Batch loader

Workload Automation Programming Language can extract all HCL Workload Automation for Z database objects and Current Plan JCL into a Batch Loader format.

To generate Batch Loader, you need a combination of OUTPUT statements (or LOADDEF statements to load pre-built OUTPUT statements) and a SELECT request. The SELECT request can either be a direct SELECT statement, or a LIST statement with SELECT(Y). The SELECT request must select the complete record of the object for which you require batch loader output.

The output can be complete batch loader, containing every complete field, including blanks. If you use OPTIONS STRIP(Y) and SHOWDFLT(N) the leading zeroes, trailing blanks, and the keywords set to their default values, are removed.

The following example shows how to generate compact Batch Loader for today's version of an application:
OPTIONS STRIP(Y) SHOWDFLT(N)
LOADDEF AD* DATA(-)
LIST ADCOM ADID(MYAPPL) VALID(=) SELECT(Y)

You can make the Batch Loader format compatible with EQQYLTOP for Application Definitions and Operator instructions by using OPTIONS SYNTAX(LEGACY); it uses similar constructs for all other objects. You can then use this Batch Loader as input commands to Workload Automation Programming Language to re-create these objects within HCL Workload Automation for Z.

Use the OUTPUT statements to influence what keywords appear in Batch Loader statements generated from the database. Use the TRANSLATE command to transform fields based on rules, to perform lifecycle management of database objects.

You can interchange Batch Loader and Command Language in the same step, in any sequence you like, the only consideration being that you cannot place Command Language statements within the scope of Batch Loader statements for any individual HCL Workload Automation for Z object.

Command Language statements can cause Batch Loader statements to be generated that have been modified by TRANSLATE processing. These Batch Loader statements can be output to the external data queue to be run at the end of the step by specifying OPTIONS POSTPROC(YES). This means that you can extract an object from the HCL Workload Automation for Z database and reload it into the database, adjusted for your development lifecycle, in a single step.

Use OPTIONS DBMODE to instruct Workload Automation Programming Language about how to process the Batch Loader statements.
  • Specify ADD or REPLACE to take the object exactly as described in the text and update the database.
  • Specify UPDATE or COPY to read the existing object from the database and apply the changes as described in the text. Specify enough detail to clearly identify each segment to update and the keywords for the fields to be changed; the whole object does not need to be specified in text form. For multilevel objects, set a Batch Loader statement for each segment level leading to the segment being updated; for example, to update a dependency interval you need to specify ADSTART, ADOP, and ADXIV.
  • Specify EXPORT to use Batch Loader as input, pass through TRANSLATE statements and generate new translated Batch Loader as output.
  • Specify SCAN to check Batch Loader statements for basic syntax only.