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HCL Workload Automation for Z
Welcome to the HCL Workload Automation for Z documentation, where you can find information about how to install, maintain, and use the product.
Workload Automation Programming Language for z/OS User's Guide and Reference
Function Based commands
The Function Based commands combine various low level PIF commands. Use the Function Based commands to perform specific scheduling or operational functions.
ADD – Add applications or groups to the current plan
Use the ADD command to add applications or groups of applications to the current plan. You can add a single occurrence (ONCE mode) or resubmit or restart the currently running occurrence (REPEAT mode).
Persistent data
If you do not specify either FROM or UNTIL time in REPEAT mode, these values default to the current time, and one minute before the current time of the first instance respectively. To allow this time to be used by subsequent instances, it must be passed from one occurrence to the next.

HCL Workload Automation for Z
Welcome to the HCL Workload Automation for Z documentation, where you can find information about how to install, maintain, and use the product.
- Program Directory
- Dynamic Workload Console Readmes
  For the latest information about a Dynamic Workload Console fix pack, see the appropriate Readme File.
- Planning and Installation
- Customization and Tuning
- Managing the Workload
  You can plan when and how your workload runs and manage it as part of a plan.
- Scheduling End-to-end with z-centric Capabilities
- Quick Reference
- Diagnosis Guide and Reference
- Workload Automation Programming Language for z/OS User's Guide and Reference
  - About this publication
  - Overview
    The Workload Automation Programming Language is a programming language that provides you with easy access to the features of the HCL Workload Automation for Z Program Interface (PIF).
  - Running Workload Automation Programming Language
    You can run Workload Automation Programming Language as a batch job by using the compiled REXX exec, as a load module, online within a TSO session, as a started task workstation, or as a console command. A user program must run as an authorized program.
  - Core programming commands
    The following sections describe the Workload Automation Programming Language commands that control the behavior and logic of the program. Use the commands to set options, return codes, determine an output, modify the flow, change variables, or make decisions.
  - Workload Automation Programming Language functions
    Some commands in Workload Automation Programming Language operate in REXX mode. These commands are CONSOLE, DISPLAY, DO, IF, LOG, SETVAR when the equal sign (=) is used, and WRITE.
  - Data Access commands based on PIF
    The Data Access commands supported by Workload Automation Programming Language are low level commands based on the HCL Workload Automation for Z programming interface (PIF).
  - Current Plan Operation commands
    Use the Current Plan Operation commands to perform specific functions against operations in the current plan, using a common set of keywords to identify the operation you want.
  - Current Plan Occurrence commands
    Use the Current Plan Occurrence commands to perform specific functions against all operations within a single occurrence in the current plan, using a common set of keywords to identify the occurrence.
  - Function Based commands
    The Function Based commands combine various low level PIF commands. Use the Function Based commands to perform specific scheduling or operational functions.
    - ADD – Add applications or groups to the current plan
      Use the ADD command to add applications or groups of applications to the current plan. You can add a single occurrence (ONCE mode) or resubmit or restart the currently running occurrence (REPEAT mode).
      - Usage notes for ONCE mode
        ONCE mode is applied every time UNTIL or EVERY is not specified. It causes the ADD command to submit one occurrence of either a single application or every application in the Application Group.
      - Usage notes for REPEAT mode
        REPEAT mode is applied every time you set either UNTIL or EVERY.
      - Terminating repeating
        If the next calculated Input Arrival time is later than the UNTIL time, or if the number of occurrences has reached the COUNT value, the ADD command does not submit any further occurrences.
      - Persistent data
        If you do not specify either FROM or UNTIL time in REPEAT mode, these values default to the current time, and one minute before the current time of the first instance respectively. To allow this time to be used by subsequent instances, it must be passed from one occurrence to the next.
    - Considerations about interval processing performance
      Repeating the same batch program many times is not the best use of system resources: the more frequent, the less efficient. When you schedule the intervals for repeating a command, consider the following information.
    - ADDJOB – Add job to the current plan
      Use the ADDJOB command to add a job to the current plan by using attributes from the application where the job is defined.
    - CONSOLE – Issue z/OS console commands
      Use the CONSOLE command to issue commands to the z/OS console.
    - GETDATES – Generate a list of run dates from a run cycle rule
      Use the GETDATES command to generate the run dates for an entire set of run cycles within an application, or a particular input arrival subset. To produce the list of run dates, the command uses the LIST GENDAYS and MERGE commands internally.
    - LISTJOB – List job attributes from the database
      Use LISTJOB to display the job attributes from the database. These can include the applications where the job is coded, the operation level details, including Special Resources and User Fields, and dependencies, including internal and external predecessors and successors.
    - LISTSTAT – List Status of Current Plan Objects
      Use LISTSTAT to LIST items and set a return code based on their status.
    - SENDMAIL – Send an email via z/OS SMTP
      Use SENDMAIL to send a simple email to a single named recipient. The command relies upon SMTP having already been set up within the z/OS system on which the job runs. Workload Automation Programming Language requires that an email has both a subject and text.
    - SENDMSG – Send a TSO message
      Use SENDMSG to send a message from the job to a TSO user.
    - WSALTER – Alter intervals on a workstations in the current plan
      Use WSALTER to set parallel server values across multiple workstations in the current plan.
  - Using TSO commands within Workload Automation Programming Language
    Some TSO commands are specific to HCL Workload Automation for Z; you can run them natively in TSO, through program EQQEVPGM, and through Workload Automation Programming Language.
  - Batch loader commands
    The batch loader function of Workload Automation Programming Language uses a set of statements to define or modify objects within the HCL Workload Automation for Z database.
  - Variable substitution
    Workload Automation Programming Language supports variable substitution within its control statements. In this way, the actual values required for each command run are provided (for example, the occurrence name or Input Arrival date).
  - Performance considerations
    With Workload Automation Programming Language you can use different methods to perform the same action. Each method has different implications for ease of use and performance, the balance of which might change depending on the volume of records to which it is being directed.
  - Resource reference
  - OPTIONS keywords
    Use the following keywords with the OPTIONS statement.
  - Workload Automation Programming Language variables
    In addition to the HCL Workload Automation for Z variables and user variables, Workload Automation Programming Language has access to some additional information relating to the job running Workload Automation Programming Language and when scheduled the operation and occurrence within which it is running.
  - WAPLEXEC programs
    The Workload Automation Programming Language for z/OS is a REXX based tool provided to give you easy access to the features of the HCL Workload Automation for Z Program Interface (PIF). Workload Automation Programming Language can be extended by WAPLEXEC programs, which are REXX programs using Workload Automation Programming Language functions to tackle specific tasks or functions.
  - Messages and Return Codes
    Messages and return codes provide information for problems occurred.
- Driving HCL Workload Automation for Z

Persistent data

If you do not specify either FROM or UNTIL time in REPEAT mode, these values default to the current time, and one minute before the current time of the first instance respectively. To allow this time to be used by subsequent instances, it must be passed from one occurrence to the next.

If you specify COUNT, this value needs to keep a running total of occurrences to pass from one occurrence to the next.

Until HCL Workload Automation for Z V8.5.1 included, there is no recognized mechanism to pass information from one occurrence to the other, encapsulated within the occurrence.

To do this, Workload Automation Programming Language uses the Owner Description field of the occurrence in the current plan. The Owner description is left unchanged in the database, so if needed the Application Definition can be referred to, only the current plan version is changed.

If you wish to keep the Owner Description unchanged in the current plan, you must always set values for FROM and UNTIL, and you must not set the COUNT keyword.