To ensure that the requested record is in virtual storage before you start processing, you must issue a WAIT or CHECK macro. If you issue a WAIT macro, you must test the exception code field of the DECB. If you issue a CHECK macro, the system tests the exception code field in the DECB.

If an error analysis routine has not been specified and a CHECK is issued, and an error situation exists, the program abnormally ends with a system completion code of X'001'. For both WAIT and CHECK, if you want to determine whether the record is an overflow record, you should test the exception code field of the DECB.

After you test the exception code field, you need not set it to 0. If you have used a READ KU (read an updated record) macro, and if you plan to use the same DECB again to rewrite the updated record using a WRITE K macro, you should not set the field to 0. If you do, your record might not be rewritten properly.