Accounting Information

Purpose

Accounting Information in JCL is used to provide billing and resource tracking data for a job. This information is specified in the JOB statement and is used by the installation's job accounting routines to associate the computing resources used by the job with specific departments, projects, or users for billing and reporting purposes.

Syntax

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//jobname JOB (accounting-information),programmer-name[,keyword-parameters]

The accounting information is enclosed in parentheses. Its format is installation-dependent but typically includes:

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//jobname JOB (account-number[,additional-accounting-fields]),programmer-name

Format

  • Accounting information is always enclosed in parentheses
  • May consist of a single field or multiple fields separated by commas
  • Format is defined by the installation and varies between organizations
  • Maximum total length is usually limited to 142 characters

Common Field Types

While the actual content is installation-specific, accounting information typically includes some combination of:

  • Account Number - Identifies the account to be charged
  • Department Number - Identifies the organizational unit
  • User ID - Identifies the specific user
  • Project Code - Identifies the project
  • Estimated Run Time - Maximum expected run time
  • Estimated Lines to Print - Maximum expected output

Examples

Basic Accounting Information

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//MYJOB JOB (D58472),SMITH

A simple job with a single accounting field (account number D58472)

Multiple Accounting Fields

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//COMPILE JOB (D58472,DEPT58,PAYROLL),'JOHN SMITH'

Job with multiple accounting fields: account number, department, and project

With Subparameters

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//WEEKLY JOB (D58472,10,50),'SMITH',CLASS=A

Job with accounting fields for account number, maximum run time (10 minutes), and maximum lines of output (50,000)

With ACCT Parameter

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//REPORT JOB ,SMITH,ACCT=(D58472,DEPT58,PAYROLL)

Alternative way to specify accounting information using the ACCT parameter

Notes

  • Accounting information format is defined by each installation's JES2 or JES3 accounting routines
  • Consult your installation's guidelines to ensure correct formatting
  • Accounting information may be required or optional depending on installation settings
  • Some installations may issue warning messages or reject jobs with missing or invalid accounting information
  • When accounting information is omitted, the commas must still be included: //JOBNAME JOB ,PROGRAMMER
  • If both accounting information and programmer name are omitted: //JOBNAME JOB
  • Accounting information can also be specified via the ACCT parameter on the JOB statement if omitted from the positional parameter

Security Considerations

  • Account numbers may be validated by security systems (e.g., RACF, ACF2, TSS)
  • Users may be restricted to using only authorized account numbers
  • Invalid account numbers may result in job rejection at submission time

Related Concepts

Related Pages