ASG-PRO/JCL, an advanced JCL validation and standards enforcement product, is specifically designed to help multiple LPAR data centers (with REXX expertise for JCL standards programs) achieve and operate a production JCL environment that is error-free, standardized, and optimized.

Today’s IT environment is more complex than ever. Mergers, acquisitions, and standardization initiatives coupled with legacy modernization projects demand powerful, yet easy-to-use automation tools. Automation of JCL error detection, standards enforcement, and routine changes (required by the application deployment cycle) is imperative.

It is critical to any IT operation that production JCL used to run batch processing remains error-free. These preventable errors not only waste valuable time, but also waste critical resources. Tight budgets are always a concern and that is the reason it is important to accurately manage JCL assets.

ASG-PRO/JCL processes the entire JCL job stream. It simulates what the z/OS operating system would do by expanding called PROCs and INCLUDEs, resolving backward references, substituting symbolic variables, and applying overrides. This ensures that the complete JCL is ready for validation.

During this job stream process, each JCL step is evaluated for correctness according to z/OS rules. Syntax validation locates invalid parameters and format errors. Run-time validation identifies missing data sets, PDS members not found, and other resources that are required for a successful job run. ASG-PRO/JCL also validates SMS parameters and IDCAMS statements, reads ACS routines, and checks for invalid or missing IMS and DB2 database parameters. By detecting inconsistencies before execution, it ensures an error-free production run.

If your organization’s data resides on multiple LPARs, ASG-PRO/JCL can validate a test JCL member within the production JCL environment (prior to the promotion process). This ensures that only error-free JCL members will be promoted from test to production JCL libraries.

The powerful REXX APIs also facilitate both detailed analysis of the JCL and changes needed to standardize, convert, or clean the libraries. ASG-PRO/JCL’s JCL Manipulation Processor (JMP) is an integrated facility that enables the user to analyze member content, complete job streams, or entire JCL libraries. Every element of a job stream is available for analysis, additional validation for standards compliance, and change. The JMP facility allows the user to customize ASG-PRO/JCL to address site-specific requirements.

Besides the traditional ISPF display, ASG-PRO/JCL Workstation is an optional Windows interface that facilitates side-by-side development of JCL along with JCL standards programs.