Query Editor

You create queries to search resources using the Query Editor.

About this task

The Query Editor is flexible and you can create queries to show exactly what you want to see. You can perform a number of tasks with the Query Editor:
  • Search for resources based on their criteria against a set of expressions.
  • Create, delete, edit, run, and view queries.
  • Name queries. You must follow the naming guidelines described in Valid query and folder names.
  • Display the results of running a query in the Show Resources view.

What to do next

You can specify two main criteria in a query: the parts of an interaction that you want to see, and the interactions that you want to include.

The parts of an interaction to see

When you select the type of resource that you want to query, you can choose the information that you want to be shown in the tree structure of the Show Resources view when the query runs. The following screen capture shows the Create IMS™ query which includes a menu that lists the types of resources that you can query. You can select multiple resources.

Screen capture of the Create Query window

To add a resource to the tree, use the green plus green plus button above the tree structure. To remove a resource, use the red cross red cross button while the resource is selected. You can move up and down the tree using the down arrow yellow downward arrow and up arrow yellow upward arrow buttons.

Interactions to include

To further refine the query for the resources that you have chosen, use the Filter results panel. You can create multiple expression filters and each resource is provided with a set of filter possibilities. To add filters use the green plus green plus button above the table of all expressions. To remove a filter, use the red crossred cross button while the expression is selected.

The following example shows a CICS® Query called CICS Query Programs D that shows the Resource type, at the top of the tree, followed by Resource name, Transaction, and Program, where the only programs shown in the query results begin with D as requested in the filter results panel.

Screen capture of create query window

The result of running the CICS Query Programs D is displayed in the Show Resources view, in the order specified by the query.

Screen capture of the Show Resources view that shows the results of running the CICS Query Programs D query.

If an expression does not have a choice entered against it in the Filter results panel, of the Query Editor that expression is removed from the query, is not stored, and is not retrieved when the query is edited the next time.

You can add an expression with a suitable value in the Filter results panel of the Query Editor when you next edit a query.

If the column name you want to filter has a name relationship with another column, that is they have the same name, use the radio button to select either the column of the same name or to select a value that to enter in the following panel. The following example shows the Filter panels when there is a single column name relationship:

Screen capture that shows the filtering available when the column name chosen to be filtered by, in this example Transaction, has a single column name relationship, in this example, with Resource Name

If the column name you chose to filter the results has a name relationship with more than one other column name, they are listed in a menu as shown in the following example:

Screen capture that shows the filtering available when the column name chosen to be filtered by, in this example Resource name, has multiple column name relationships, in this example, with Program, Transaction, and Region Applid.

You can create a query to further interrogate the particular user ID for a given run of a transaction.

Screen capture of the query editor with query to interrogate the particular user ID for a specific run of a transaction.

You can create a scanner query to compare CICS collector and scanner data to make sure that the CICS IA data that is captured at run time and the data captured during the batch scanner are consistent.

Screen capture of the query editor with query using CICS collector and scanner data.

In version 3.2.0.1 of the CICS IA plug-in new resource types are available to add to the Show and Filter parts of a query. These are Channel, Commarea, Object Length, User Data 1, User Data 2 and, User Data 3. A new resource type is also available specifically for the Show part of a query called Collection ID.

Screen capture of the new resource types available when making a CICS query.

When running the query in the previous screen capture only resources in the scope of the current Collection ID are displayed in the Shown Resources view.

Screen capture of a query for the current Collection ID.