How to print an Insight DPM for DB2 for z/OS panel to a dataset

Ever wonder how to print a set of Insight panels, or a panel that scrolls for multiple pages both across and down, to a dataset?

Has a CA Support person asked you to provide screenshots, and you dread having to take multiple graphic screen shots, then upload them to the issue ftp site?

Wondering why Insight doesn't have a convenient command like QFILE available to print the panels to a dataset?

Well wonder no more!  It can be accomplished with the following simple steps.

NOTE: This TIP only applies when using TSO to access Insight.

First allocate a sequential dataset using the following DCB parameters. You can use ISPF 3.2 to accomplish this.

RECFM=FB  LRECL=255  BLKSIZE=27795.  Assume the dataset name is USERID.IDB2.PRINT

Invoke Insight and display the User Profile panel. This is option 7 off the TOOLS drop-down menu.

Quick access is accomplished by entering T.7 in the Insight Command line.

Then PF8 until you see the Print Parameters panel. Set the fields on this panel as follows:

1. Print Method --> A
2. Destination/Output ---> IDB2PRT
   1. NOTE: Enter a suitable DD name in the first enterable field. Ensure the second field is blank.
3. Max LRECL (133-255) --> 255
   1. NOTE: This matches the Lrecl we used for our dataset. At this time, this is the max linesize supported for this function.
4. Case --> M

Output class can be set to your shop's standard for Held output, but it won't matter when using Print Method A.

Listing ID and Lines Per Page can be left as is.

Next step is to dynamically allocate the print dataset so it can be used by your TSO Insight session.

This allocation will need to be done each time you log into TSO and access Insight, and you want to print Insight screens to a dataset.

From the Insight Command line, enter the following TSO command:

TSO ALLOC DS('USERID.IDB2.PRINT') DD(IDB2PRT) MOD

NOTE: A Disposition of MOD allows multiple panels to be printed to the dataset without overwriting a previous screen print.

A more permanent option would be to allocate an Insight print dataset during your TSO logon.

You would need to be able to specify individual user allocations as part of the Logon process. We have such a capability here at CA.

Comments on how you accomplish this in your shop would be welcome!

You are now ready to PRINT!

Navigate to the panel of interest, and use the PRINT Drop-Down menu to print either the visible screen (Option 1), or the entire report (Option 2).

Quick access is accomplished by entering P.1 or P.2 from the Insight Command line, depending on which print option you are interested in.

If you are on a panel that scrolls to the right (PF10/PF11), as well as down (PF7/PF8), like THRDACTV, option P.2 will print a report that encompasses all lines in the panel, as identified in the ITEM field in the top right of the screen, as well as all columns to the right, to the maximum line size (LRECL) specified of 255.

Any comments regarding the above tip are welcome, as are any questions!

Are there plans to implement this in the same way as thes rest of the DB2 products (QP, QF, PP, PF) ?

It would be nice to have a common approach.

Colin,

As far as I know, there are no plans.

I believe the main reason is that the other DB2 products you refer to, like RC/Query, RC/Update, Detector and so on, are all ex-Platinum DB2 products.

They are architected to share the common code that implements the print commands you refer to.

Insight was not developed by Platinum, and as such, it is not designed to use that common code used by the products above.

For now, we will have to settle for using the PRINT command, or PRINT drop down menu within Insight.
Of course, I would defer to our Product Management team, in case there are plans afoot.  But I have not heard of any.

Is it possible though to run an RC/Query query in batch (either as part of CA option) or from within ISPF/TSO batch?

Yes, you can run RC/Query in batch with the BR command.

Please refer to this section in the manual:  https://wiki.ca.com/display/DMCRFDFZS18/Batch+Reporting

The recent maintenance brought some changes here:

   Lines Per Page  . . . . 00

   Max LRECL (133-27988) . 00400                                            

Now the 'lines per page' parameter accepts zero as a value which means the number of lines unlimited and results in having the header being written only once.

The 'max lrecl' parameter was enhanced to allow the bigger values to be specified.

So now you can easily capture the list of active threads to a data set

Denis,

Thanks for the update!

There was a problem with the Max LRECL for printing in that it was limited to 255, but the new maximum line size for an IQL request is 4095.

Looks like they fixed the problem, and then some!

Nice touch with the 00 option for the Lines Per Page setting to only print the report header on the first page.

Will have to experiment with setting the LRECL to the new max.

However, expect that for now, being able to use LRECL=4095 should cover all printing possibilities.

Unless they change the maximum line size for an IQL Request to match this new printing LRECL max!