National language and non-terminal transactions

When a user specifies a national language during sign-on, the sign-on option overrides the language specified in the user's RACF® CICS® segment. The language thus specified is set for the time that the user is signed on at the terminal. Any transaction invoked by the signed-on user runs with the national language specified on the sign-on.

However, if a transaction uses the START command to start another transaction, the national language attribute for the started transaction is derived as follows:
  1. If the USERID parameter is specified on the START command, the national language is taken from the RACF CICS segment of the specified userid.
  2. If the user is signed on at a terminal with a preset national language specified on the terminal definition, this preset national language is assigned to the started transaction.
  3. If there is no userid on the START command, and no preset national language on the terminal, the started transaction inherits the national language specified in the RACF CICS segment of the signed-on user (not the national language used in the sign-on).

If the national language of the original terminal is required, the terminal's national language can be inquired about before the START command is issued. The information can then be passed as data in the START command for the use of the transaction that has been started.