know the focus on the book is JCL, but I would have thought the ISPF TSO Chapters would be in the beginning. Still, a well written book.

A "must have" book.......2001-11-09

This is the bee's knees.

MVS Job Control Language explained in easy to understand language.

There is lot's more than just JCL. There are, for example, explanations of file Data Control Blocks, MVS Utilities, compilers, linkage editors and many more subjects of interest to anyone working on MVS.

An absolute must if you write JCL. I have it to hand on my desk all the time.

THE Essential book for MVS mainframers.......2001-06-29

I have used Brown's books since his first 370 edition. Brown explains the often obtuse JCL with clarity not often found in technical books. It is an elegant presentation of the most central tech skill to mainframe systems. His handling of utilities is equally well done.

Great Book.......2001-06-07

This book is the "bible" for all Mainframe programmers/analyst. I've had his original book....OS360 JCL decades ago and it taught me everything I needed to know about JCL. The new version is just as good....probably better!

Average customer rating:

A Great Introduction
Excellent book for beginner and advance

MVS JCL in Plain English
Donna Kelly , and Jim Harding
Manufacturer: Xlibris Corporation
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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DB2 for the COBOL Programmer, Part 1, 2nd Ed.

ASIN: 1401027784

Book Description

JCL is the stuff of nightmares for many programmers and operators. This book explains JCL in such a way as to have it make sense.

This book will help you learn how to to tell the IBM MVS mainframe computer how and when to execute your programs. To do this you use a language called JCL, for Job Control Language. You use JCL to tell the mainframe how much memory and other resources your programs will need, how long each program should be allowed to run, what order to run the programs in, where to get the input data, where to put the output data, and so on. JCL controls almost everything related to running programs on MVS.

If you have a comfortable understanding of ordinary English language and are looking for a quick and easy way to learn JCL, this book is for you.

If you already know a little JCL and what you really want is a handy reference guide to bail you out on commonly occurring problems with JCL, you're in luck again, this book is for you there too.

If you're looking for an introduction to some of the more advanced and obscure tricks you might have seen people use in MVS, you guessed it, this book is for you on that as well.

How can this book do all that at once? Because, contrary to its reputation, JCL is not particularly difficult; it just has esoteric aspects that make it seem difficult if you have nobody to explain things. Once explained, all seems clear, as with most things.

This book can be used as a reference book, there are numerous examples and the index will assist you in finding what you are looking for when you need to find a solution to a problem. You can also read the book as an introductory text, from start to finish. Things are explained in plain ordinary language, so even if you have never before seen one line of JCL, you should have no trouble with the text; and by the time you get halfway through the book people should be starting to see you as an expert, probably to your great surprise. When you read the book straight through in this way, you will come across a lot of obscure but useful information to help you in your routine use of MVS.

JCL is a language like any other. If you travel to an area where you do not speak the language, you get a certain amount of satisfaction when you are able to make yourself understood using that language, be it to make a phone call, or ask for directions, or just to ask the price of something. The more you use the language the more you feel at ease using it. Having good guidebooks saves you a lot of learning time. And who doesn't love it when other people start mistaking us for locals and asking us the directions? That's the same sort of feeling you'll get the first few times your co-workers ask you to help them with their JCL problems; and that will start happening a lot sooner than you might think, because,contrary to appearances, most of them don't know much more about it than you do now. That's why they have so much trouble explaining it to you. That's why you want a good book on it now.

JCL is not generally taught in schools and Universities, so people who need to use JCL generally have to learn it on the job. For the most part they have a difficult time, largely because the people they learn from don't have a good grounding in JCL either. Those other people only learned enough to get by when doing a few things they needed to do; and those few things may not be the same things you need to do now. So your co-workers can be of only limited help to you with learning JCL.

Whether your job is programming, operations, or anything else, whatever your reason for wanting to learn JCL, this book is designed to help you. It will help you learn JCL in the first place and thereafter it will be a useful reference you can keep coming back to, like an old friend, to help you out when you get into trouble.

The book is organized into four main sections. 'Section 1. Getting Started' is made up of Chapters 1 and 2. Chapter 1 is an introduction to the history of JCL and Chapter 2 explains the basic structure of the language. Yes JCL does have a language structure, and when you understand that structure you will learn the language much more quickly and it will start to make sense. You might skip Chapter 1, but read Chapter 2.

`Section 2. The Data' spans Chapters 3 through 10. This section explains how data is organized on MVS and how to define and manipulate collections of data. Many people make their first changes to JCL because there is a requirement to have a program run with different data than usual. For example, if a program has been using a certain data file for reference purposes, say a list of products and the associated prices, and one day for some reason a different reference file has to be substituted, say a new price list has come out, then a simple change to the JCL can bring the new file into use. You will learn how to make this type of change, and many others, in Section 2.

`Section 3. Running the programs' is Chapters 11 through 14. This section will give you information about controlling the conditions of program execution (how much time and memory your program will be allowed to use, dependencies on other programs finishing first, and so on) and about creating your own JCL Procedures. A JCL Procedure (or PROC) is a collection of JCL put together for some repeatedly occurring purpose, like a program written in JCL. This can be a powerful tool for automating processes under MVS.

`Section 4. Advanced JCL' is composed of Chapters 15 through 20. This section is particularly useful for those who want to know some of the more advanced (and yes, usually esoteric) aspects of JCL. There is also a Chapter that discusses some common standard programs you will use under MVS -- such as the various Utility programs you can use to copy data, sort data, rename files, extend or compress or merge files, and so on.

By the way, MVS/ESA is covered in the book. The new JCL features of ESA are explained and examples are provided. You will be pleasantly surprised how easy JCL actually is to learn.

Customer Reviews:

A Great Introduction.......2007-04-10

Plain English provides a wealth of knowledge to those willing to learn JCL.

Excellent book for beginner and advance.......2004-11-21

Excellent book with easy-to-understand jargons on MVS and JCL. Grab this book firstly if you decide to choose for a carreer on IBM mainframes. Highly Recommended.

Vsam for the Cobol Programmer: Concepts, Cobol, Jcl, Idcams

Average customer rating:

Still some of the best tech material out there
A truly useful primer for the beginning VSAM programmer.

Vsam for the Cobol Programmer: Concepts, Cobol, Jcl, Idcams
Doug Lowe
Manufacturer: Mike Murach & Associates
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Similar Items:

DB2 for the COBOL Programmer, Part 1, 2nd Ed.
Murach's CICS for the COBOL Programmer
Murach's Mainframe COBOL
Murach's OS/390 and z/OS JCL
DB2 for the COBOL Programmer, Part 2, 2nd Ed.

ASIN: 0911625453

Book Description

This short book has just one purpose: to teach you everything you need to know to handle VSAM files in your COBOL programs. Concepts and terms, COBOL elements for all types of VSAM data sets, alternate indexing and dynamic access, I/O error handling, the AMS utility, JCL for running programs, VS COBOL II considerations...and nothing more!(6 chapters, 187 pages, 91 illustrations)

Customer Reviews:

Still some of the best tech material out there.......2006-11-05

This book is even better than the original, which I bought over 10 years ago. Easy to understand and full of IMPORTANT information and lots of lesser-known features which I need, not the trivialities that you dont need. This really is a working programmer's desk guide.

A truly useful primer for the beginning VSAM programmer........1998-08-24

This book has proven its worth many times in a training program administered by my staff. All aspects of VSAM processing have been clearly laid out with excellent examples of each concept being used in a COBOL program. Since COBOL is still the reigning king of business programming, this book still retains a useful place in any mainframe programmer's library and is an excellent primer for the beginning programmer.

Average customer rating:

At what level is this text written?
Excellent resource for usage and examples.
An excellent beginning JCL book - current for MVS/ESA
A great introductory JCL text.
A must for beginners in MVS JCL

MVS JCL (2nd Edition)
Doug Lowe
Manufacturer: Mike Murach & Associates Inc
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Mainframes | Hardware | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

General | Programming | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

General | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

General | Operating Systems | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

General | Software | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

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Similar Items:

MVS Tso: Commands and Procedures (MVS TSO)
Murach's MVS TSO: Concepts and ISPF (MVS TSO)
MVS JCL in Plain English
Vsam for the Cobol Programmer: Concepts, Cobol, Jcl, Idcams
Cics for the Cobol Programmer: An Introductory Course (CICS for the COBOL Programmer)

ASIN: 0911625852

Book Description

More than just a JCL book, MVS JCL is a complete guide to your MVS system. Yes, you'll learn how to code JCL for everyday functions like allocating data sets, compiling program, handling tapes, and using procedures. But you'll also learn how MVS works so you'll know why you code the JCL the way you do for any given job. (17 chapters, 496 pages, 227 illustrations)

Customer Reviews:

At what level is this text written?.......2001-01-03

My favorite JCL books were those by Mani Carsthanassis, `Expert MVS/(ESA and XA) JCL. Unfortunately these were published in 1991 and 1989 and do not contain features introduced since then.

I found that these books fully explained whatever topic I had occasion to need to refer to a book for. They somehow get to the necessary level of detail but are very readable to anyone who already has reasonable knowledge of JCL. They were not written for beginners or students, they were written for people with relevant working experience. Many books spend quite a bit of time on the material which one could readily ask the person sitting at the next workstation, but omit to explain the more complex items.

Can anyone tell me whether this text is more of a college text, and if so is there a current text which is intended for people with significant jcl experience? I invite comments from readers, the author, or other authors; directed to Bernard768 @ Hotmail.com, Thanks.

Excellent resource for usage and examples........1999-08-15

This is one book that I would not want to have to do without. Worth every cent, an excellent resource for sample code, utility programs, and infromation. Doug Lowe has a very good style that makes it easy to learn. One of my best buys!

An excellent beginning JCL book - current for MVS/ESA.......1999-04-01

An excellent JCL book for beginners and to use as a reference. This is one of the 2 definitive up-to-date JCL books (the other being Gary Deward Browns book). Good explanations of mainframe concepts as well.

A great introductory JCL text........1999-03-10

Doug Lowe does it again! This book is perfect for those with little to no JCL experience. Easy to read and full of examples and complete descriptions of what is going on, this book is a true find. It worked for me.

A must for beginners in MVS JCL.......1999-02-27

First of all, in response to the review by a fellow from India dated January 1999, this book's primary aim is to learn the basics of MVS JCL and does not cover SYNCSORT's sum,inrec,etc commands. Anyway, I highly recommend this book to novice who wants to learn and enhance their knowledge about MVS JCL.

Average customer rating:

Master DOS/VSE JCL in a week & Enjoy

Dos/VSE JCL
Steve Eckols , and Michele Milnes
Manufacturer: Mike Murach & Associates
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback