MCT—monitoring control table

The monitoring control table (MCT) defines the user data fields in CICS® monitoring performance class records, and describes how they are to be manipulated at event monitoring points (EMPs). It also controls which system-defined performance class data fields are recorded. See the CICS Performance Guide for details of the MCT and performance.

The MCT is required only if:
  • You invoke EMPs in your application programs
  • You need to exclude specific system-defined fields from being recorded
  • You want to use monitoring resource classes.
  • You want to collect additional monitoring performance data for the resource managers used by your transaction.
If no MCT is present in the CICS region, CICS assumes the following defaults:
  • The performance, transaction resource, and exception monitoring classes are available.
  • All CICS system-defined data fields are collected.

In your application programs, you can invoke EMPs using the EXEC CICS MONITOR command.

The MCT consists of the following macro instructions:
  • Control section—DFHMCT TYPE=INITIAL
  • User event monitoring points—DFHMCT TYPE=EMP
  • Control data recording—DFHMCT TYPE=RECORD
  • End of monitoring control table—DFHMCT TYPE=FINAL (described in TYPE=FINAL (end of table))