DBCS support is not used to create characters; it is used to print and copy DBCS characters already in the data set. To print and copy DBCS characters, use the access method services commands PRINT and REPRO. See z/OS DFSMS Access Method Services Commands for information on using PRINT and REPRO with DBCS data.

When the data has a mixture of DBCS and SBCS strings, you must use two special delimiters, SO (shift out) and SI (shift in), which designate where a DBCS string begins and where it ends. SO tells you when you are leaving an SBCS string, and SI tells you when you are returning to an SBCS string. Use the PRINT and REPRO commands to insert the SO and SI characters around the DBCS data.

DBCS data must satisfy the following criteria:

1. The data must be bracketed by paired SO and SI characters when used in combination with SBCS data.
2. The number of bytes between the SO and SI characters must be even because each DBCS character requires two bytes to represent it.
3. Each DBCS character must reside within a range of valid character codes. The valid character codes range from X'41' through X'FE' for both the first and second byte. For example, X'41FE' is a valid DBCS character but not X'39FF'. X'4040' is a DBCS space.