The way your problem is later processed depends on the type of problem. The representative who deals with your problem provides guidance on what is required from you.
Details of your call are passed, using the RETAIN® database, to the appropriate support group. Because your problem is one associated with CICS VR, it is put in a CICS VR queue.
A Support Center representative uses the keywords that you provide to search the RETAIN database. If your problem is already known to IBM®, and a fix exists for it, a program temporary fix (PTF) is sent to you.
You might be asked to give values from a formatted dump or trace table. You might also be asked to perform some special activity; for example, to set a trap or to use trace with a certain type of selectivity, and then to report the results.
You have several follow-up discussions, depending on the complexity of the symptoms and your system environment. In every case, the actions taken by you and the Support Center are entered in the problem management record (PMR). The representative can then be acquainted with the full history of the problem before any follow-up call. If the investigation shows that the problem is already known, and a fix is developed, the fix is sent to you. If the problem is new, an APAR might be submitted. The APAR is dealt with by the CICS VR change team.