Job Entry System Job Control Language, or more simply JES JCL, is almost as old as the original IBM System/360 mainframes for which it was written, and over recent years hasnt evolved all that much. But why should something evolve, when it is already highly effective at doing what it was designed for? Most programmers and operators may scoff at this statement, but then again most programmers and operators code JCL badly. This book dismantles the woefully common and typical style of programming JCL, and introduces methods for the production of highly maintainable, analysis friendly application jobs. Ways in which JCL and job architecture can be constructed, and how the features of JES2 can be combined to form a modern and efficient infrastructure. The book contains many generic procedure examples drawn from the real world, and details logic, include and procedure members, variables, semaphores, dynamic JCL, out of control execution and much more. A must have handbook for any technician whose job is associated with JCL programming, the accompanying software is available at www.arcware-ltd.de.

A few years after graduating with a BSc Honours Degree in Computing Science the author moved from his native England to Germany in 1991, where he is currently the Managing Director of a specialised software company which focuses on the optimisation of legacy z/OS systems written in COBOL and Assembler, and controlled with JES2 JCL. He has also written Cobol: Optimised and Maintainable Application Programming (ISBN-13: 978-0595432592).