FDRREORG offers a fast, flexible and intelligent solution for reorganizing VSAM KSDS and Alternate Index (AIX) files, and for compressing PDS data sets. Users of the Innovation Access Method (IAM) can also use FDRREORG to reorganize their IAM files.
Reorganizing VSAM (and IAM) Files
FDRREORG offers a fast and efficient method of reorganization. Its user-specified selection criteria ensures that only the files that need reorganization are selected – this reduces the utilization of valuable CPU resources, yet still ensures the files that really need attention do not get overlooked. FDRREORG eliminates the “hit-and-miss” approach inherent in other VSAM reorganization alternatives such as IDCAMS.
Performance
FDRREORG can provide a 20% to 60% reduction in elapsed time, CPU time and EXCPs compared to an IDCAMS reorganization. It also saves additional time and resources (e.g. CPU) by only reorganizing the files that really need it, bypassing those that don’t. FDRREORG can also reduce application downtime by speeding up the reorganization process, and the parallel backup option ensures optimum performance during the backup phase of a reorganization.
Automation, Intelligence and Centralized Control
When traditional methods of VSAM reorganization are used (e.g. IDCAMS), the process is usually scheduled as a regular job, and the selection of files to be processed is based upon some previous experience. Using this approach, reorganizations are often carried out on files were there is only a marginal benefit. And in other cases, files that need reorganization get overlooked. FDRREORG’s intelligent selection criteria help to eliminate these problems. A single job can be scheduled to run at regular intervals, looking at all files that may need to be reorganized, but only reorganize the ones that really need it.
Reorganizing PDSs
PDS data sets also require special attention, but the standard utility IEBCOPY lacks the intelligence and performance to deal with PDSs in large numbers. Like an IEBCOPY compress-in-place, FDRREORG compresses PDS data sets by placing all active members to the beginning of the PDS to allow room for new members to be added. FDRREORG provides the same intelligent selection process for PDSs as it does for VSAM. It can also expand and empty PDS data sets. FDRREORG can be transparently invoked, without modification to the operating system, so that when IEBCOPY is called to compress PDS data sets, FDRREORG takes over and completes the task.
Simulation & Reporting
A simulation mode is provided with FDRREORG to allow you to test and verify your selection criteria before running a VSAM Reorganization or PDS Compression. The simulation report shows exactly which files would have been selected if the process were run for real, and what the results of that reorganization or compression would be.