Configuring CICS Applications for Micro Focus Database File Handling

The following details the necessary modifications required to your CICS environment to use the Micro Focus Database File Handler (MFDBFH) in the context of a Performance and Availability Cluster (PAC).

To move your existing data files from disk to a database, you need to use the dbfhdeploy command line utility to deploy them to a datastore. Once deployed, you need to configure your CICS environment to locate them within the datastore.

Whether you are creating a new resource or updating an existing one, the database file handling-specific changes are the same: you need to update the file path within the FCT that details the file, to point at the new datastore location. The following example configures a region in Enterprise Server Common Web Administration (ESCWA) is using the ACCTFIL file, which is stored in the VSAM folder within the CICS datastore:

  1. In the menu bar, click NATIVE.
  2. In the navigation pane, expand Directory Servers.
  3. Click the region you want to configure.
  4. Click CICS > Resources.
  5. Select the By Type.
  6. Expand FCT.
  7. Click ACCTFIL.
  8. In the File Path field, type the path to the datastore, for example, sql://localhost/CICS/?type=folder;folder=/VSAM
  9. Click INSTALL.

See the Category parameter in the The dbfhdeploy Command Line Utility for more information on the notation used in the File Path field.

As the data is transactional, ensure that the Backward Recovery field is checked. This indicates that the file is a protected resource, changes to which can be backed out. To support this you must configure an XA resource within the enterprise server region that points to the datastore in which the file is stored. See Create an XA Resource in the Configuring Datastores chapter that correspond to the database type you are using.

Note: You do not need to make any code changes to your CICS applications' source code to use files within a datastore.

If the enterprise server region running your CICS environment terminates abnormally whilst any data files are open, Enterprise Server attempts to recover the files automatically. If you continue to receive errors accessing files, for example, file locked statuses, run the dbfhadmin command line utility to recover the files.