Update timestamps in Endevor API and CSV extract records

Products

• Endevor

Issue/Introduction

The records returned by Endevor API list-type functions like LIST ELEMENT or LIST PACKAGE ACTION include fields like 'last update date' and 'last update time'

These fields are also extracted by the corresponding LIST xxx functions in the CSV utility

What are they used for?

 

Resolution

Each type of extracted record originates from a record in an MCF file or in the package dataset.

In order to allow for RELOAD or for PITR (point in time recovery), each record type in every VSAM dataset contains a "last update timestamp", which is a date in the form yyyy-mm-dd and a time in the form hh:mm:ss.hh which is extracted by the system clock each time that the record is updated. 

The timestamp allows RELOAD and PITR to decide whether a record from the reload dataset or the LSERV journal has to replace the corresponding record in the VSAM dataset.

These timestamps are also extracted by the API and the CSV utility. Normally they don't have any practical utility nor can they be exactly matched with other timestamps. They are included in the extracted record as they might be of use when investigating something else.