FCT—file control table

The file control table (FCT) describes to CICS® the Basic Direct Access Method (BDAM) user files that are processed by file management. CICS user files correspond to physical data sets that must have been defined to MVS™ and allocated to the CICS system before they are used.
Note:
  1. To define VSAM files, use CEDA or DFHCSDUP. See FILE definition attributes.
  2. Because CICS file management processes only VSAM and BDAM data sets, you define any sequential data sets as extrapartition destinations by using the CEDA DEFINE TDQUEUE command. See TDQUEUE definition attributes.
The following macros specify file characteristics, and some of the characteristics of BDAM data sets referenced by the files:
  • DFHFCT TYPE=INITIAL establishes the beginning of the FCT.
  • DFHFCT TYPE=FILE defines the characteristics of a file, such as record characteristics and types of service allowed.
  • DFHFCT TYPE=FINAL concludes the FCT. (See TYPE=FINAL (end of table).)