Dealing with transaction abend codes

When a CICS® transaction abends (ends abnormally), a transaction abend message and an abend code of four alphanumeric characters are sent to CSMT, the CEMT transient data destination (or your site replacement).

This is an example of what the message looks like:

DFHAC2006 date time applid Transaction tranid program program name abend primary abcode at termid.

The message contains several vital pieces of information. It identifies the transaction (tranid) that failed, and the program (program name) that was being executed when the failure was detected. Most importantly, it gives you the abend code (abcode), indicating the nature of the error.

The transaction abend can originate from several places, and the method you use for problem determination depends on the source of the abend. The procedures are described in the sections that follow. As you go through them, you might like to use the worksheet that is included at the end of this section to record your findings (Worksheet for transaction abends).