VSAMRecordCountGen

The VSAMRecordCountGen counts the number of records in a VSAM (Virtual Storage Access Method) file. It supports both fixed-length and variable-length VSAM records and handles common encoding formats used in mainframe environments.

Comparison with FileRowCountGen

Required Parameters

Optional Parameters

Record Format Support

Fixed-Length Records (Default)

For fixed-length VSAM files:

• Set recordLength to the number of bytes per record (e.g. 80).
• The generator reads the file in fixed-size chunks.
• Partial records at the end are counted as one record.

Variable-Length Records

For variable-length VSAM files:

• Set variableLengthRecords to ‘true’.
• Specify recordDelimiter using one or more of the following supported escape sequences: 
  • \r – Carriage return (CR)
  • \n – Line feed (LF)
  • \r\n – Carriage return and line feed (CRLF)
  • \t – Tab
  • \0 – Null
• Optionally, set fileEncoding to specify the encoding used for delimiter characters (default: cp037).
• Control characters (\r, \n, \t, \0) are automatically encoded as US-ASCII regardless of fileEncoding. 
• Other delimiter characters use the specified encoding, ensuring delimiters work correctly across EBCDIC and ASCII files.

File Encoding Support

The generator supports various EBCDIC encodings, as well as ASCII encoding:

Generator Usage Examples

Example 1 - Count Fixed-Length VSAM Records

• filePath = #{resource.output.directory}
• fileSubDir = vsamFiles
• fileName = CUSTOMER.KSDS
• recordLength = 100

Example 2 - Count Variable-Length Records

• filePath = #{resource.output.directory}
• fileSubDir = vsamFiles
• fileName = TRANSACTION.ESDS
• variableLengthRecords = true
• recordDelimiter = \n
• fileEncoding = cp037

Example 3 - Dynamic Count with Refresh

For scenarios where the VSAM file might change during processing:

• filePath = #{resource.output.directory}
• fileSubDir = vsamFiles
• fileName = ACTIVE.KSDS
• recordLength = 150
• refresh = true

Error Handling

• File not found or cannot be opened: Verify that the file path, name, and optional subdirectory are correct.
• Missing recordLength: Specify recordLength for fixed-length records.
• Missing recordDelimiter: Specify recordDelimiter for variable-length records.
• Invalid recordsToIgnore: The value must be a non-negative integer.
• Negative record count: The value of recordsToIgnore exceeds the calculated record count.
• File reading errors: An I/O error occurs while reading the file.

Important Considerations

• Performance: The generator reads the entire file to count records, which may take time for large files. For very large files, consider setting refresh to ‘false’ to avoid recounting on every iteration.
• RealData Mode: The count is performed during initialization when using RealData mode. In non-RealData modes, the generator returns a value of 1.
• File Paths: Both absolute and relative paths are supported.

Related Components

• VSAMFileMaskReceiver: Reads and masks records in VSAM files, rather than counting them.