Introduction to Parameter Prompting Facility (Type 2)

The Parameter Prompting facility – Type 2 provides automatic prompting for AutoEdit parameter values for manually scheduled jobs. This may be very useful in a distributed environment where user departments are responsible for manually ordering jobs and specifying required parameters.

On any given day, the user selects tables for execution. The user is then prompted for parameter values required for the execution of those jobs.

The Parameter Prompting facility – Type 2 works as follows:

First, relevant tables are defined or placed in the Master Scheduling Tables library.
Then, using the CREATE AND UPDATE A MASTER PLAN option of the facility, the user defines a Master Prompting Plan (MPP) for each table in the library. The MMP is placed in the Master Prompting Plan library. It contains all AutoEdit variables used by all jobs in the table. Default values and value validity checks can also be defined.

After all definitions are complete, the facility is ready for use on any given day, as needed.
The user uses the second option of the facility, FETCH A PLAN, to select a plan for execution by Control-M on any specific day.
- When a FETCH option is executed for a specific plan (or set of plans), a Daily scheduling table is automatically created and placed in the Daily Scheduling Tables library. The Daily Scheduling table is a subset of the Master Scheduling table, and contains the job scheduling definition of each job in the Master Scheduling table scheduled that day.
- The FETCH also creates a User Prompting Plan (UPP), which is placed in the Daily Prompting Plan library. The UPP is a subset of the Master Prompting Plan, and contains only parameters that are required by the jobs scheduled to run on that day.
- A Daily JCL library is also created containing JCL for the day’s jobs.
Using the third option of the facility, EXEC A PLAN, the user may then accept or update the default values of all the parameters appearing in the daily UPP.
A daily AutoEdit parameters member, which is accessed at the time of job submission, is automatically created and placed in the Daily AutoEdit Parameter library.

Screens of Parameter Prompting Facility (Type 2)

After selecting option 2 of the Control-M Parameter Prompting entry panel, the following menu is displayed:

Figure 124 Parameter Prompting Facility (Type 2) Primary Menu

---- CONTROL-M - PARAMETER PROMPTING FACILITY (TYPE 2) PRIMARY MENU --------(P)

OPTION ===>

1 CREATE AND UPDATE A MASTER PLAN

2 FETCH A PLAN (CTMFETCH)

3 EXEC A PLAN (CTMEXEC)

ENTER END COMMAND OR PF3 TO TERMINATE

Note: You can enter this screen directly by activating CLIST CTMCAMNU.

This screen displays three options:

CREATE AND UPDATE A MASTER PLAN
This option defines groups of parameters in a Master Prompting Plan.
FETCH A PLAN (CTMFETCH)
This option places a User Prompting Plan (a copy of the Master Prompting Plan) and related job scheduling definitions in Daily libraries. A "fetch" is required before assigning parameter values and ordering plan execution with Option 3.
EXEC A PLAN (CTMEXEC)
This option assigns values to parameters and orders a Plan for execution.

Option 1: Create and Update a Master Plan

After selecting Option 1 of the Parameter Prompting facility (Type 2) Primary menu, the following screen is displayed:

Figure 125 Primary Prompting Facility – Define or Update a Master Plan

---- CONTROL-M - P.P.F. - DEFINE OR UPDATE A MASTER PLAN -----------------(P.1)

COMMAND ===>

PLAN NAME IS:

PLAN NAME PREFIX ===> REPTS

LIBRARY ===> CTM.PROD.PLANMSTR

Please fill in the Plan Name Prefix and press ENTER

ENTER END COMMAND OR PF3 TO TERMINATE

A Master Plan is usually defined for a group of jobs and their AutoEdit parameters that are controlled by one person or project.

Type a maximum of six characters in PLAN NAME PREFIX and press Enter.

The name of the default library in which the Master Plan is placed is displayed. It may be changed.

If the plan does not exist (because you are defining a new plan), the following screen is displayed:

Figure 126 Parameter Prompting Facility – Master Plan Definition

---- CONTROL-M - P.P.F. - MASTER PLAN DEFINITION -----------------------(P.1.2)

COMMAND ===>

CTMB14E MASTER PLAN REPTS NOT FOUND. YOU MAY CREATE IT, OR EXIT

PLAN PREFIX NAME ===> REPTS

DESCRIPTION ===> DAILY REPORTS

LIBRARY ===> CTM.PROD.PLANMSTR

Please fill in the Plan Description and press ENTER

ENTER END COMMAND OR PF3 TO TERMINATE

You can create a new plan or exit the screen. To create a new plan, enter a plan description and press Enter.

Define Parameters in the Master Plan

After creation of a new plan, or if the requested plan exists, the following screen is displayed. If the plan exists, the previously defined parameters are displayed for modification.

Figure 127 Define Parameters in the Master Plan Screen

---- CONTROL-M - P.P.F. - DEFINE PARAMETERS IN THE MASTER PLAN --- ROW 1 OF 3

COMMAND ===> SCROLL ===> CSR

PARM PREFIX ===> PLAN NAME: REPTS

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_ PARM NAME ===> REPT_NAME OCCUR NO. ===> 01

JOB NAME ===> SLSREPTS PROMPT IND ===> Y (Y/N)

DEFAULT ===>

TYPE ===> NONBLANK,MAXL 8

MESSAGE ===> Enter name of sales report required

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_ PARM NAME ===> DEPT_NUMBER OCCUR NO. ===>

JOB NAME ===> ******** PROMPT IND ===> Y (Y/N)

DEFAULT ===> 035

TYPE ===> NUM,MAXL 3

MESSAGE ===> Enter department number (used for all reports)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_ PARM NAME ===> REPT_NAME OCCUR NO. ===> 02

JOB NAME ===> EXPREPTS PROMPT IND ===> Y (Y/N)

DEFAULT ===>

TYPE ===> NONBLANK,MAXL 8

MESSAGE ===> Enter name of expense report required

****************************** Bottom of Data ********************************

This screen is used to define, display and modify parameters that are used for prompting on a daily basis.

Define Parameters in the Master Plan Screen – Format

The following information can be defined, displayed, or modified for each parameter:

Table 144 Fields of the Define Parameters in the Master Plan Screen

Field	Description
PARM NAME	Name of the AutoEdit parameter.
OCCUR NO.	Occurrence number (2 digits). Differentiates between use of the same parameter name for different purposes in different jobs (for example, assign OCCUR NO. 01 to occurrence of %%PARM1 in Job A; assign OCCUR NO. 02 to occurrence of %%PARM1 in Job B).
JOB NAME	Name of the job using the parameter. If the parameter and its assigned value are shared by more than one job in the plan, enter ******** in this field. It is not necessary to redefine the parameter. (If the value assigned is different for each job, refer to the OCCUR NO. parameter above.)
PROMPT IND	Prompting Indicator: Y (Yes) – Promptable. The user is prompted for a value for this parameter. N (No) – Non-promptable. The value is fixed in the Master Prompting Plan and is not modifiable in the EXEC phase.
DEFAULT	Default value for the parameter that is displayed during the EXEC phase. This field is mandatory if PROMPT IND is set to N (non-promptable). BLANK – Type the word BLANK to set a value of " ".
TYPE	Type of parameter value that can be entered. A validation check is performed during both the plan definition and EXEC phases. Valid types: NUM – Limits the value to digits only (0 through 9). ALPHA – Limits the value to letters only (a-z, A-Z, and $,#,@). CHAR – Alphanumeric. BLANK – Field must be blank. NONBLANK – Any non-blank value. MINL n – Limits the value to a specified minimum character length, where n is any number from 1 through 70. MAXL n – Limits the value to a specified maximum character length, where n is any number between 1 and 70. MINL, MAXL, and NONBLANK can be combined with NUM or ALPHA. Example: NUM MAXL 8 limits the parameter value to a numeric value with a maximum length of 8 characters.
MESSAGE	Prompting message to be displayed during the EXEC phase.

The display of parameters can be limited to parameters beginning with a specific prefix by filling in the PARM PREFIX field (under the command line).

To display the first occurrence of a parameter at the top of a screen, use the line command L xxxx, where xxxx is a specific parameter or parameter prefix.

Define Parameters in the Master Plan Screen – Options

To request one of the following options, type the option in the field to the left of the words PARM NAME and press Enter.

Table 145 Options of the Define Parameters in the Master Plan Screen

Option	Description
D (DELETE)	Delete a parameter from the plan.
R (REPEAT)	Duplicate a parameter.
A (ADD)	Add a parameter (same as option R).
I (INSERT)	Insert a new parameter in the plan. INSERT typed on the Command line inserts a new parameter at the top of the plan.

Changes made to a parameter are updated in the plan when you press Enter, even if no option is specified.)

Define Parameters in the Master Plan Screen – How to Exit

To exit the Define Parameters in the Master Plan screen, type one of the following commands on the command line:

Table 146 Define Parameters in the Master Plan Screen - Exit Screen Commands

Command	Description
END	Keep all plan changes, and exit.
CANCEL	Exit without saving plan changes.

Option 2: Fetch a Plan (CTMFETCH)

After selecting option 2 of the Parameter Prompting facility (Type 2) Primary menu, the following screen is displayed:

Figure 128 Fetch a Plan Screen

---- CONTROL-M - P.P.F. ------ FETCH A PLAN ------------------------------(P.2)

COMMAND ===>

PLAN NAME ===> REPTS

PLAN NAME SUFFIX ===> (For multiple plans in the same day)

OVERRIDE DAILY PLAN ===> NO (YES / NO)

ODATE ===> 080800

Please fill in the Plan Name and press ENTER

MASTER SCHEDULING LIB ===> CTM.PROD.SCHEDULE

DAILY SCHEDULING LIB ===> CTM.PROD.SCHD

MASTER PLANS LIB ===> CTM.PROD.PLANMSTR

DAILY PROMPT PLANS LIB ===> CTM.PROD.PLAN

MASTER JCL LIB ===> CTM.PROD.JCLPROMP

DAILY JCL LIB ===> CTM.PROD.JCLP

ENTER END COMMAND OR PF3 TO TERMINATE

This screen places a daily User Prompting Plan (a copy of the Master Prompting Plan) and related job scheduling definitions in Daily libraries. Fill in the details in the screen (libraries and the current date appear as defaults) and press Enter.

The PLAN NAME is the same as the Master Prompting Plan PREFIX.

You can designate two characters to serve as a suffix to the Plan Name. This permits execution of a specific plan more than once a day.

Valid values for OVERRIDE DAILY PLAN:

Table 147 Fetch Plan Screen OVERRIDE DAILY PLAN Values

Value	Description
YES	A duplicate fetch of a plan (with a suffix, if one has been designated) replaces an existing copy of a plan with the same PLAN NAME (and same suffix) for that day.
NO	Multiple fetches of a plan are not permitted on the same day. Default.

Option 3: Exec / Order a Plan (CTMEXEC)

After selecting option 3 of the Parameter Prompting facility (Type 2) Primary menu, the following screen is displayed:

Figure 129 Exec/Order a Plan (CTMEXEC) Screen

---- CONTROL-M - P.P.F. ---- EXEC / ORDER A PLAN -------------------------(P.3)

COMMAND ===>

PLAN NAME ===> REPTS (Blank for plan selection list)

PLAN NAME SUFFIX ===> (For multiple plans in the same day)

REMAINING PARAMETERS ===> NO (YES / NO)

ODATE ===> 080800

FORCED FROM TIME ===>

Please fill in the Plan Name (or blanks) and press ENTER

DAILY SCHEDULING LIB ===> CTM.PROD.SCHD

USER PROMPT PLANS LIB ===> CTM.PROD.PLAN

DAILY PARAMETERS LIB ===> CTM.PROD.AEDI

ENTER END COMMAND OR PF3 TO TERMINATE

This screen orders a plan for parameter updating and plan execution. Fill in the details in the screen (libraries and the current date appear as defaults) and press Enter.

The PLAN NAME is the same as the Master Prompting Plan PREFIX. You can designate two characters to serve as a suffix to the PLAN NAME. This permits execution of a specific plan more than once a day.

The REMAINING PARAMETERS field determines whether you are automatically prompted in the Update Parameter Values screen for parameter values that have yet to be updated for active plans. Valid values are:

YES – Prompt
NO – Do not prompt

The ODATE field specifies the original scheduling date for executing the plan.

The FORCED FROM TIME field specifies a time (format hhmm) before which the jobs cannot run.

If you leave PLAN NAME blank on the Exec / Order a Plan screen, the Plan Selection screen is displayed:

Figure 130 Plan Selection Screen

---- CONTROL-M - P.P.F. - PLAN SELECTION ------------------------- Row 1 FROM 2

COMMAND ===> SCROLL ===> PAGE

PLAN PREFIX ===> PLAN ORDERED ALREADY:

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_ PLAN NAME ===> REPTS ===> NO

ORDER TIME :

_ PLAN NAME ===> BACKUP ===> YES

ORDER TIME :

****************************** Bottom of Data *******************************

This screen displays a list of active Daily Plans.

PLAN ORDERED ALREADY: indicates whether the plan was already ordered. If the plan has already been ordered, it is possible to select a plan for parameter value updating only.

To select a plan, enter any character in the field to the left of the PLAN NAME.

Update Parameter Values Screen

After selecting a plan from the Plan Selection screen or specifying a particular plan on the Exec / Order a Plan screen, the Update Parameter Values screen is displayed:

Figure 131 Update Parameters Values Screen

---- CONTROL-M - P.P.F.- UPDATE PARAMETER VALUES ---------------------- (P.3.1)

COMMAND ===> SCROLL ===> CSR

PARM PREFIX ===> PLAN NAME: REPTS

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_ PARM NAME ===> REPT_NAME OCCUR NO. ===> 01 NO DEFAULT

VALUE ===>

Enter name of sales report required

_ PARM NAME ===> DEPT_NUMBER OCCUR NO. ===> DEF EXISTS

VALUE ===> 035

Enter department number (used for all reports)

_ PARM NAME ===> REPT_NAME OCCUR NO. ===> 02 NO DEFAULT

VALUE ===>

Enter name of expense report required

****************************** Bottom of Data ******************************

This screen displays a list of all AutoEdit parameters for which values can be entered. Press END (PF03/PF15) to exit the screen.

The Master Prompting Plan for the PLAN NAME is copied from the Master Prompting Library to the Daily Prompting Library to create or replace the corresponding User Prompting Plan (UPP). Only parameters that belong to jobs that meet both of the following criteria are copied into the UPP.

The job names, which are specified in the DEFINE PARAMETERS IN THE MASTER PLAN screen (option 1), reference a job that appears in the Daily Scheduling table.
The jobs must be scheduled to run on the specified day (today). The CTMJOB utility is invoked to determine which jobs run today.

The display of parameters can be limited to plans beginning with a specific prefix using the PARM PREFIX field (under the command line).

To display the first occurrence of a parameter at the top of the screen, type the line command L xxxx, where xxxx is a specific parameter or parameter prefix.

After all variables in a plan have been updated or have had their defaults approved, you receive screen messages indicating the jobs from each plan that were ordered automatically. To cancel any parameter value changes made and return to the Exec / Order a Plan screen, type the line command CANcel.

Table 148 Format of the Update Parameter Values Screen

Field	Description
PARM PREFIX	Plan prefix. If a value is entered in this field, the display of parameters is limited to plans beginning with the specified prefix.
PLAN NAME	Name of the User Prompting Plan ordered for execution.
PARM NAME	Name of the parameter available for update.
VALUE	Default value of the parameter. This value can be modified; embedded blanks are permitted.
MESSAGE	Prompting message.
OCCUR NO.	Occurrence number (2 digits). Differentiates between use of the same parameter name for different purposes in different jobs (for example, assign OCCUR NO. 01 to occurrence of %%PARM1 in Job A; assign OCCUR NO. 02 to occurrence of %%PARM1 in Job B).
DEFAULT STATUS	Indication of default: NO DEFAULT – No associated default value. DEF EXISTS – Parameter has an associated default value that has not yet been approved by the user. DEF CONFIRMED – Default value has been approved. DEF CHANGED– Default value is not being used. Parameter has been assigned a different value.
SELECTION FIELD	Type S in this field (A) to accept the default, if a default exists.

Special Options

A special option, activated by typing YES in the REMAINING PARAMETERS field on the Exec / Order a Plan screen, prompts you automatically for parameter values that have yet to be updated from all active plans (that is, those plans "fetched" for the day). The parameters are presented on consecutive Update Parameter Values screens.

YES – You are presented with remaining (non-updated) parameters from active plans.
NO – After updating the current plan, the Exec / Order a Plan screen is displayed or, if Plan Name was left blank, the Plan Selection screen containing all active plans is displayed. Default.

Parent Topic

M4: Parameter Prompting Facilities