RE: Trigger Question

Jack,

My favorite answer is "It depends"!!

The main thing to remember is that the trigger program must finish
processing BEFORE the application program regains control. If you do a lot
of processing in the trigger program, submitting a batch job is one way to
go, although that is quite a bit of overhead especially if the trigger
program is called a lot.

Another method for shortening the time the trigger program is active is to
have a never-ending batch job that monitors a data queue. The trigger
program can then send the appropriate info to the data queue and return to
the application program. The never-ending batch program then reads the data
queue and performs the long-running process. Using this method adds another
"layer" of stuff to keep track of!

There is another factor to consider. Does your application program need the
trigger program processing to be completed before proceeding. For example,
does the trigger update an inventory count that is needed later on in the
application program. If so, you're probably stuck with having the trigger
program do all the work or reworking your application.

FWIW - I use a lot of triggers and I haven't had any of them submit a batch
job yet.

Hope this helps!
Richard

-----Original Message-----
From: midrange-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:midrange-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx]On Behalf Of Jack Derham
Sent: Saturday, December 17, 2005 12:24 PM
To: MidRange List
Subject: Trigger Question


To All,



A discussion of Triggers the other day got a little heated when one member
of the discussion said that IBM recommends that Trigger programs should not
be designed to SBMJOB jobs but rather should do all of the processing within
the bounds of the trigger program itself. Of coarse, as is almost always the
case in these types of discussions, references were very scares, and the
group of people quickly became polarized into pro and con camps. My search
of the literature did not provide me with any concrete evidence one way or
the other so I am turning to an excellent source of technical information to
get either literature references or personal experience stories to settle
this question in a friendly and logical fashion. The basic question: Should
Trigger programs when necessary be designed to Submit Jobs to complete
required processing.

By the way, A very Merry Christmas holiday to all members.

Jack Derham
Direct Systems, Inc.