Common problems and mistakes when using FRS

Q:

Why is FRS recovery not working as expected?  Possible symptoms include a return code of 4 or above, VSAM/FRS error codes in R15 and FDBK, or no records recovered for a file or files.

A:

There could be a number of causes.

1. Ensure that the RECFM in FRS (F or V) matches the RECORDFormat in the file definition in RDO, and that they both agree with the DEFINE CLUSTER's RECORDSIZE.
2. Check that the FRS TYPE (KSDS, ESDS or RRDS) is correct. 
3. Make sure that the journal is the correct one for the file(s) being recovered, that the JOURNAL DD SUBSYS and DCB parameters are correct, and if you are using a copy of the journal that it was copied with DFHJUP correctly. 
4. Ensure the VSAM file(s) you are recovering are exactly the same as they were when opened in CICS for the timeframe being recovered.