Layout of the operator instruction data set

Specify your operator instructions in the sequential data set defined by the EQQOPIN DD statement. The data set should consist of 80-byte records and be fixed blocked.

Each instruction has two parts:
  • Header (a single record)
  • Instruction (one or more records)
A header record must precede each operator instruction. Here is the format for the header: 
OPC KEY=aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaannntttttttttt,VALFROM=eeeeeeeeee

The characters OPC must be in columns 1 to 3. The variables have the following meaning:

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
Application ID. This is required and must be 16 characters (padded with blanks to the right, if necessary).
nnn
A valid operation number. This is a required field.
tttttttttt
Specifies when the operator instruction is valid to. This field is required if you specify a valid-from (VALFROM) date and time. Use the YYMMDDHHMM format. If both valid-to and valid-from dates and times are specified, the instruction is temporary. If both are blank, the instruction is considered permanent.
eeeeeeeeee
Specifies when the operator instruction is valid from. This field is required if you specify a valid-to date and time. Use the YYMMDDHHMM format. If both valid-from and valid-to dates and times are specified, the instruction is temporary. If both are blank, the instruction is considered permanent.

The keywords KEY and VALFROM can be in any order, but they must be separated by either blanks or a comma.

The operator instruction itself consists of 80-byte records following the instruction header. The first 72 positions contain the instruction text; the last 8 positions are ignored. A maximum of 443 records is allowed for any one instruction.

For example: 
OPC KEY=APPLICATIONABC  0059308311200,VALFROM=9308011200
If the job ends abnormally, it can be restarted from
the CPU_005 operation without any JCL changes.

OPC KEY=APPLICATIONXXX  015
If the job ends abnormally, it can be restarted
from the CPU_020 operation without changing the JCL.

You should include the name of the operator-instruction sequential-input data set on the SPECIFYING SEQUENTIAL FILE NAME panel. You can display this panel by selecting option 1.5.5.2 from the main menu.