Specifying MVS data set names in the shell environment

Several utilities allow the user to specify an MVS™ data set name in place of a z/OS® UNIX file name. See Utilities that support MVS data set names for the current list. This topic describes the syntax for specifying an MVS data set name. Because MVS data set names generally contain single quotation marks and parentheses, which can be misinterpreted by the shell, care needs to be taken to correctly escape these characters.

What follows are general rules for specifying MVS data set names. Consult the description of each utility for more specific instructions or exceptions.