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CICS. Db2. IPL. The Latest Cheryl Watson’s Tuning Letter

Mar 3, 2026

Cheryl Watson's Tuning Letter, CICS, DB2, Performance, z/OS Tuning

CWTL 2026-01

Mark Wilson

Mark Wilson is a globally recognized thought leader and international speaker in mainframe security and technology, as well as a passionate advocate for all things Z. With more than 40 years of experience, Mark serves as the Editor of Cheryl Watson's Tuning Letter and as the Technical Director at Vertali. He is a multi-year IBM Champion and a Planet Mainframe Influential Mainframer.  

The Latest Tuning Letter issue is out now!

Subscribers to Cheryl Watson’s Tuning Letter will find the newest issue, 2026 No.1, on our Tuning Letter website. If you are not a current subscriber yet, sign up today! This subscription-only resource is available to both individuals and organizations.

CICS, IPL, and TADz

In this first 2026 edition, you’ll find:

  • Squeezing Even More Throughput Out of CICS – Frank Kyne returns with Ole Olsen, using real-world CICS performance data to show how threadsafe execution lowers CPI, improves response times by double digits, and can effectively double transaction capacity without application changes.
  • TADz for systems programmers – Andy Taylor offers a systems programmer’s perspective on using TADz, showing how direct access to usage data and batch reporting can uncover real workload behavior, simplify software migrations, and reduce operational risk.
  • What the heck is an IPL? – Mark Wilson explains what happens when you “IPL” with a clear, practical walkthrough of the z/OS IPL process, explaining how the system boots — from LOAD parameters to JES startup.

Db2, APARS, and SHARE Updates

  • Let’s get ELEMENTary with Db2 Trace Records – Sally Mir shares a clear, practical guide to Db2 trace records that breaks down accounting and statistics traces, IFCIDs, and SMF data so that performance analysts can extract precise workload and subsystem insight without guesswork.
  • Hits and Highlights from SHARE Orlando
  • Latest New Function APARs and event listings
  • Security musings and updates
  • And more!

You can find the full Table of Contents for this and previous editions.

Share Your Thoughts

We hope you find this issue educational and entertaining. And remember that we love hearing from current and future readers. Reach out if you want to write for The Tuning Letter or to share your ideas about what makes it so compelling. Email me at markw@planetmainframe.com.

All the best.

Mark Wilson
Mark

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