The easiest way to learn JCL is to use some that's already been written, which is why we started the reusable JCL collection. If you need to complete tasks that are not yet represented in the reusable collection, you can borrow someone else's JCL and modify it to suit your task. Understanding general syntax rules and learning about frequently used parameters will help you learn to correctly modify or code your own JCL.

• JCL exercise: Creating and submitting a job
  This exercise takes you through the process of creating a data set member for JCL, coding JCL (using a predefined sample), submitting the job, and viewing the job output. Even if you do not have access to a z/OS® system to accomplish these tasks, reading through the instructions in this exercise will help you understand how to use JCL to create jobs, submit those jobs and interpret the output.
• Coding JCL: Collecting company-specific information
  To correctly code JCL statements and parameter values, you need to collect certain company-specific information. Use this checklist and worksheet to document what you need to know about your company's IT environment.
• 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.
• Coding JCL: Data set types and name syntax
  Naming and syntax rules for coding data set names vary depending on the type of data set you are identifying. Use this summary to determine the type of data set and its corresponding syntax for the DSNAME parameter value.

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