CICS Transaction Server - Concepts & Facilities

This two-day course introduces and explains CICS Transaction Server (CICS/TS) to those who have limited or no knowledge of CICS but who need a clear understanding of what CICS is, what it does and how it does it. The course describes and explains the main concepts and facilities of CICS in a z/OS environment.
This course is the essential first step for anyone wishing to work effectively in a CICS environment, and forms a solid foundation on which future CICS education can be based.

The next step

For those training in software development, the next CICS course to take is the five-day CICS/TS Application Programming Workshop.
If your interest is in CICS administration or systems programming, then the next course you should consider is CICS Transaction Server Systems Administration.

Virtual Classroom Environment dates - click to book!

UK Start Times

10 March 2025

What is a 'Virtual Classroom Environment'?

What do I need?

webcam
headphones with microphone
sufficient bandwidth, at least 1.5 Mb/s in each direction.

What you will learn

On successful completion of this course you will be able to:

describe the basic concepts, facilities and terminology of CICS
describe the CICS functions available for program development
explain the role of CICS in a distributed environment
identify the major management modules and tables
trace and describe the flow of a CICS transaction
identify the CICS facilities used for accessing data.

Who Should Attend

This course is appropriate for all applications programmers, operators, operations analysts, systems programmers, support personnel and managers who have little or no experience of CICS.

Prerequisites

A sound basic knowledge of IT. Attendance on the course IBM Z Systems Environment - Introduced & Explained or equivalent experience is recommended.

Duration

2 days

Fee (per attendee)

£1155 (ex VAT)

This includes free online 24/7 access to course notes.

Hard copy course notes are available on request from rsmshop@rsm.co.uk

at £50.00 plus carriage per set.

Course Code

Introduction to CICS

CICS Transaction Server; What is CICS?; CICS terminology; What is a business transaction?; What is a CICS task /CICS transaction?; What is a CICS program?; CICS characteristics; On-line processing; IBM CICS Transaction Server for z/OS; Workload management; Access to CICS.

CICS Architecture

CICS organisation; Starting a CICS Region; Starting a transaction: Logging on, Message Input; Transaction validation; Program loading; Task execution; Program execution; Task Termination; Multi-tasking and multi-threading; The CICS Dispatcher; Multiple TCBs; Domains and components.

The Master Transaction CEMT

The functions of CEMT; CEMT Inquire menu; CEMT Inquire system; CEMT generic input; Inquiring on a resource specifying a property; Discarding a resource; CEMT I TASK.

Resource Definition

CICS resources; Resource Definition On-line (RDO); The CICS System Definition File CSD; The CICS Global Catalog; RDO Groups and Lists; Resource definition; Adding a GROUP to a LIST; The CSD Utility Program DFHCSDUP; Auto-installation of resources; Program Autoinstall; Terminal Autoinstall.

CICS Application Programming

Application services; EXEC CICS commands; Command Translation; Program preparation; Integrated translator; EXEC Interface Block EIB; Execution flow; Conversational and pseudo-conversational transactions; Conversational Design; Pseudo-conversational design; COMMAREA; Channels and Containers; API Commands; One program/one channel; One program/multiple channels; Program Logical levels; Three-tier application design; Basic Mapping Support (BMS); COBOL symbolic map; Command interpreter; CICS Messages and Codes Transaction (CMAC); Execute Diagnostic Facility (EDF); CEDF Working Storage; CEDF setting a Stop condition.

File Access

CICS file control; The file definition; EXEC CICS file commands; Programming for file errors; Shared Data Tables.

CICS and External Resource Managers

CICS and Db2; CICS and IMS/DB (DL/1); CICS and IBM Message Queuing (MQ).

CICS Queuing Facilities

Transient Data; INTRAPARTITION Queues; EXTRAPARTITION Queues; INDIRECT Queues; The CICS Supplied TD Queue definitions; Temporary Storage; The Temporary Storage Browse Transaction; Using CEBR.

CICS Intersystem Communication

Introduction to Inter System Communications; Multi Region Operation (MRO); Inter Systems Communication (ISC); Inter System Communication over SNA; Intercommunication Using IP Interconnectivity; Transaction Routing; Function Shipping; Static Transaction Routing; Dynamic Transaction Routing with Cloned AORs; Distributed Program Link (DPL); Asynchronous processing; Distributed Transaction Processing (DTP); External CICS Interface (EXCI).

CICS Storage

The CICS Region; Dynamic Storage Areas; Start-up Operands in the SIT; Subsystem Storage Protection; Transaction isolation.

Startup & Shutdown

CICS Initial and Cold Start; START=INITIAL; START=COLD; START=AUTO; Normal Shutdown; First Quiesce Stage; Second Quiesce Stage; Third Quiesce Stage.

Logging and Recovery/Restart

Concept of Data Integrity; Recoverable Resources; Defining the CICS System Log; Recovery After a Failure.

What the students say

I really enjoyed the content of the course I feel I will be taking a lot of knowledge back to work with me

Trainee CICS Administrator

Lloyds Banking Group