2004 IBM Corporation

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Introduction to CICS Transaction Server
for OS/390 Unit 3
2004 IBM Corporation
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Unit 3: CICS and databases
Topics:

3A. Types of databases
Relational
Hierarchical
3B. The CICS-DB2 interface
3C. Working with databases
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Unit 3 overview
Databases are included as key resources for almost any mainframe
business environment. All businesses use some type of database setup
to store customer information or other types of important data that
needs to be updated and retrieved easily.

Today, large relational databases such as DB2 are used widely.
However, hierarchical applications, used more frequently in the early
days of mainframes, are still popular.



(continued)
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Unit 3 overview
This unit deals with databases
and CICS interactions with them.

Using a financial institutions
CICSPlex as a model, you will
trace the path of a transaction
from a remote terminal through
CICS to an Information Management
System (IMS) database.
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Unit 3 objectives
Upon completing this unit, this is what you should be able to do:

Distinguish between a relational and a hierarchical database, and list
the advantages of each

Explain how CICS supports and interacts with the two largest
database products used: DB2 and IMS
Describe the functions and advantages of the CICS attachment facility
for DB2

Describe the typical CICSPlex setup, and how the various products
interact to provide customer services in a modern banking model
Describe the path of a transaction from a remote terminal to a CICS-
connected database

Describe the role that CICS plays in a typical bank transaction based
on an IMS model
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3A. CICS-supported databases

The two most common types of
databases are relational and
hierarchical.

CICS supports both types of
databases, primarily through
these IBM applications:

DB2, developed in the 1980s
IMS, used since the early 1970s
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3A. CICS-supported databases
The database application that a
business selects depends directly on
business needs.

Although DB2 is widely popular in
mainframe use, some businesses
(financial institutions in particular)
have found it expensive and difficult to
adapt their existing data resources
entirely to DB2. Therefore, IMS is still
widely used in businesses that have
need for a large and accessible
database with well-defined structural
and maintenance requirements.
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3A1. Relational databases


Relational databases are based
on a model developed by an IBM
researcher in 1970.

In a relational database, data is
structured into tables whose
columns specify a particular data
category.
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3A1. Relational databases
DB2 accesses data by referring to its content rather than its location
or organization in storage. In this type of system, data can be accessed
or viewed in many different ways without having to reorganize the
database.

Relational databases are the most common today, because they:
Are flexible
Are consistent
Offer data and application independence
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3A1. Relational databases
The DB2 family (DB2 for ESA, DB2 for VSE, DB2 for VM, DB2 for
OS/390) includes the most common relational database products found
in mainframe environments with CICS TS. CICS provides both
attachment interfaces for DB2 and monitoring and control services.

DB2s data manager supplies interfaces and utilities that enable
programmers to write data access commands in Structured Query
Language (SQL) with the structure EXEC SQL. This style is very close
to CICS EXEC CICS commands. DB2 programs can therefore be
created and modified by programmers with CICS knowledge, and vice
versa.
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3A1. Relational databases
In addition to the CICS EXEC /
EXEC SQL similarity, CICS
applications that can process DB2
tables can also access any SQL
data manager and file control.

That is, CICS applications can use
SQL, and any SQL database
manager can access CICS
applications. This means that DB2
data can be accessed from a
CICS TS for OS/390 environment.
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3A2. Hierarchical databases
Hierarchical databases are based
on a parent-child relationship in
data storage, much as the way a
genealogical diagram traces
backward to an original ancestor.

Their greatest strength is their
speed, especially for large data
banks. However, programmers
who maintain them must be very
familiar with their structure, and
they are much less flexible than
relational databases.
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3A2. Hierarchical databases
Until recently, most of the worlds commercial information was stored on
IMS structures. This means that the continued use of IMS is likely,
considering the high costs and complexity of converting large data
banks to a product like DB2.

Database managers like IMS are particularly effective on CICSPlex
systems where networks take transactions from many terminals or
sources to the appropriate AORs in CICS.
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3A2. Hierarchical databases

The language used for data
manipulation in IMS is Data
Language I (DL/I).

DL/I enables the definition of data
structures and the relation of
structures to applications, and the
loading and reorganization of
these structures. DL/I can enable
application programs to retrieve,
replace, delete and add segments
to databases.

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3A2. Hierarchical databases


There are other important interfaces
that are helpful when using IMS as a
primary database structure.

In many systems, CICS online
programs interface with the IMS
Database Control (DBCTL) facility.
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3A2. Hierarchical databases
IMS Resource Locks Management (IRLM), another interface, helps ensure
efficient updates of a database without loss of data integrity. IRLMs primary
purpose is to hold locks on segments of the database that IMS/DBCTL is trying
to update, thus ensuring that segments are not accessed until the update is
complete.

Database Recovery Control (DBRC) is an IMS facility containing information
for database recovery. DBRCs functions are:
Generate recovery control statements
Verify recovery input
Maintain a separate change log for database data sets
Support the sharing of an IMS DL/I database by multiple subsystems (including
IMS or CICS regions)

(continued)
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3A2. Hierarchical databases
Database resource adapter (DRA) is a component of the
CICS/DBCTL interface in the CICS address space. It performs request,
contact and other functions between CICS and DBCTL.

Database-level sharing is an IMS data-sharing type which allows an
application to read data in one region while another application reads or
updates the same data in another region. In this data-sharing type,
CICS can be designated an IMS region.