If a CICS ASRA abend (OC4) occurs at PUTPIPE

There are two common causes of ASRA abends at the PUTPIPE command: a SQLLEN packed decimal error and VARCHAR or LVARCHAR definition error.

Defining packed decimals in the SQLDA is a common source of errors. When you define the length of a packed decimal in the SQLLEN field, the length is a decimal translation of hexadecimal 'PPSS', where:

• PP (precision) is the number of total digits in the decimal.

• SS (scale) is the number of those digits to the right of the decimal.

An incorrect length causes an ASRA abend at the PUTPIPE command. The following table shows how the problem can occur.

You can calculate the hex value using the following formula:

pp x 256 + ss = length

where pp is precision and ss is scale.

For example:

05 SQLLEN PIC S9(4) COMP VALUE +3330.

13 x 256 + 02 = 3330

You can avoid decimal translation by redefining the SQLLEN field as a PIC(2) with a hexadecimal value:

05 SQLLEN-X                 PIC X(2)VALUE X'0D02’.
 05 SQLLEN REDEFINES SQLLEN-X PIC S9(4)COMP.

When VARCHAR and LVARCHAR are defined in the LINKAGE SECTION, they each require a preceding 2-byte field for their length. Not including this length field causes an ASRA abend at the PUTPIPE command.

The code must include a computed field, which passes the amount of space that is required for the text:

01 VARCHAR-HOLD.
     05 VARCHAR-LENGTH     PIC S9(4)COMP.
     05 VARCHAR-TEXT       PIC X(200).

If the code omits the computed field, the first two characters in the text field are used for the length of the text field:

01 VARCHAR-HOLD.
        05 VARCHAR-TEXT       PIC X(200).

The hexadecimal value for alphas can be very large. The result is an ASRA abend, or even a CICS crash.