Senior Database Administrator – IMS Logical

About Ensono

Ensono’s mission is to deliver technology solutions that enable our clients to be great at what they do. We’re trusted by some of the world’s most successful companies because we deliver complete hybrid IT solutions and governance customized to each client’s IT journey. Our solutions address clients’ current needs and help them to adapt to the ever-changing demands of tomorrow.

Job Description Summary 

The Database Administrator creates, maintains, designs, monitors and troubleshoots Ensono or client databases. They maintain specific relational database management systems, develop and implement database recovery mechanisms and procedures and coordinate security measures to safeguard database integrity.

Required Technical Skills:

• Bachelor’s degree required and/or equivalent work experience.
• 10+ years of professional experience in IMS Database Administration. IBM, BMC, and CA tools for IMS a plus

Extensive experience with the following:

• Knowledge of IMS database organization using access methods of VSAM and OSAM
  • Full function database organization types
  • HSAM, HISAM, SHISAM, HDAM, HIDAM, INDEX, GSAM
  • Definition and use of LOGICAL databases
  • HALDB (partitioned): PHDAM, PHIDAM, ILDS, PSINDEX, etc.
  • Fast Path databases (DEDBs)
• Evaluating change requests and determine impact to assigned clients
• Vendor consultations for problems and questions
• DR recovery of application objects
• Troubleshooting and solving production database issues
• Demonstrated ability to respond quickly and effectively to support requests from multiple clients
• Supporting multiple customers for after hours on-call
• Database Administration
  • Database Design and related utilities
  • DBD source coding and DBDGEN
  • PSBGEN source coding and PSBGEN
  • ABGEN source coding and ABGEN
  • Adding TRANs/PROG/DBs via MODBLKS GEN and Online Change Process
  • Adding databases dynamically to an IMS online system
  • Creation of test databases
  • Loading databases
  • Converting databases to HALDB​
• How databases are processed using secondary indexes (PROCSEQ=)
  • Correct usage of PROCOPT= to minimize database locking
  • ACBGEN
  • Online Change
  • IMS commands related to ACB and FORMAT changes
• Coding and usage of IMS reorganization utilities (including IBM, BMC, CA)
  • Unload
  • Prefix resolution
  • Reload
  • Prefix update
  • Secondary index build
  • Image copy
  • Pointer checker
• Support planned (disaster recovery) and unplanned (emergency) database recovery activities
• Knowledge of log archive and change accumulation utilities
• How to perform a log archive on demand
• Knowledge of IMS DB recovery utilities
• Knowledge of how to use DBRC to generate JCL for forward recovery and point-in-time database recovery.
• Database monitoring
  • Perform tasks associated with IMS Database space management reporting and remediation, including the immediate fixing of an out of space condition for an IMS database VSAM dataset
  • Identify and resolve performance issues
  • Online tracing – Issue IMS TRACE commands and associated utilities for spot monitoring of online program/transaction activity
  • Extract information from IMS logs using DFSERA10 and related utilities DFSUTR20 and DFSUTR30
  • Use DFSDDLT0 utility to access data
  • Program/transaction monitoring
    • Familiarity with usage of IBM’s IMS performance Analyzer product is a plus
  • Use DBRC to monitor database activity

Roles and Responsibilities:

• Support Mainframe zOS upgrades, IMS upgrades, and Disaster Recovery tests by verifying IMS databases are active and online post upgrade.
• Work with vendor personnel to achieve timely solutions of database problems
• Day-to-Day database maintenance such as creating backups, performing restores, monitoring file extent growth, scheduling reorganizations, creating, and maintaining DR procedures and overall support of client needs and requests.
• Perform database optimization tasks that will include general reporting and analysis of the efficiency of the database configuration and periodic review of database performance.
• Application Development support.
• 24×7 on-call rotation is a requirement.