Your output data can be printed or punched from an output stream that is called the SYSOUT data set. Code the SYSOUT parameter in your DD statement and designate the appropriate output class. For example, SYSOUT=A requests output class A. Your installation establishes the class-device relationship; a list of devices assigned to each output class will enable you to select the appropriate one.

JES permits multiple opens to the same SYSOUT data set, and the records are interspersed. However, you need to ensure that your application serializes the data set. For more information about serialization see Sharing Non-VSAM Data Sets.

From open to close of a particular data control block you should not change the DCB indicators of the presence or type of control characters. When directed to disk or tape, all the DCB's for a particular data set should have the same type of control characters. For a SYSOUT data set, the DCBs can have either type of control character or none. The result depends on the ultimate destination of the data set. For local printers and punches, each record is processed according to its control character.

When you use QSAM with fixed-length blocked records or BSAM, the DCB block size parameter does not have to be a multiple of logical record length (LRECL) if the block size is specified in the SYSOUT DD statement. Under these conditions, if block size is greater than, but not a multiple of, LRECL, the block size is reduced to the nearest lower multiple of LRECL when the data set is opened.

You can specify blocking for SYSOUT data sets, even though your LRECL is not known to the system until execution. Therefore, the SYSOUT DD statement of the go step of a compile-load-go procedure can specify a block size without the block size being a multiple of LRECL.

You should omit the DEVD parameter in the DCB macro, or you should code DEVD=DA.

You can use the SETPRT macro to affect the attributes and scheduling of a SYSOUT data set.

Your program is responsible for printing format, pagination, header control, and stacker select. You can supply control characters for SYSOUT data sets in the normal manner by specifying ANSI or machine characters in the DCB. Standard controls are provided by default if they are not explicitly specified. The length of output records must not exceed the allowable maximum length for the ultimate device. Cards can be punched in EBCDIC mode only.

You can supply table reference characters (TRC's) for SYSOUT data sets by specifying OPTCD=J in the DCB. When the data set is printed, if the printer does not support TRC's then the system discards them.

See "Processing SYSIN, SYSOUT, and System Data Sets" under Coding Processing Methods.