Prepare
- Upload CA Datacom files
Guide
CA Datacom is a relational database management system with inverted-list origins, commonly used in mainframe environments with its own area-based storage.
Why Agent Required
Datacom runs on mainframe systems that cannot directly upload data to the web. The DataMeans Agent connects securely to your mainframe environment for extraction.
What You Can Extract
- Datacom versions 3.x through current
- Area datasets
- Table and record structures
- Table relationships and key definitions
- Index data
What You Get Out
DataMeans extracts your data into multiple modern formats:
| Output | Description |
|---|---|
csv/{TableName}.csv | One CSV file per table with all row data |
xlsx/{TableName}.xlsx | Excel workbook per table |
xls/{TableName}.xls | Legacy Excel format per table |
json/{TableName}.json | JSON array of records per table |
json/{TableName}.jsonl | Newline-delimited JSON (streaming-friendly) |
postgres.sql | PostgreSQL CREATE TABLE + INSERT statements |
schema/schema-graph.json | Relationship graph for visualization |
schema/er-model.json | ER model for diagram tools |
report.json | Structured extraction report |
report.md | Human-readable extraction summary |
How It Works
Agent availability: The DataMeans Agent is currently in development and not yet available for download. The steps below describe the planned workflow. To get notified when Datacom support launches, reach out via our About page.
- Download and install the DataMeans Agent on a system with Datacom access
- Configure connection to your mainframe/Datacom environment
- Select schemas and tables to extract
- The Agent extracts data and uploads securely to DataMeans
- Review and download your converted data
Planned Support
- Table structure extraction and normalization
- Inverted-list index resolution
- Record data recovery
- Multi-level relationship mapping
Known Limitations
- Requires DataMeans Agent installation
- Mainframe connectivity required
- Complex record structures may need manual review
Last updated: January 2026
Technical reference
Overview
CA Datacom (formerly DATACOM/DB, marketed by Broadcom as Datacom since 2021) is a database management system for IBM mainframe environments running z/OS and z/VSE. It was initially designed around inverted-list technology to rapidly retrieve data from very large files, and later transitioned to relational technology with index-driven capabilities, presenting data as two-dimensional tables of rows and columns. Database requests from batch and online (CICS) applications are serviced centrally by the Multi-User Facility (MUF), and programs access data through SQL or through native record-at-a-time commands that transfer data in elements.
History and Background
- 1968: Computer Information Management Company (CIM) founded in Dallas by three former IBM employees.
- 1972: DATACOM/DB initially released, developed for credit-reporting and banking workloads.
- 1974: Insyte acquires CIM, which becomes Insyte Datacom.
- 1974: The teleprocessing monitor is split from the database engine; the two parts are renamed Datacom/DC (data communications) and Datacom/DB (database).
- 1978: Applied Data Research (ADR) purchases Insyte Datacom in November.
- 1986: Ameritech acquires ADR.
- 1988: Computer Associates acquires ADR, adding Datacom/DB and the Ideal 4GL to its catalog.
- 1989: CA-Datacom/DB 8.0 released, the first step in CA's plan to merge CA-Universe SQL technology into the product.
- 2009: CA Datacom/DB Version 12.0 for z/OS released, adding IBM zIIP specialty-processor exploitation for online, batch, and distributed workloads.
- 2011: CA Datacom/DB 14.0 released with enhanced zIIP specialty-processor exploitation.
- 2018: Broadcom acquires CA Technologies, including the Datacom product family.
- 2021: Broadcom drops the CA prefix; the product family is marketed as Datacom.
File Format Specifications
Datacom/DB manages its own physical storage in preformatted direct-access data sets called areas, all described by a central Directory (CXX).
File Extensions:
- No file extensions - data resides in mainframe data sets
- CXX: Directory describing databases, tables, and areas
- IXX: Index Area data sets holding key values and pointers
- LXX and FXX: Log Area and Force Area used for recovery logging
- PXX: Statistics and Diagnostics Area holding operational statistics and dumps; each MUF requires its own PXX data set
File Structure:
- Database: Identified by a numeric ID; up to 5,000 per environment
- Area: Physical data set containing either index entries or data records
- Area limits: 1 to 240 data areas per database; up to 240 tables per data area, and 240 tables per database
- Table: Two-dimensional structure of rows (records) and columns (fields)
- Block: Unit of area storage, with block size defined in Datadictionary
- Index: Key values with pointers to the corresponding data records
- Index naming: the
IXXalways exists and holds space-management and URI entries; Multi-Dataset Index keys may use areasI00throughI99, supplying the first three characters of the z/OS DDNAME
Key Components:
- Master Key: Required on every table; definable as updatable or non-updatable
- Native Key: Required on every table; dictates the physical storage sequence
- Element: One or more contiguous fields, the unit of transfer for record-level commands
- Datadictionary: Repository of database, area, table, and field definitions
- Multi-User Facility (MUF): Address space that services database requests
Data Types and Structures
| Type | Description | Storage |
|---|---|---|
| C | Character (default field type) | Fixed length, EBCDIC |
| N | Numeric (zoned decimal) | Up to 31 bytes |
| D | Packed decimal | Up to 16 bytes |
| B | Binary | Halfword (2 bytes) or fullword (4 bytes); SQL date/time semantic types use 3, 4, or 10 bytes |
| V | Varying-length character | 2-byte length prefix plus data |
| L | Long floating-point | Doubleword aligned |
| S | Short floating-point | Fullword aligned; not supported in SQL |
| E | Extended floating-point | 16-byte aligned; not supported in SQL |
| H | Hexadecimal | Two-byte hexadecimal display; not supported in SQL |
| G | Graphic (DBCS) data | Not supported in SQL |
| W | Varying-length double-byte character | Length 2 up to maximum row size; not supported in SQL |
| T | PL/I bit representation | Not supported in SQL |
| 2, 4, 8 | Aligned binary | Halfword, fullword, or doubleword aligned; not supported in SQL |
Relational Model:
- Databases contain index areas and data areas
- Areas contain one or more tables
- Tables consist of rows and columns
- Up to 99 keys per table, maintained in the index
- Keys can be up to 180 characters long; a database supports up to 999 keys
- Elements group contiguous fields for non-SQL access
- Up to 255 elements can be defined per table
Version Differences
| Version | Year | Key Changes | Compatibility |
|---|---|---|---|
| DATACOM/DB | 1972 | Initial release, inverted-list retrieval | IBM mainframes |
| 8.0 | 1989 | First step merging CA-Universe SQL technology | MVS |
| 12.0 | 2009 | Adds zIIP specialty-processor exploitation for online, batch, and distributed workloads | z/OS |
| 14.0 | 2011 | Enhanced zIIP specialty-processor exploitation | z/OS |
| 15.0 | 2014 | Expanded 64-bit memory buffering, SQL enhancements, dynamic extension of virtual areas | z/OS |
| 12.0 (z/VSE) | 2015 | Separate release line for z/VSE systems; CXX FORMAT 2 enables all Version 12 features, FORMAT 1 keeps databases r11-compatible | z/VSE |
| 15.1 | 2017 | Incremental release; adds REST APIs and SQL Performance Analyzer across level sets | z/OS |
Compatibility Notes:
- Datacom runs on z/OS and z/VSE, with separately numbered releases per platform
- Applications access data through SQL or native record-at-a-time commands
- Version 15.0 documents outage-based and outage-free upgrade paths from 14.0
- The Ideal 4GL and CICS Services integrate with Datacom/DB for online applications
- The SQL implementation provides full conformance to ANSI X3.135-1989 at level 2, with documented exceptions; embedded SQL is supported in COBOL and PL/I
- Datacom/AD, a special version of Datacom/DB, serves as the bundled data store for other Broadcom mainframe products such as CA 7, NetMaster, and Jobtrac
- On z/VSE, the DBUTLTY function CXXMAINT with OPTION=CONVERT1211 is the single condition under which Version 12 code opens an r11 CXX
Technical References
- Broadcom Datacom Core 15.1 Documentation
- Wikipedia: DATACOM/DB
- Datacom/DB Information Structure
- Datadictionary FIELD TYPE Reference
- CA Datacom Release and Support Lifecycle Dates
To learn how to use this format with DataMeans, see the User Guide.