*Jol: The High‑Level Language That Simplifies Mainframe Job Control* For decades, IBM JCL has been the backbone of mainframe batch processing — powerful, but notoriously rigid and difficult to maintain. Anyone who has worked with it knows the pain: positional parameters, cryptic syntax, and endless rules that make even simple tasks feel unnecessarily complex.
*Jol* was created to solve that problem. Jol is a high‑level, English‑like command language designed to replace or dramatically simplify JCL. It brings clarity, structure, and automation to environments that have historically been difficult to modernize. *Why Jol Matters* Mainframes aren’t going away. They continue to run critical workloads in banking, insurance, government, and large enterprises. But the skill gap is widening, and organizations need tools that make these systems more accessible. Jol does exactly that by offering: *1. A Cleaner, More Readable Alternative to JCL* Instead of rigid syntax, Jol uses free‑form, English‑style commands. Examples: Code 5 TRKS instead of: Code SPACE=(TRK,(5)) Or: Code IF A=10 | B=2 instead of: Code COND=((10,NE,A),(2,NE,B)) This reduces errors and makes job definitions far easier to understand. *2. Built‑In Scheduling and Job Networking* Jol includes a full scheduling engine: - Run jobs on specific days - Trigger jobs based on conditions - Build job networks with dependencies - Automate multi‑step workflows Example: Code SUBMIT JOB3 AFTER JOB1 & JOB2 ENDED; This eliminates the need for external schedulers in many environments. *3. Smarter Dataset Management* Jol maintains a dataset attribute database, so you don’t have to manually code: - RECFM - LRECL - SPACE - UNIT - DSORG Commands like: Code SORT CARDS TO SORTED.CARDS; work without specifying any attributes — Jol fills them in automatically. *4. A Unified Scripting Environment* Jol combines the capabilities of: - JCL - CLIST - REXX - A scheduler - A dataset manager - A macro language All in one consistent environment. It supports variables, IF/THEN logic, loops, arithmetic, string handling, and even user exits for enforcing standards and security. *5. Flexibility for Modernization* Jol can: - Generate optimized JCL - Or bypass JCL entirely and run jobs directly This makes it ideal for organizations modernizing legacy systems without breaking existing workflows. *The Bottom Line* Jol brings clarity, automation, and maintainability to mainframe operations. It reduces the learning curve for new engineers, improves reliability, and gives organizations a path to modernize without abandoning the systems they depend on. In a world where mainframe expertise is becoming harder to find, tools like Jol help bridge the gap — making legacy systems more accessible, more efficient, and far easier to manage. The main Jol website is at www.Oscar-Jol.com <http://www.oscar-jol.com/>. There is a list of Jol Instructions at https://www.jolucl.com/JolDoc/. Simply click on an instruction on the left and full details will be displayed. And it can be downloaded at https://start.oscar-jol.com/downloads/download-store. Choose the second item - the Zos Executables. _._,_._, ---------------------------------------------------------------------- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to [email protected] with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
