On Thu, Oct 5, 2017 at 6:54 AM, Tom Marchant < 0000000a2a8c2020-dmarc-requ...@listserv.ua.edu> wrote:
> > SYMBOLICRELATE is very different from using symbolic substitution in > IDCAMS control statements. The former is done dynamically every time > the alias is referenced. The latter at the time the alias or data set name > is defined. When you define an alias with SYMBOLICRELATE, you can > change the value assigned to the symbol and every reference to that > alias will then pick up the new name. > > Furthermore, with SYMBOLICRELATE, you can have an alias in a catalog > that is shared across a sysplex and different MVS images in the sysplex > can use that alias to refer to different data sets simply by having a > different value assigned to the symbol. You can't do that with symbolic > substitution in the IDCAMS control statements. > > In addition, a normal alias must be defined in the same catalog that holds > the related data set name. With SYMBOLICRELATE, that is not a requirement. > > -- > Tom Marchant > Ah yes! I forgot about the dynamic nature of SYMBOLICRELATE. I guess with leveraging symbolic substitution lately to retool distribution of resources across several sysplexes and many systems, symbolic substitution appeared a tad more shiny. The final resting places for the data sets don't require periodic changes, but if they did, having both tools in the toolbox (and knowing when to use the right one!) can certainly come in handy. Thanks Mr. Marchant! ---------------------------------------------------------------------- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
