Availability management does not delete data set backup versions when a data set is deleted. Doing so defeats the purpose of availability management. Also, retained backup versions that have met their retention period are not automatically deleted. Therefore, over time, unneeded backup versions can accumulate on your backup volumes. You can use the EXPIREBV EXECUTE command to find and delete these unneeded backup versions.
The EXPIREBV command initiates a search of the BCDS for old, unwanted backup versions and deletes them. The old and unwanted backup versions are deleted based on the BACKDS command retention days value specified during data set backup and attributes in the management class for each data set. The EXECUTE parameter causes the BCDS records to be deleted. Each time the EXPIREBV command is issued, all versions that have met their rentention duration will expire, except for the most recent version.
The EXPIREBV command must be issued twice to delete backup versions that were created without a BACKDS command rentention days value. The first execution determines that the data set was scratched and stores the date the EXPIREBV command was issued as the scratch date in the control data set MCB record. The second execution deletes the backup versions when the requested time has passed. The requested time is specified in the management class for SMS data sets or using the EXPIREBV command for non-SMS data sets.
If you want to see a list of backup versions that will be deleted when the EXECUTE parameter is used, use the DISPLAY parameter instead. The output of the DISPLAY parameter can be sent to an output data set or SYSOUT, using the OUTDATASET or SYSOUT parameters. When the EXECUTE parameter is specified, the list is written to the backup activity log.