What are different ways of Initiating Transaction in CICS?

• We can initiate the transation through MQ and TCP/IP and Terminal and consol.
• We can initiate CICS Transaction By giving TRANSACTION ID By giving CICS START Command AUTOMATIC TASK INITIATION(ATI). 

 Other Methods:

1. By entering Transaction Id(4 bytes)
2.By Start command
3. By Return Trans Id (as in pseudo conv)
4. By Registering Tran ID in plt so that it will be automaticaly dusring CICS start
5. By ATI
6.PF PA keys as defined in PCT

How a CICS Transaction be initiated?

Involving CICS Control programs and Control tables. a. Trans-id entered in terminal b. TCP with TCT recognizes incoming data c. SCP acquires the storage for the Terminal Input-Output Area (TIOA) d. KCP prepares control data for this task e.KCP, through PCT, tries to find the application program associated with the Trans-id. f. If PPT entry of the application program does not show the resident address of the program, KCP passes control to PCP, which fetches the application program from the load library and places it into the main storage. g. KCP passes control to the application program. h. Application program starts its processing

CEDF,CEMT,CEBR,CECI transactions in CICS

CEDF :
CICS-supplied Execution Diagnostic Facility transaction. It provides interactive program execution and debugging functions of a CICS programs.
CEMT : CICS-supplied Extended Master Terminal transaction. It displays or manipulates CICS control environment interactively.
CEBR : CICS-supplied Temporary Storage Browse transaction. It displays the content of Temporary Storage Queue ( TSQ ).
CECI : CICS-supplied Command Interpreter transaction. It verifies the syntax of a CICS command and executes the command.

CICS Interview Questions for TCS,Infosys,IBM,HP and Other Companies

1. How do you place the cursor on a particular position on the screen? –

              Move -1 to the length attribute of the field aand use the CURSOR option.
     2.    Define the field with IC in the BMS map.               Use CURSOR(n m)??

3. What are the two outputs created as a result of generation of a map? – The map copybook and the load module.
   
4. What is the difference between physical map and symbolic map? –

              The physical map is the load module and the symbolic map is the data structure.

5.     How do you protect a field from being overlaid? -
              What is the attribute byte? –
              Defines the display/transmission of field. most cases is an output field from the program.

6. How do you use extended attributes ? Define EXTATT=YES and the correct terminal type.
   
7. What are the 3 working storage fields used for every field on the map? – Length, attribute and input/output field.
   
8. What is MDT? What are FSET, FRSET ? Modified Data Tag. Bit in the attribute byte indicating modification of field on screen. Happens on an input operation.
   FSET. Sets MDT on to ensure field is transmitted. Happens on an output operation.
   FRSET. Resets MDT. Until this happens, field continues to be sent.
   
9. What is the use of DSECT parameter in BMS? Is the parameter to generate a symbolic map.
   
10. Do you receive the attribute byte in the symbolic map? On EOF yes.
    
    
11. How do you make your BMS maps case sensitive? Use ASIS???
    
    
12. What is effect on RECEIVE MAP when PF key is pressed? Data transmission may happen,
    PA key is pressed? Data transmission will not happen.
    
13. What are SEND MAP MAPONLY & SEND MAP DATAONLY ? MAPONLY - to send the map alone, without any data. Eg: used for sending Menu screens.
    DATAONLY - to send data alone, without sending the screen layout again. Eg: used for refreshing the screen data.
    
14. What is the difference between a PF key & a PA key ? PF keys wake up the task and transmit modified data, PA keys only wake up the task.
    
15. Name the macros used to define the following: MAP MAPSET FIELD
    DFHMSD DFHMDI DFHMDF
    
16. Can you use OCCURS in a BMS map? If you do, what are the issues related with its use? Yes. cannot use group by clause???
    
17. Can you define multiple maps in a BMS mapset? Yes.
    
18. How is the storage determined in the symbolic map, if you have multiple maps? Storage for maps redefine the first. This means largest map has to be the first.
    
19. What is the meaning of BMS length of field = 0? Data was not entered in the field
    
20. Can you simply check if length = 0 for checking if a field was modified? No, not if ERASE EOF was used.

Difference between single quotes and double quotes in unix

Enclosing characters in single quotes (`'') preserves the literal value of each character within the quotes.  A single quote may not occur between single quotes, even when preceded by a backslash.

Enclosing characters in double quotes (`"') preserves the literal value of all characters within the quotes, with the exception of `$', ``', and `\'.  The characters `$' and ``' retain their special meaning within double quotes (*note Shell Expansions::).  The backslash retains its special meaning only when followed by one of the following characters: `$', ``', `"', `\', or `newline'.  Within double quotes, backslashes that are followed by one of these characters are removed. Backslashes preceding characters without a special meaning are left unmodified.  A double quote may be quoted within double quotes by preceding it with a backslash.

The special parameters `*' and `@' have special meaning when in double quotes (*note Shell Parameter Expansion::).