top of page

Data Area

A data area is an object used to hold data for access by any job running on the system

Typical uses of data areas are

  • To provide an area to pass information with in a job

  • To provide a field that is easily and frequently changed to control references in a job

  • To provide a constant field for use for several jobs  

Local Data Area

  • A  Local Data Area is created for each job in the system

  • Initially filled with blanks

  • Length of a Local Data Area is 1024 bytes and type is *CHAR

  • You cannot create, delete or allocate a Local Data Area

  • No library is associated with a Local Data Area    

Uses of a Local Data Area

  1. To pass information to a program without the use of a parameter list.

  2. To pass information to a submitted job by loading your information into the local data area and submitting the job. Then, you can access the data from within your submitted job

  3. Can access the *LDA, so you can use it to pass information across language boundaries.

Group Data Area

  • The system creates a Group data area when an interactive job becomes a group job using CHGGRPA command

  • Only one group data area can exist for a group

  • The Group data area is deleted when the last job of the group is ended or when the job is no longer a part of the group job

  • A Group data area is initially filled with blanks which is 512 bytes and type is *CHAR

  • The Group data area is accessible to all the jobs of the group

  • You cannot create, delete or allocate a Group Data Area

  • No library is associated with a Local Data Area    

  • A Group data area cannot be referred to by jobs outside the group

Program Initialization Parameter (PIP) Data Area

  • A PIP Data area is created for each pre start job when the job is started

  • The PDA will be referred to by the special value name *PDA

  • The size of *PDA is 2000 bytes

User Defined Data Area

  • A data area can be created externally using the command CRTDTAARA

  • An initial value can be specified when a data area is created. If you do not specify, the following is assumed

  1.    0 for decimal

  2.    Blanks for character

  3.    ‘0’ for logical

 

Data Area Commands

Commands to manipulate Data areas

  • CRTDTAARA  Create Data Area

  • DLTDTAARA  Delete Data Area

  • DSPDTAARA  Display Data Area

  • RTVDTAARA  Retrieve Data Area

  • CHGDTAARA  Change Data Area

bottom of page