Define a Performance HDB
Defining a Performance HDB allows you to collect (load) and report historical performance data for later analysis. The definition alone does not cause any action by CICS PA.
File Systems Options Help
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New HDB Definition
Command ===> _______________________________________________________________
Specify new HDB definition options then press EXIT to save.
Name . . . . . . CICSWEEK APPLID CICSPROD + Image ________
Qualifier . . . ________ _ Explorer
Description . . Production CICS Weekly History__
Load Options: Selection Criteria:
Template . . . . WEEKSUM_ + _ Performance
Alert . . . . . ________ +
Severity . . . ________ +
Summary Interval ________ (hh:mm:ss)
Data Retention Period:
HDB: Years ___ Months ___ Weeks ___ Days ___ Hours ___
DB2: Years ___ Months ___ Weeks ___ Days ___ Hours ___
Data Set Allocation Settings:
DSN Prefix . . . . . . CICSPA.HISTORY____
Management class . . . ________ (Blank for default management class)
Storage class . . . . ________ (Blank for default storage class)
Volume serial . . . . ______ (Blank for system default volume)
Device type . . . . . ________ (Generic unit or device address)
Data class . . . . . . ________ (Blank for default data class)
Space Units . . . . . ________ (TRKS, CYLS)
Primary quantity . . ________ (In above units)
Secondary quantity ________ (In above units)
F1=Help F3=Exit F4=Prompt F7=Backward F8=Forward F10=Actions F12=Cancel
- Name
- The name of the HDB. A 1-8 character name in ISPF member name format. The name is unique within the Repository.
- APPLID, Image
- The optional CICSĀ® System
(APPLID/Image) that owns the HDB.
HDB LOAD requests use this APPLID and associated SMF files (defined in System Definitions) to build the JCL deck. If not specified, you are prompted at submit time to specify the system.
The CICS System must be defined in System Definitions. To select one from a list, use Prompt (F4). See Select a system (CICS APPLID) for an example of the list of systems. To link directly to System Definitions, use Systems in the action bar.
- Qualifier
- If Qualifier is specified, the value is used as the DB2 schema
in place of the Database as specified in DB2 Settings. It is also
incorporated into the DB2 table names:
- qualifier.CPA_hdbname for Performance HDBs
- qualifier.CPA_stid for Statistics HDBs
Qualifier is mandatory if Explorer is selected, and optional otherwise. If Qualifier and Explorer are both entered then details of this HDB will be included in the manifest the next time it is rebuilt for this qualifier.
You should rebuild the manifest when you add an eligible HDB, and also whenever the HDB is changed in a way that affects its eligibility for inclusion in the manifest. See Maintain manifest.
- Explorer
- Select the Explorer option to make this HDB eligible for inclusion
in the manifest. If you do this you must also specify a qualifier
and, for a Performance HDB, a template that is valid for the CICS PA
plug-in for CICS Explorer.
Details of the DB2 associated with this HDB will be included in the
manifest the next time it is rebuilt.
A manifest is a proprietary DB2 table that contains all the information required by the CICS PA plug-in to access and use historical data. It is a catalog of all the HDB DB2 tables that have the same qualifier and for which the Explorer indicator is set.
You should rebuild the manifest when you add an eligible HDB, and also whenever the HDB is changed in a way that affects its eligibility for inclusion in the manifest. See Maintain manifest.
- Description
- The HDB description is free-format text that you can specify to help identify the purpose of the HDB.
- Template
-
The Template defines the type and format of the HDB. Before defining an HDB, you must first design a Template that defines the required information to be kept in the HDB data sets. In Figure 1 we have specified a Summary Template WEEKSUM and HDB CICSWEEK inherits its attributes.
If you have selected the Explorer option, you must choose an internal template that has been predefined for use with the CICS PA-plug-in.
To select a Template from a list of defined Templates, use Prompt (F4). See Select a Template for an example of the prompt list.
- Selection Criteria
- HDBs have optional Selection Criteria that allows you to filter
the CMF performance class records used to build the HDB. For example,
the HDB only includes data for a particular application's transaction
ids, such as TRAN=MY*. Select to specify Selection Criteria.Templates can also specify Selection Criteria. If the Template and HDB both have active Selection Criteria then both are checked and both must match for the record to be processed.
- Template Selection Criteria typically focuses on the type of data being recorded. For example, if your Template is monitoring File Control activity then its Selection Criteria can specify FCTOTAL>0 to include only transactions that used File Control services.
- HDB Selection Criteria typically focuses on the application targeted by the HDB. For example, if the HDB is for MY application then its Selection Criteria can specify TRAN = MY* to include only transactions in MY application.
Line Actions:- /
- Display the selection list of line actions.
- S
- Select (edit) the Selection Criteria. See Performance Selection Criteria for information on specifying Selection Criteria.
- A
- Activate the Selection Criteria so they are included for HDB processing. Selection Criteria can only be activated if you have specified at least one Select Statement and it is not excluded. An asterisk (*) indicates they are active.
- D
- Deactivate the Selection Criteria. Any you might have specified here will not be used in HDB processing.
- Alert
- For HDBs that are based on a List template, this field specifies an alert definition to be used during the load. The loading of a List HDB that is defined with a Performance Alert definition results in the creation of an additional set of containers to store Alert records.
- Severity
- This field controls the type of transaction records and alerts
loaded into the HDB in the same way as in the Performance List report. You can use
this option to focus the loaded data on specific transaction types.
- CRITICAL
- Only transactions with critical alerts are loaded.
- WARNING
- Only transactions with critical alerts and warning alerts are loaded.
- INFO
- Only transactions with critical alerts, warning alerts, or informational alerts are loaded.
- ELIGIBLE
- Only transactions that are eligible for alert processing are loaded. Eligible transactions are those that have field values that match the Resource values in the Performance Alert Definition. All eligible transactions are loaded regardless of whether they generate an alert.
- ALL
- All transactions are loaded regardless of whether they are eligible or whether they generate an alert. Use this option to load a general List HDB for normal reporting while also generating any associated alert, thus avoiding the need to create two separate HDBs.
- Summary Interval
- Use this optional field to override the time interval defined in the template. This means that templates can be used in multiple HDBs that each require a different interval, thus avoiding the need to define and maintain HDB-specific templates.
- Data Retention Period
- These fields separately specify the length of time
that HDB data sets and associated DB2 table rows are kept before they
expire. Typically:
- Summary HDBs need to keep their container data sets for many years for long-term trend analysis.
- List HDBs used for ad hoc reporting might only need to keep their container data sets for a couple of hours or days.
If the HDB container data sets are no longer required after their data has been exported to DB2, you can specify a retention period of 0 in any of the HDB periods to make the HDB data sets expire immediately.
Container data sets and DB2 data are deleted by HDB Housekeeping after they have passed their expiry date. If you do not specify a retention period, the corresponding HDB data sets or DB2 data will never expire.
Use HDB Maintenance to check container data set status or to alter the HDB or DB2 retention period.
- Data Set Allocation Settings
- Data Set Allocation Settings specify the allocation attributes
of the data sets that contain data for this HDB. CICS PA dynamically
allocates container data sets at load time. The settings are:
- DSN Prefix
- Specify the high level qualifier of the data sets that are dynamically
allocated by the HDB LOAD process to contain the data.The format of the data set name is:
where the DSN prefix is the data set name high level qualifier.DSN-prefix.HDB-name.Dyyddd.Thhmmss.HDB
If an alert definition is specified, the format of the data set name for the associated performance alert data is:DSN-prefix.HDB-name.Dyyddd.Thhmmss.HPA
- Management class
- For an SMS-managed data set, specify the name of the management
class for a new data set. The storage administrator at your installation
defines the names of the management classes you can specify.
If management class is not specified, but storage class is specified or defaulted, management class is derived from automatic class selection (ACS).
If management class is specified and storage class is not specified or derived, the DEFINE will fail. Note that if SMS is inactive and management class is specified, the DEFINE will fail.
- Storage class
- For an SMS-managed data set, specify the name of the storage class. The storage class replaces the storage attributes that are specified on the UNIT and VOLUME operand for non-SMS-managed data set. Use the storage class to specify the storage service level to be used by SMS for storage of the data set. The storage administrator at your installation defines the names of the storage classes you can specify. A storage class is assigned when either you specify a storage class, or an ACS routine selects a storage class for the new data set. Note that if SMS is inactive and storage class is specified, the DEFINE will fail.
- Volume serial
- The volume serial name of the DASD volume to contain the data set.
- Device type
- The generic or esoteric device type of the data set, such as 3390, SYSDA, or CART. This must represent a device type that is defined in the Eligible Device Table of the current processor as either TAPE or DASD.
- Data class
- Specify the name of the data class for the data set. The data class provides the allocation attributes for the data set. The storage administrator at your installation defines the data class. However, you can override the parameters defined for a data class by explicitly specifying other attributes.
- Space Units
- Select one of the following units:
- TRKS
- Express data set size in tracks
- CYLS
- Express data set size in cylinders
- Space quantities
- Specify the Primary quantity and Secondary quantity in
tracks or cylinders as indicated in the Space Units field. Express
all quantities in decimal, not hexadecimal.
Specify allocation settings that satisfy your installation requirements. The size of container data sets is not critical. Typically you would specify a size that accommodates a single load request. For example, if you load data into the HDB daily, then 10 cylinders might be sufficient. However if CICS PA encounters an out-of-space condition (ABENDx37) during load, then it simply closes the data set and recommences loading in a new data set. You can decide to specify a larger size initially and adjust it later using HDB Maintenance.