This chapter describes how you use Virtual Storage Access Method (VSAM) data sets on your workstation—including Distributed Data Management (DDM), ISAM, and BTRIEVE data sets—for record-oriented data transmission.
Three access methods are discussed in connection with the PL/I workstation products; however, not all three methods are supported on every platform. Use the following as a guideline:
This chapter also describes the statements you use to access the three types of VSAM data sets—sequential, keyed, and direct. In many ways, workstation VSAM is similar to the VSAM on the mainframe. On the workstation, the terms sequential, keyed and direct are similar to the VSAM entry-sequenced data set, key-sequenced data set, and relative record data set.
The chapter concludes with a series of examples showing the PL/I statements and DD:ddname environment variables necessary to create and access workstation VSAM data sets.