Apparatus, system, and method for managing z/OS batch jobs with prerequisites

A system to manage computer jobs with prerequisite jobs in a main frame computing system, the system comprising:

• a computer with a mainframe operating system;
• a user interface connected to the computer;
• a display connected to the user interface;
• a processor in the computer;
• and
• a memory in the computer, the memory comprising
• a task list module generating a task list, wherein the task list comprises one or more job groupings;
• a grouping module generating a job grouping file associated with a job grouping in the task list, wherein the job grouping file comprises one or more prerequisite jobs, and a composite job, wherein the composite job depends upon successful completion of each prerequisite job associated with the composite job and is a prerequisite job for at least one dependent job and the jobs are for processing by a computer with a mainframe operating system, and generating a status structure at a prescribed time interval, the status structure indicating a status of each job in the job grouping structure;
• and
• a management module submitting the jobs in the job grouping file to the computer for processing, wherein the jobs are submitted such that each prerequisite job associated with the composite job successfully completes prior to submission of the composite job and the composite job successfully completes prior to submission of the at least one dependent job for which the composite job is a prerequisite job, the management module further reading the status structure, displaying a task list of the jobs, editing prerequisite and composite jobs for a first job with an Interactive System Productivity Facility (ISPF) Editor, displaying a line status of each job in the job grouping structure in response to a user input and if the status structure for the job has a status structure age less than a status age maximum, each status line comprising a status, a job name, a message, and a command line, the status consisting of submitted, running, waiting, complete, error and not run statuses, wherein the submitted status indicates a job number is assigned, the not run status indicates that a prerequisite job failed, and the error status indicates a non-zero completion code, editing job control language of the first job in response to the first job failing, and rerunning the edited first job and jobs depending on the completion of the first job in response to a command in the command line.

A method for managing computer jobs with prerequisite jobs in a main frame computing system, the method comprising:

• obtaining a job management tool that manages dependent jobs with prerequisite jobs, the job management tool comprising
• determining a job grouping of jobs for processing by a computer with a mainframe operating system;
• generating a job grouping structure associated with the job grouping, wherein the job grouping structure comprises one or more prerequisite jobs, and a composite job, wherein the composite job depends upon successful completion of each prerequisite job associated with the composite job and is a prerequisite job for at least one dependent job;
• generating a status structure at a prescribed time interval, the status structure indicating a status of each job in the job grouping structure;
• submitting for processing the jobs in the job grouping structure to the computer, wherein the jobs are submitted such that each prerequisite job associated with the composite job successfully completes prior to submission of the composite job and the composite job successfully completes prior to submission of the at least one dependent job for which the composite job is a prerequisite job;
• reading the status structure;
• reading the status structure;
• displaying a task list of the jobs;
• editing prerequisite and composite jobs for a first job with an Interactive System Productivity Facility (ISPF) Editor;
• displaying a status line of each job in the job grouping structure in response to a user input and if the status structure for the job has a status structure age less than a status age maximum, each status line comprising a status, a job name, a message, and a command line, the status consisting of submitted, running, waiting, complete, error and not run statuses, wherein the submitted status indicates a job number is assigned, the not run status indicates that a prerequisite job failed, and the error status indicates a non-zero completion code;
• editing job control language of the first job in response to the first job failing;
• and
• rerunning the edited first job and jobs depending on the completion of the first job in response to a command in the command line.