VSAM Alternate Indexes

Department of Computer Science

Northern Illinois University
August 2005
 Introduction to
Alternate Indexes

• Alternate Indexes (AIX)

– Used in KSDS
– similar to prime index but indexes on
values of some field other than the prime
key
– can provide an additional way of retrieving
the data in a KSDS

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 Introduction to
Alternate Indexes

• Alternate Indexes Example

– Student Information
• primary key: Student-ID
• alternate index: Student-Name
• alternate index: Student-Major

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 Introduction to
Alternate Indexes

• Records
– are maintained in logical sequence based
upon the primary key values via the prime
index
– are also maintained in logical sequence
based upon values of alternate key via
additional indexes called alternate indexes

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 Introduction to
Alternate Indexes

• Alternate indexes are created using the

DEFINE command in IDCAMS

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KSDS Base Cluster

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KSDS Alternate Index

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 KSDS Alternate Index

• Alternate Index Component

– Each pointer record contains
• the primary key value
• pointer into AIX data component

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 Processing via
KSDS Alternate Index

• Program passes alternate key value to

VSAM
• VSAM proceeds:
– searches the index component index to
locate the appropriate CI in the alternate
index data component

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 Processing via
KSDS Alternate Index

• VSAM proceeds:
– reads in the CI from the AIX data
component and locates the record that
corresponds to the supplied alternate key
value
• this record contains the primary key value of
the desired base cluster record
– the primary key value just obtained is used
to search the primary index as normal
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 Processing via
KSDS Alternate Index

• VSAM proceeds:
– the CI is read from the base cluster and the
desired record is extracted from it and
passed to the application program
• VSAM performs 2 separate index
searches to locate the desired record
– first the AIX
– second the primary index
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 ESDS Alternate Index

• ESDS clusters can also be referenced

by alternate indexes
– Note: RRDS cannot have AIX
• Structure is similar to that of the KSDS
AIX

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ESDS Alternate Index

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 ESDS Alternate Index
• VSAM:
– searches the index component of the AIX
to locate the appropriate CI in the AIX data
component
– reads in the CI and locates the particular
record in the data component that
corresponds to the supplied alternate key
value
• this record contains a direct RBA pointer to the
desired record in the data component of ESDS
base cluster 14
 ESDS Alternate Index

• VSAM:
– the CI that contains the desired record is
read from the data component of the ESDS
is extracted from it based on the RBA
value obtained from the AIX

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 Paths and AIX

• Path
– combination of an AIX and the base cluster
– has separate set of attributes defined
separately from attributes of AIX or base
cluster
– use DEFINE PATH to create a path
– define both base cluster and AIX first

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 Paths
and AIX

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 Paths and AIX

• If an application program refers to base

cluster itself
– AIX is not used
• If an application program refers to an
AIX itself
– records are retrieved from the data
component of the AIX
– base cluster is not referenced
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 Paths and AIX

• If an application program wants to

access records from a base cluster via
an AIX
– use a path
• The program supplies an AIX key value
and VSAM searches the AIX to find the
corresponding AIX / pointer pair
• A path must be defined for each AIX
– actual DEFINE covered later 19
 Nonunique
Alternate Key Values

• In KSDS
– primary key must have unique values
– when an insertion of a duplicate key value
is attempted an invalid key is issued
• AIX may be either
– unique or
– nonunique

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 Nonunique
Alternate Key Values

• If AIX is defined as unique, VSAM does

not allow duplicate AIX key values
• If AIX is defined as nonunique VSAM
allows records to be loaded and
inserted that have the same value in the
AIX field

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 Nonunique
Alternate Key Values

• In AIX
– there is one record in the data component
for each unique AIX key value
– has multiple pointer to associated records
in the base cluster

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Nonunique
Alternate
Key Values

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 Upgrade in AIX
• When updates to base cluster - AIX
may need updating
• VSAM can be directed to perform all
AIX updates automatically
• Specify UPGRADE option in DEFINE of
AIX
• All AIX of a cluster with upgrade option
are known as the base cluster’s
upgrade set 24
 Upgrade in AIX

• Upgrade Set
– when base cluster is updated, the
corresponding updates are applied to all
AIXs in the upgrade set
• Application program has to update any
AIXs not in the upgrade set

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 Defining a
KSDS Alternate Index

• Using IDCAMS
– DEFINE ALTERNATEINDEX
• creates a catalog entry for the alternate index
• allocates space for the AIX
• associate the AIX with a base cluster

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 Defining a
KSDS Alternate Index
DEFINE ALTERNATEINDEX (-
NAME (znumber.aixname) -
RELATE (zumber.KSDSname) -
VOLUMES(ACA301) -
RECORDSIZE(avgsize maxsize) -
KEYS(length displacement) -
TRACKS(1 1) )

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 Calculating RECORDSIZE

• Calculating Maximum RECORDSIZE

– RecordSize = a + b + (n * c)
• where
– a=5 (the control bytes in a CI)
– b = alternate key length
– c = primary key length
– n= 1 OR
– n= estimated maximum number of primary
keys associated with one AIX value

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 Calculating RECORDSIZE

• Calculating Average RECORDSIZE

– RecordSize = a + b + (n * c)
• where
– a=5 (the control bytes in a CI)
– b = alternate key length
– c = primary key length
– n= 1 OR
– n= estimated average number of primary keys
associated with one AIX value

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 Defining a Path for an AIX

• Using IDCAMS
– DEFINE PATH
• gives name to a path
• specifies the name of the alternate index it
references
• base cluster is not specified because the AIX
definition specifies the name of the base cluster

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 Defining a Path for an AIX

DEFINE PATH ( -
NAME (znumber.pathname) -
PATHENTRY(znumber.aixname) )

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 Building an AIX

• Using IDCAMS
– BLDINDEX
• loads the alternate index
• AMS
– reads the base cluster sequentially and constructs
alternate key/pointer pairs for each record
– sorts the alternate key/pointer pairs into ascending
alternate key sequence
– uses the sorted alternate key/pointer pairs to load
records into the data component of the AIX

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 Defining a
KSDS Alternate Index

• Go over page 41 of course notes

showing
– DEFINE ALTERNATEINDEX
– DEFINE PATH
– BLDINDEX

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 Processing KSDS
in COBOL Using AIX

• A KSDS with an AIX can be processed

– sequentially
– randomly
– dynamically

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 JCL for Using AIX

• Need to specify
– KSDS data set
• //ddname DD DSN=….
– AIX date set(s)
• //ddname1 DD DSN=….
• //ddname2 DD DSN=….
• ….
• //ddnamen DD DSN=….

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 JCL for Using AIX

• Example JCL
//GO.MASTER DD DSN=znumber.KSDS,DISP=SHR
//GO.MASTER1 DD DSN=zumber.PATH2,DISP=SHR
//GO.MASTER2 DD DSN=znumber.PATH2,DISP=SHR
//….

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 File-Control for AIX in KSDS
• File-Control.
SELECT file-name
ASSIGN to DA-ddname
ORGANIZATION IS INDEXED
ACCESS MODE IS [SEQUENTIAL | RANDOM | DYNAMIC
RECORD KEY IS recordKeyName
ALTERNATE RECORD KEY IS aixKey1 [WITH DUPLICATES]
ALTERNATE RECORD KEY IS aixKey2 [WITH DUPLICATES]
….
ALTERNATE RECORD KEY IS aixKeyn [WITH DUPLICATES]
FILE STATUS IS statusCodeField.

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 File-Control for AIX in KSDS
• ALTERNATE RECORD KEY IS aixKey1
[WITH DUPLICATES]
– specifies the name of an alternate key field
for the KSDS file
– one per AIX that will be used in the
program in same order as specified in the
IDCAMS (not all have to be coded all the
time)
– WITH DUPLICATES specifies that the AIX
key value is non-unique 38
 AIX Sequential Processing

• Specify key to use in the START

statement
MOVE spaces/zeros TO aixKey1.
START ksdsFileName KEY NOT < aixKey1.
– Where aixKey1 is the name of the alternate
key as specified in
ALTERNATE RECORD KEY IS aixKey1
• Subsequent READ statements retrieve
the records in alternate key sequence 39
 AIX Sequential Processing

• When AIX key has duplicate values the

status code contains values
– 00 - last record with AIX key value has
been successfully read
– 02 - a record has been read successfully
and there are more with this AIX key
value
– 23 - no record found with the specified
AIX key value
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 AIX Sequential Processing

• PROCEDURE DIVISION code for

processing sequential reads of
duplicate AIX key values
– Read page 45 in class notes

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 AIX Random Processing

• Only the READ and REWRITE

statements are coded differently
– READ statement change
READ ksds-fileName RECORD
INTO identifier
KEY IS aixKey1
INVALID KEY imperative-statement.
– To use AIX key, the KEY IS clause must
be coded
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 AIX Random Processing

• Only the READ and REWRITE

statements are coded differently
– REWRITE statement change
• the AIX key value can be changed via the
rewrite
• Note: primary key value cannot be changed
this way - thus the change

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