In the Assignments pane (CICS and IMS service interfaces only) you can assign a value to any COBOL field. The value you specify can be a numeric or non-numeric literal or COBOL field value, or the result of a function using one or more such values. By assigning values to certain fields, you can streamline the service by reducing the amount of information that must be supplied by the user.
For example, let's say that your application adds, modifies, and deletes records in a database. In its original form, the application requires users to enter A for add, M for modify, or D for delete into a certain screen field. Let's also say that you want this service interface to add records but not modify or delete them. By assigning the literal A to the appropriate screen field, you eliminate the need for the user to enter a value.
As with mappings, you can only create assignments using elementary COBOL fields. If the assignment includes an array field, you can make the assignment using an asterisk (*) to show that all occurrences of that field are included, or you can use a subscript to specify a particular occurrence.
You can also make an assignment conditional.