Professional training – Mainframe & Legacy Systems
JCL
Hands-on JCL course: you work on JOB, EXEC and DD statements, Allocating and releasing datasets and Procedures and symbolic parameters and take away knowledge you can apply right away.
- Duration
- 6 hours, one session
- Level
- Beginner
- Format
- Online or on-site
- Language
- German or English
- Certificate
- Certificate of attendance
Overview
In “JCL” we combine fundamentals and practice: you get to know JOB, EXEC and DD statements, Allocating and releasing datasets and Procedures and symbolic parameters, apply what you learn in exercises and receive templates and checklists for your own use.
Mainframes and long-established legacy applications still process business-critical transactions in banks, insurers, industry and public administration. Expertise is scarce, yet these systems must be operated, secured and modernized step by step. Our JCL courses are aimed at beginners, developers and operations teams who want to master existing systems with confidence or move them into new architectures. We work hands-on in a provided lab environment with real exercises, troubleshooting and typical production tasks. The course runs online or on site, lasts one day and is offered at a fixed price per participant.
The course is delivered live – either online in a virtual classroom or on-site in our training rooms in Munich, Salzburg, Berlin, Augsburg, Hanover, Bremen, Stuttgart and Kaiserslautern. We can also run it exclusively for your team.
Focus areas of the course
Who is this course for?
- Developers and system programmers in mainframe environments
- Career changers and new hires for legacy operations
- Operators, administrators and security officers
- Architects and project managers for modernization programs
What you will be able to do
- You know the key topics of JCL – JOB, EXEC and DD statements, Allocating and releasing datasets, Procedures and symbolic parameters, Conditional processing with COND and IF, Utilities: IEBGENER, IEFBR14, SORT and Analyzing return codes and abends – and can apply them in practice.
- You understand the concepts behind JCL and place them within your system landscape.
- You use JCL confidently and in line with standards in daily work.
- You narrow down JCL faults systematically and fix them quickly.
- You assess the risks, maintainability and modernization options of your existing systems on a sound basis.
Course outline
Module 1 Fundamentals and concepts of JCL
- Key terms, architecture and placement within the mainframe and legacy landscape
- Important objects, file types and tools
- Typical enterprise use cases
- Differences from related technologies and platforms
Module 2 Focus areas: JCL
- JOB, EXEC and DD statements
- Allocating and releasing datasets
- Procedures and symbolic parameters
- Conditional processing with COND and IF
- Utilities: IEBGENER, IEFBR14, SORT
- Analyzing return codes and abends
Module 3 Development and configuration
- First steps with JCL using working examples
- Building programs, definitions and parameters cleanly
- Accessing data and neighboring subsystems
- Conventions and standards for maintainable code
Module 4 Operations, security and performance
- Monitoring, logs and evaluating runtime data
- Permissions and hardening according to common requirements
- Spotting bottlenecks and improving run times
- Moving changes into production in a controlled way
Module 5 Troubleshooting and hands-on labs
- Systematic troubleshooting with dumps, logs and diagnostic tools
- Reproducing and fixing typical JCL failure patterns
- Automating recurring tasks
- Case studies and exercises from real production scenarios
Module 6 Transfer to your daily work
- Exercise based on a realistic case
- Typical mistakes and how to avoid them
- Checklist and templates to take away
- Open questions, outlook and resources for further learning
Prerequisites
Entry-level courses require no mainframe knowledge. Advanced courses assume basics of the respective platform or language. No prior knowledge is required.
Technical requirements
Laptop with a current browser and terminal emulator; access to the mainframe or legacy lab environment for JCL is provided by us.
Dates & locations
For every location we suggest a date roughly four weeks ahead. Your preferred date is always possible.
- Munich Tue, 15 December 2026 6 hrs Request
- Salzburg Tue, 15 December 2026 6 hrs Request
- Berlin Thu, 10 December 2026 6 hrs Request
- Augsburg Fri, 11 December 2026 6 hrs Request
- Hanover Fri, 11 December 2026 6 hrs Request
- Bremen Mon, 14 December 2026 6 hrs Request
- Stuttgart Thu, 10 December 2026 6 hrs Request
- Kaiserslautern Mon, 14 December 2026 6 hrs Request
- Online Tue, 15 December 2026 6 hrs Request
Frequently asked questions
Do I need prior knowledge for JCL?
That depends on the level. Entry-level courses assume no mainframe experience, while advanced JCL courses expect basic knowledge of the platform or language. If you are unsure, we are happy to recommend the right starting point in a short pre-call.
Do we work on a real mainframe?
For JCL we provide a lab environment that you access via terminal emulator or browser. That lets you develop and configure safely and provoke failures on purpose. You do not need your own systems, but you are welcome to bring your own questions.
How much does “JCL” cost?
The course costs a flat €949 plus VAT per participant – whether online or on-site. This includes 6 hours of live training with a trainer, course materials, a lab environment and a certificate of attendance.
Can I suggest my own date?
Yes. For every location we suggest a date roughly four weeks ahead. In the request form you can always describe your preferred date or period in free text – we check availability and get back to you within one working day.
Is the course online or on-site?
Both are possible: live online in a virtual classroom or on-site in Munich, Salzburg, Berlin, Augsburg, Hanover, Bremen, Stuttgart and Kaiserslautern. We can also run the course exclusively for your team.
Can the course be tailored to our team?
Yes. Tailor-made courses cost approx. €4,500 more, depending on the topic and by arrangement. We agree content, examples and exercises with you in advance.