CBLVCAT is a batch utility to generate:

• Status reports for data set entries in DASD VTOCs and ICF/VSAM catalogs.
• VSAM data set tuning recommendations.
• AMS/IDCAMS DEFINE job streams.
• Standard VSE Label Area report.

Report generation features include:

• Standard (default) reports for ICF/VSAM catalogs, VTOCs and the VSE Label area (no user parameters need be specified.) These reports display those file attributes that are considered to be of most interest to the user.
• Required information for each catalog, VTOC or Label Area entry is displayed on a single report line. This is in contrast to the less readable AMS/IDCAMS LISTCAT reports that display all possible information for a catalog entry, potentially over several pages.
• Catalog sub-report containing VOLUME information for all DASD referenced by data sets in the catalog.
• Optional VTOC free space table displaying start and number of free tracks (or FBA blocks) on the volume.
• REPORT and OPTION parameters provide the facility to customise report field headers and format of report data.
• SUBSET parameters provide control for sort and filter of entries.
• Warning messages and column data flags. These indicate the condition of data sets in the report based on internal and user controlled limits. Messages are assigned a severity level reflecting the seriousness of the data set's condition. The level of severity encountered on execution of a CBLVCAT job stream determines the final return code. In this way, the condition of groups of data sets can be monitored simply by scheduling execution of the same CBLVCAT job at regular intervals and testing for a change in the return code.
• Optionally, all data obtained during the CBLVCAT execution may also be written, without report headers and in character format, to a RECFM=V file.
• VSE VTOC file entry modification/deletion.

VSAM file tuning features include:

• AMS/IDCAMS re-organisation control statements including recommendations based on user specified operating system and/or DASD device type. This allows modelling of the VSAM data set prior to migration from VSE to z/OS or to new DASD device types.
• User control over principal tuning parameters allowing local knowledge of the file's processing to influence eventual recommendations. e.g. average record length, file growth, maximum/minimum CISIZE.
• Capacity information detailing percentage use of the primary and secondary space allocations before and after tuning recommendations are applied.
• Alternative JCL bufferspace specifications to override AMS/IDCAMS defined value for faster sequential processing.
• Optional generation of the AMS/IDCAMS DELETE/DEFINE data set reorganisation control statements.

CBLVCAT includes the CBLi (Interactive Environment) modules. Starting CBLi provides users with a working environment for generating interactive CBLVCAT reports, text edit (via the accompanying CBLe text editor) and general system and data set management via list facilities.

CBLVCAT exeuction in CBLi provides the following added benefits:

• Execution without submitting to batch. CBLVCAT control may be passed via the command line or a control file.
• Colour coded report fields highlight flagged data and important messages.
• Prefix area commands allow the user to easily launch further CBLVCAT execution for an individual entry, execute an AMS/IDCAMS LISTCAT, edit an entry's data (CBLe text editor) or open list windows.