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CICS DEFINE ACTIVITY - Activity Definition and Configuration

CICS DEFINE ACTIVITY provides activity definition and configuration capabilities in CICS environments. It enables programs to define activities, configure activity parameters, and set up activity definitions for CICS applications.

What is CICS DEFINE ACTIVITY?

CICS DEFINE ACTIVITY is a command that allows programs to define activities, configure activity parameters, and set up activity definitions in CICS environments. It provides activity definition capabilities, parameter configuration, and activity setup for CICS applications.

Command Syntax

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EXEC CICS DEFINE ACTIVITY
    ACTIVITYID(activity-id)
    [DESCRIPTION(description-text)]
    [PRIORITY(priority-value)]
    [TIMEOUT(timeout-value)]
    [RESP(response-code)]
END-EXEC

Parameters

Required Parameters

  • ACTIVITYID - Unique identifier for the activity

Optional Parameters

  • DESCRIPTION - Descriptive text for the activity
  • PRIORITY - Priority level for activity execution
  • TIMEOUT - Maximum execution time for the activity
  • RESP - Response code variable

Activity Types

Processing Activities

Activities that perform data processing operations

  • • DATA PROCESSING - Activities that process and transform data
  • • CALCULATION - Activities that perform mathematical calculations
  • • VALIDATION - Activities that validate data integrity and format
  • • TRANSFORMATION - Activities that convert data between formats

Communication Activities

Activities that handle communication operations

  • • MESSAGE HANDLING - Activities that process incoming and outgoing messages
  • • NETWORK COMMUNICATION - Activities that manage network connections
  • • PROTOCOL PROCESSING - Activities that handle communication protocols
  • • SESSION MANAGEMENT - Activities that manage communication sessions

Resource Activities

Activities that manage system resources

  • • RESOURCE ALLOCATION - Activities that allocate system resources
  • • MEMORY MANAGEMENT - Activities that manage memory allocation and deallocation
  • • FILE OPERATIONS - Activities that perform file I/O operations
  • • DATABASE ACCESS - Activities that access database systems

Control Activities

Activities that control system operations

  • • WORKFLOW CONTROL - Activities that control business process workflows
  • • ERROR HANDLING - Activities that handle error conditions and recovery
  • • MONITORING - Activities that monitor system performance and status
  • • SCHEDULING - Activities that schedule and coordinate other activities

Programming Examples

Basic Activity Definition

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       IDENTIFICATION DIVISION.
       PROGRAM-ID. DEFINE01.
       DATA DIVISION.
       WORKING-STORAGE SECTION.
       01  ACTIVITY-ID      PIC X(8) VALUE 'ACT001'.
       01  DESCRIPTION      PIC X(50) VALUE 'Data Processing Activity'.
       01  PRIORITY         PIC 9(2) VALUE 10.
       01  TIMEOUT          PIC 9(5) VALUE 30000.
       01  RESPONSE-CODE    PIC S9(8) COMP.
       
       PROCEDURE DIVISION.
           EXEC CICS DEFINE ACTIVITY
               ACTIVITYID(ACTIVITY-ID)
               DESCRIPTION(DESCRIPTION)
               PRIORITY(PRIORITY)
               TIMEOUT(TIMEOUT)
               RESP(RESPONSE-CODE)
           END-EXEC
           
           IF RESPONSE-CODE = DFHRESP(NORMAL)
               DISPLAY 'Activity defined successfully'
           ELSE
               DISPLAY 'Failed to define activity'
           END-IF
           
           EXEC CICS RETURN END-EXEC.

Activity with Custom Parameters

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       IDENTIFICATION DIVISION.
       PROGRAM-ID. DEFINE02.
       DATA DIVISION.
       WORKING-STORAGE SECTION.
       01  ACTIVITY-ID      PIC X(8) VALUE 'ACT002'.
       01  DESCRIPTION      PIC X(50) VALUE 'High Priority Communication Activity'.
       01  PRIORITY         PIC 9(2) VALUE 1.
       01  TIMEOUT          PIC 9(5) VALUE 60000.
       01  RESPONSE-CODE    PIC S9(8) COMP.
       
       PROCEDURE DIVISION.
           EXEC CICS DEFINE ACTIVITY
               ACTIVITYID(ACTIVITY-ID)
               DESCRIPTION(DESCRIPTION)
               PRIORITY(PRIORITY)
               TIMEOUT(TIMEOUT)
               RESP(RESPONSE-CODE)
           END-EXEC
           
           IF RESPONSE-CODE = DFHRESP(NORMAL)
               DISPLAY 'High priority activity defined'
               DISPLAY 'Activity ID: ' ACTIVITY-ID
               DISPLAY 'Priority: ' PRIORITY
               DISPLAY 'Timeout: ' TIMEOUT
           ELSE
               DISPLAY 'Failed to define high priority activity'
           END-IF
           
           EXEC CICS RETURN END-EXEC.

Error Handling with Activity Definition

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       IDENTIFICATION DIVISION.
       PROGRAM-ID. DEFINE03.
       DATA DIVISION.
       WORKING-STORAGE SECTION.
       01  ACTIVITY-ID      PIC X(8) VALUE 'ACT003'.
       01  DESCRIPTION      PIC X(50) VALUE 'Error Handling Activity'.
       01  PRIORITY         PIC 9(2) VALUE 5.
       01  TIMEOUT          PIC 9(5) VALUE 45000.
       01  RESPONSE-CODE    PIC S9(8) COMP.
       
       PROCEDURE DIVISION.
           EXEC CICS DEFINE ACTIVITY
               ACTIVITYID(ACTIVITY-ID)
               DESCRIPTION(DESCRIPTION)
               PRIORITY(PRIORITY)
               TIMEOUT(TIMEOUT)
               RESP(RESPONSE-CODE)
           END-EXEC
           
           EVALUATE RESPONSE-CODE
               WHEN DFHRESP(NORMAL)
                   DISPLAY 'Activity defined successfully'
                   DISPLAY 'Activity ID: ' ACTIVITY-ID
               WHEN DFHRESP(DUPRES)
                   DISPLAY 'Activity already exists'
               WHEN DFHRESP(INVREQ)
                   DISPLAY 'Invalid definition request'
               WHEN DFHRESP(ACTIVITYERR)
                   DISPLAY 'Activity-specific error occurred'
               WHEN DFHRESP(PARAMERR)
                   DISPLAY 'Parameter error in definition'
               WHEN OTHER
                   DISPLAY 'Unexpected error occurred'
           END-EVALUATE
           
           EXEC CICS RETURN END-EXEC.

Activity Configuration

Priority Settings

  • • High Priority (1-3) - Critical activities that require immediate execution
  • • Medium Priority (4-7) - Standard activities with normal execution priority
  • • Low Priority (8-10) - Background activities that can be delayed if needed
  • • Default Priority - System-assigned priority when not specified

Timeout Configuration

  • • Short Timeout (1-30 seconds) - Quick operations that should complete rapidly
  • • Medium Timeout (31-300 seconds) - Standard operations with normal duration
  • • Long Timeout (301+ seconds) - Complex operations that may take extended time
  • • No Timeout - Activities that run indefinitely until completion

Resource Allocation

  • • Memory Requirements - Specify memory allocation needs for the activity
  • • CPU Requirements - Define CPU usage requirements and limits
  • • I/O Requirements - Specify input/output resource needs
  • • Network Requirements - Define network resource allocation needs

Security Settings

  • • Access Control - Define who can access and modify the activity
  • • Authentication - Specify authentication requirements for activity execution
  • • Authorization - Define authorization levels for activity operations
  • • Audit Logging - Configure logging and auditing for activity operations

Error Handling

Common Response Codes

  • DFHRESP(NORMAL) - Activity defined successfully
  • DFHRESP(DUPRES) - Activity already exists
  • DFHRESP(INVREQ) - Invalid definition request
  • DFHRESP(ACTIVITYERR) - Activity-specific error
  • DFHRESP(PARAMERR) - Parameter error in definition
  • DFHRESP(DEFINEERR) - Definition-specific error

Performance Considerations

Definition Efficiency

  • • Optimize definition parameters - Use appropriate values for priority and timeout
  • • Minimize definition overhead - Reduce the computational cost of activity definitions
  • • Use efficient definition patterns - Implement definition strategies that minimize resource usage
  • • Monitor definition performance - Track the performance impact of definition operations

Resource Impact

  • • Monitor resource usage - Track how definition operations consume system resources
  • • Optimize resource allocation - Ensure efficient allocation of resources for definitions
  • • Manage resource cleanup - Properly release resources after definition operations
  • • Track resource utilization - Monitor the overall resource consumption patterns

Best Practices

Activity Definition Best Practices

  • • Always check response codes
  • • Use appropriate definition parameters
  • • Implement proper error handling
  • • Set realistic timeout values
  • • Use meaningful activity descriptions
  • • Optimize definition operations
  • • Clean up resources properly

Explain It Like I'm 5 Years Old

Think of CICS DEFINE ACTIVITY like setting up a new game:

  • • Game Name: "What to call your game" - The activity ID
  • • Instructions: "How to play" - The description
  • • Importance: "How important is this game?" - The priority
  • • Time Limit: "How long can you play?" - The timeout
  • • Setup: "Getting everything ready" - Defining the activity

Exercises

Exercise 1: Basic Activity Definition

Create a program that defines a basic activity with standard parameters.

Exercise 2: Priority Configuration

Write a program that defines activities with different priority levels.

Exercise 3: Error Handling

Implement comprehensive error handling for activity definition failures and parameter errors.

Related Concepts

Activity Management

Managing system activities

Activity Configuration

Configuring activity parameters

Resource Management

Managing system resources

Process Definition

Defining system processes

Error Handling

Managing definition errors