Chapter 2 Getting Ready to Use AI for CICS

Selecting a CICS Program

Before you use AI for CICS, be sure that the CICS program you plan to use in the component meets the criteria listed in this section

This section covers the following topics:

CICS Program Requirements

Following are requirements for the CICS program that you select:

The program can be called using a CICS Link call.
The program does not perform any 3270 screen or printer I/O directly through an LU.
The program has a communications area (COMMAREA).
All input and output data is handled in the communications area.

Following are restrictions for the data definition file (COMMAREA):

It cannot contain nested OCCURS clauses.
It cannot have a variable length OCCURS clause, unless it is the last definition in the COMMAREA.
It cannot contain a REDEFINES clause.

If the CICS programs you want to integrate with AI for CICS do not meet all of the previous criteria, you can:

Modify an existing CICS program.
Write an Open ServerConnect application and call it as a stored procedure. (For more information, see the Application Integrator for Stored Procedures Reference.)
Write a CICS program that meets the criteria.