Bank of Z

CICS Debugging

Overview

In this tutorial, you use the z/OS debugger to debug a CICS COBOL program and trace the flow of customer data from the application request through the DB2 lookup and response. The demonstration also verifies that the newly added email field is returned correctly to the Bank of Z frontend.

Prerequisites

Before starting this tutorial, ensure that you have:

  • Completed the CICS Enhancement Scenario tutorial
  • Successfully deployed the updated Bank of Z application
  • Access to the Bank of Z frontend and z/OS environment
  • A configured z/OS debugger profile

What you learn

By completing this tutorial, you learn how to:

  • Create and activate a debug profile for a CICS program
  • Start a source-level debugging session
  • Set breakpoints and monitor variables
  • Step through COBOL application logic
  • Trace customer data through the DB2 lookup
  • Verify the response returned through z/OS Connect

Debug the CICS program

The demonstration covers:

  • Connecting to the z/OS debugger
  • Creating and activating a debug profile
  • Triggering the CICS transaction from the Bank of Z frontend
  • Setting breakpoints and adding variables to the watch panel
  • Stepping through the COBOL program
  • Inspecting the DB2 query and returned customer data
  • Tracing the email value through the application output
  • Following the response through z/OS Connect
  • Verifying the customer details, including the email address, in the frontend

Outcome

After completing this tutorial, you understand how to use the z/OS debugger to trace a CICS COBOL program, inspect application and database data, and verify the response returned to the Bank of Z frontend.