Multiple Record Locking

Locking of multiple records in a file is available only when the organization of that file is relative, indexed or record sequential.

A run unit that has specified multiple record locking for a file can hold a number of record locks in one file simultaneously. This prevents other run units from updating or acquiring a lock on those locked records, but does not deny them access to any records that are not locked. Record locks can be acquired in two ways: manually or automatically:

• Manual record lock

  The run unit acquires a lock only if it accesses a record with a READ WITH LOCK or READ WITH KEPT LOCK statement.

• Automatic record lock

  The run unit acquires a lock whenever it reads a record in the file unless you explicitly specify that it should not. If the WRITELOCK Compiler directive has been specified at the time the compilation group was submitted to your COBOL system, then a lock is acquired if the run unit accesses the file with a WRITE or REWRITE statement.

The locks are released by the same run unit doing any of the following:

• Executing a DELETE statement referencing a record for which a lock is held. In this case, only the lock on that record is released
• Executing an UNLOCK statement for that file
• Executing a COMMIT statement
• Executing a ROLLBACK statement
• Closing the file.