Easytrieve Guide for Mainframe Programmers (1of 20)

What is EZT+?

EZT+ is an information retrieval and data management system. It provides the NEW USER the tools to produce comprehensive reports. The experienced programmer is given the tools to create more complex reports.

EZT+ is an ENGLISH style language somewhat similar to COBOL.

Processing in an EZT+ environment is in a ‘straight-line’ code from the beginning to the end of the program logic.

EZT+ is intended for the quick and basic report. There are features of the package that allow the programmer to customize their logic to easily process control breaks, accumulate totals, perform special functions AFTER lines have been printed and so on.

These features and many more will be covered in this manual.

EZT+ has many features that make it an attractive package to the COBOL programmer. Among the more notable features are…….

AUTOMATIC OPENING AND CLOSING FILES

• All of the files that you define (I/O as well as sort and summary files)   are AUTOMATICALLY opened and closed by EZT+.

AUTOMATIC RECORD RETRIEVAL

• AUTOMATIC retrieval of records from the primary input file ( refer to the JOB STATEMENT discussion, for more information on PRIMARY input files).
• EZT+ eliminates the need to code read commands as well as EOF logic. The standard processing of EZT+ is to AUTOMATICALLY retrieve input records until all records are processed at which point EZT+ stops processing.

AUTOMATIC PRINT FEATURES

• EZT+ automatically positions report titles and headings on your final printed report.
• Additionally, data-items on a detail line are automatically placed under the appropriate heading.
• This eliminates the time-consuming efforts to set up and align detail lines with header information.

MISCELLANEOUS SPECIAL FEATURES

• EZT+ allows you to change the SEQUENCE of your printed output relative to the order of the input dataset
• EZT+ provides for simplified CONTROL BREAK processing on our  reports
• EZT+ provides for AUTOMATIC accumulation of specified data-items on a total line
• EZT+ provides a wide-variety of special procedures that are AUTOMATICALLY invoked at certain points in your processing logic. Special processing logic can be inserted in these procedures to annotate your final report. These special procedures can occur . . . . . . . . . . .

Before or After printing of detail lines
Before or After processing CONTROL BREAKS
Before processing a REPORT ACTIVITY
At EOJ or a page break

• EZT+ provides easy sort and summary processing
• EZT+ provides simplified Table Processing
• EZT+ provides for simplified loop processing designed to control repetitive logic

How is EZT+ coded?

An EZT+ program consists of three sections that have parallels to a COBOL environment. Those three sections are the ENVIRONMENT SECTION, the LIBRARY SECTION and the JOB ACTIVITY SECTION.

Environment Section

Use this optional section to establish program parameters and override standard parameters.

Library Section

Use this section to define all input, output, and temporary work files along with any field definitions and working storage definitions.

Activity Section

Two activities – JOB and SORT – make up the main body of the program. The JOB ACTIVITY is used to access files, manipulate data, and produce files and reports. The SORT ACTIVITY is used to create sequenced files.

Proceed to the next sections to review the ENVIRONMENT SECTION, the LIBRARY SECTION, and the ACTIVITY SECTION.

 ENVIRONMENT SECTION

PARM statement:  The PARM statement allows a user to customize the environment in which a program is compiled and executed.

At OHIO CASUALTY, defaults are normally used.

Suppose, however, that you want to suppress the printing of EZT+ program  statements, and print only the actual report.

To do this, code the following in the ENVIRONMENT section of the program:

// SYSIN   DD *
LIST OFF
PARM LIST (NOFILE NOPARM)
FILE file-name

For a complete list of other PARM options, refer to the EZT+ PLUS REFERENCE MANUAL.

LIBRARY SECTION

The Library Section identifies the file(s) that are to be processed and any miscellaneous Working Storage items that are needed to perform your logic.

All files (including input, output, sort, summary files, etc.) that will be used in your EZT+ logic MUST be defined in the Library Section of your EZT+ program.

Working Storage items can include accumulators, hold areas, tables and so on that are used to make your EZT+ program logic process more efficiently.

The Library Section begins immediately AFTER the / / SYSIN DD statement of your executing of your JCL and is identified by the first FILE entry . . . . . . .

// SYSIN   DD *
LIST OFF
FILE file-name -------
.           |
.           |    This is where you will
.           |
.           |    define your Library.
.           |
JOB activity  -------

ACTIVITY SECTION

The Activity Section is REQUIRED in all EZT+ programs. In this area of your EZT+ program you code the actual logic to process your input data file(s) and generate the desired output.

There are two (2) types of ACTIVITY that can be coded in this area – – the JOB ACTIVITY and the SORT ACTIVITY.

• SORT ACTIVITY. sort your designated input before processing the JOB ACTIVITY
• JOB ACTIVITY. automatically processes your designated input dataset

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