CICS-FCTD is an on-line menu-driven system utility, operating under CICS, that provides the means to dynamically create and maintain all file definitions required by CICS. These file definitions are those contained within the CICS File Control Table.
CICS-FCTD's facilities provide for the creation and maintenance of all file definitions, all required labels, and all required disk assignments for any VSAM or BDAM type file.
Sequential files can be defined to CICS through the CICS-FCTD utility. This allows applications and other file utilities to have access to sequential type files for inquiry and even modification.
In addition to the file definition and control features described above, CICS-FCTD provides a powerful file maintenance feature called the File Service Functions which allows you to display, modify, add and delete records to any file known to CICS. And since you can define nearly any file in the system to CICS by using FCTD, this means that you have on-line maintenance functions to virtually any file in the environment.
CICS-FCTD builds and maintains FCT-like file control definitions. These File Definitions are retained in a VSAM file and are keyed by the 8-character DDNAME operand. In other words, the key to the CICS-FCTD File Definition is the same as the DDNAME of the FCT. This allows the functions of other CICS utilities, such as CSMT and CEMT, to function and operate according to the same set of rules.
Any VSAM or BDAM type file can be defined through CICS-FCTD including fixed-length sequential files. File label information is specified through CICS-FCTD. FCTD in turn properly builds the DLBL, EXTENT, and ASSGN information for DOS or the DD statement information for MVS.
CICS-FCTD will dynamically create the actual CICS FCT table entry and append this entry to the CICS File Control Table that is residing in memory. These requests are handled dynamically and according to the specifications defined in the CICS-FCTD File Definition.
The CICS-FCTD File Definitions contain all of the information that would ordinarily be kept within the FCT entry, plus additional information. This additional information provides greater control and flexibility over the files that are used through CICS, and yet far less work is required in order to define a new file to CICS.
When a new file is created, various status values can be assigned for the file. These values can of course be dynamically modified by authorized personnel at any time, through CICS-FCTD.