Coding JCL: Syntax rules for the name field

The name field begins in column 3 and may extend through column 10 in any JOB, EXEC, or DD statement. Using unique labels in the name field is useful for identifying, referring to, and diagnosing problems with specific JCL statements.

Syntax rules for the name field are:

The name must begin in column 3 of the JCL statement.
The name can be one through eight characters in length.
The first character in the name must be an alphabetic character (the letters A through Z) or a special character (the symbols #, @, and $).
The remaining characters can be alphanumeric (the letters A through Z and numbers 0 through 9) or special characters.
Blank spaces cannot be included in a name.