When to run CICS VR

Use CICS VR to recover from any of the following problems in a CICS® TS or batch environment:
Physical VSAM damage or loss
Use the CICS VR panel interface to construct a recovery job when your VSAM data has been physically damaged or lost. In a CICS TS or batch environment, CICS VR forward recovery performs the same set of tasks:
  • Restores the VSAM sphere from a logical backup, if available
  • Forward recovers all updates made by CICS and batch applications since the backup was taken
In a CICS TS environment
After forward recovery completes successfully, CICS can reopen the data set. CICS removes any incomplete units of work that exist in the forward recovered VSAM data set.
In a batch environment
CICS VR treats each batch job step as a logical unit of work. CICS VR forward recovery forward recovers updates made by completed batch job steps only. CICS VR does not leave your VSAM data in an inconsistent state; for example, when only some updates made by a batch job step are forward recovered successfully.
Logical VSAM damage caused by CICS transactions
Use the CICS VR panel interface to recover VSAM data from damage caused by logical corruption. Use the panel to build a forward recovery job. Specify forward recovery criteria to exclude any updates have been made, but are not required, to your VSAM data by CICS transactions.
Failed batch job step
A batch job that updates VSAM data but encounters a failure might leave VSAM data in an inconsistent state. Use CICS VR batch backout to remove updates made to VSAM data by a batch job step that failed.