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ABCs of z/OS System Programming Volume 3 - IBM Redbooks

ABCs of z/OS System Programming Volume 3 - IBM Redbooks

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An access method is a DFSMSdfp component that defines the technique that is used to store<br />

and retrieve data. Access methods have their own data set structures to organize data,<br />

macros to define and process data sets, and utility programs to process data sets.<br />

Access methods are identified primarily by the way that they organize the data in the data set.<br />

For example, use the basic sequential access method (BSAM) or queued sequential access<br />

method (QSAM) with sequential data sets. However, there are times when an access method<br />

identified with one organization can be used to process a data set organized in another<br />

manner. For example, a sequential data set (not extended-format data set) created using<br />

BSAM can be processed by the basic direct access method (BDAM), and vice versa. Another<br />

example is UNIX files, which you can process using BSAM, QSAM, basic partitioned access<br />

method (BPAM), or virtual storage access method (VSAM).<br />

This chapter describes various data set basics:<br />

► Data set name rules<br />

► Data set characteristics<br />

► Locating a data set<br />

► <strong>Volume</strong> table <strong>of</strong> contents (VTOC)<br />

► Initializing a volume<br />

16 <strong>ABCs</strong> <strong>of</strong> z/<strong>OS</strong> <strong>System</strong> <strong>Programming</strong> <strong>Volume</strong> 3

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