Use the access method services DELETE command, described in z/OS DFSMS Access Method Services Commands, to delete data sets, catalogs, and objects. DELETE entry name removes the data set from the volume on which it resides, and the catalog entry for the data set. You can delete the entire cluster, or just the alternate index, path, or alias, for example. Use DELETE entry name VVR FILE (ddname) to delete an uncataloged VSAM data set. DELETE entry name VVR FILE (ddname) removes the VSAM volume record (VVR) from the VSAM volume data set (VVDS), and the data set control block from the volume table of contents (VTOC).

Use the ERASE parameter if you want to erase the components of a cluster or alternate index when deleting it. ERASE overwrites the data set. Use the NOSCRATCH parameter if you do not want the data set entry (DSCB) removed from the VTOC. NOSCRATCH nullifies an ERASE parameter on the same DELETE command.

Use access method services to delete a VSAM cluster or a path which has associated alternate indexes defined with NOUPGRADE. However, if you perform the delete using JCL by specifying a DD statement with DISP=(OLD,DELETE), all volumes that are necessary to delete the alternate index are not allocated. The delete operation fails with an error message when the job step ends.