With SCLM, product managers can use the SCLM-supplied default data set naming convention or a user-defined naming convention. The default naming convention is PROJECT.GROUP.TYPE. If the SCLM default naming convention is not used, the project manager's convention must use the MVS™ naming conventions. For example, it is possible to use four or five qualifiers in the data set names instead of the three qualifiers that are used by the SCLM naming convention. (The PROJDEFS data sets are exceptions; these data sets must use the naming convention defined in Step 4: Allocate the PROJDEFS data sets.)

To define a naming convention other than SCLM's default naming convention, you must specify data set names that correspond to specific groups or the entire project. While the names of the data sets used by SCLM can use more than three qualifiers, the developers still see the PROJECT.GROUP.TYPE naming convention on the SCLM dialog panels and service calls. The project definition creates a mapping between the PROJECT.GROUP.TYPE name and the user-defined data set names associated with each group in the hierarchy.

The data set names are defined in the project definition with the FLMCNTRL and FLMALTC macros. Each macro has a DSNAME parameter that allows the project manager to specify the data set names for the entire project or for individual groups. The FLMCNTRL macro defines the data set names for the entire project; the FLMALTC macro defines the data set names on a group-by-group basis. FLMALTC macro includes an example of how to set up the macros to use flexible naming of partitioned data sets.

The DSNAME parameters on both macros work the same way and can be used within the same project definition. The value specified on the DSNAME parameter is a pattern for the data set name. This pattern must meet MVS naming conventions and can contain the SCLM variables @@FLMPRJ, @@FLMGRP, and @@FLMTYP. If DSNAME is not specified, SCLM uses the default naming convention of PROJECT.GROUP.TYPE. The use of variable @@FLMTYP is required. SCLM verifies that the variable @@FLMTYP is used on each DSNAME parameter when the project definition is loaded into memory. The variable @@FLMGRP is very strongly recommended. The use of these variables minimizes the risk that data set names associated with different groups are the same and prevents data from being overwritten. The variable @@FLMPRJ is optional.

The SCLM variable @@FLMDSN is created from the value of the DSNAME parameter. Therefore, if the data set name pattern is @@FLMPRJ.component_name.@@FLMGRP.@@FLMTYP, the value of @@FLMDSN will be @@FLMPRJ.component_name.@@FLMGRP.@@FLMTYP.

The versioning partitioned data sets can also use a naming convention other than SCLM's default naming convention. The VERPDS parameter on the FLMCNTRL and FLMALTC macros is used to specify the name of the versioning partitioned data sets. SCLM uses a default of @@FLMDSN.VERSION for the names of the versioning data sets. If a pattern other than the default is used, the variables @@FLMGRP and @@FLMTYP must be part of the data set name pattern. Using two variables minimizes the risk that the versioning data set names associated with different groups are the same, and prevents data from being overwritten.