The table below shows the format of the header section that is common for all record types. For MVS™ and VSE, each record is preceded by a 4-byte RDW (record-descriptor word) that is normally used only by access methods and stripped off by download utilities.
| Field | Size | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Language code | XL1 |
|
| Record type | HL2 | The record type, which can be one
of the following:
|
| Associated data architecture level | XL1 |
|
| Flag | XL1 |
|
| Associated data record edition level | XL1 | Used to indicate a new format for a specific record type, usually 0 |
| Reserved | CL4 | Reserved for future use |
| Associated data field length | HL2 | The length in bytes of the data following the header |
|
||
The mapping of the 12-byte header does not include the area used for the variable-length record-descriptor word required by the access method on MVS and VSE.