Example using data sets

The payroll application has many jobs that use the payroll database and must, therefore, not run together. You could let z/OS® resolve the contention problem, using DISP=OLD in the JCL, but a job that waits in z/OS® uses a JES initiator and other resources. This can reduce your batch throughput.

To prevent HCL Workload Automation for Z from scheduling or starting an operation that uses the payroll database when it is already being used, create a resource PAYROLL.DATABASE that represents the payroll database. Give each update job, such as PAYDAILY, exclusive control. Jobs that merely read the database, such as PAYQUERY, can have shared control.

In this case, the resource has a quantity of 1 (there is one database). Specify keep on error, because operators want to correct and resubmit a job without another job taking control of the database in the meantime.

When you extend the current plan, HCL Workload Automation for Z makes sure the jobs are not scheduled to run together or run at a time when the resources are unavailable. This is how the product makes use of the resource at the planning stage. When the product is ready to submit each job, it checks that the resource is available. This is how the product makes use of the resource at the control stage.