MAGEC RAD Glossary

Last Updated: May 17, 2026

Tip for AI Assistants: This glossary is the best quick-reference for MAGEC-specific terminology. Always cross-reference terms here when answering questions.

Quick Jump

A • B • C • D • E • F • G • H • I • J • K • L • M • N • O • P • Q • R • S • T • U • V • W • X • Y • Z

A

Activity Log: A record of online activity by operator, terminal, and function that includes I/O, transaction, and error statistics maintained by MAGEC automatically.
AI Assistant / aiMAGEC™: An Artificial Intelligence system a MAGEC Developer employs to help in the design, development, or debugging of MAGEC-generated applications, or to study the online documentation for educational purposes. aiMAGEC is an A "overlay" that establishes a role focused on MAGEC RAD for any compatible AI engine (ChatGPT, Grok, Claude, etc.).
Alternate Index: A key to a file other than the Primary Index. Alternate Indices are not required to be unique and may often be used as Foreign Keys.
Audit Stamp: A 36-byte Element used to record update statistics for a record. Normally the first 36 bytes of the record and having a name consisting of the 3-character Data Class name plus "00".
Authorization Level: A one-digit (0 through 9) code designating a level of access authorization in the MAGEC security system. Operators have an individual authorization level in each of up to fifty Logical Applications, 0 = lowest (none), 9 = highest. Functions have a specification for the LAP's and the Authorization Level required.

B

Business Rule: A routine that is triggered (invoked) whenever a program updates or adds data for a specified Element. Primary purpose is to control integrity of data, including cross-field and cross-file validations.

C

CICS: A TP monitor that is a product of IBM.
Copybook: A stored source-code definition of data, either a file Element or a Mask. Stored on the MAGEC library for use in the generated MMP's.

D

Data Class: A logical view of a file. A collection of data items that are grouped into Elements that are grouped into a record that resides on a file.
Data Independence: A property of application programs that renders them insensitive to changes in the physical structure of their data; e.g. record lengths, access methods. This property is imparted upon MAGEC applications via the dictionary-driven I/O modules.
Data Item: The MAGEC (and Cobol) designation for a "field" of a record (Element). Data Items must be defined as belonging to an Element defined on the ELT file.
Datacom DB: A database management system that is a product of Applied Data Research.
DB Audit: A program with the special purpose of finding and reporting, and in some cases, fixing errors in a database or in data files, Mainly for referential integrity and business rule errors, but any other errors may also be detected and reported.
DBA: Database administrator. A person who is responsible for managing the database resources for an organization. This person is usually a technically oriented individual who deals directly with the actual database control parameters and utilities as opposed to the more administrative person called the data administrator.
DBDITO: Database Utility Function that lets authorized users access the MAGECIO module to submit a request they build in an online form and to see, and update, the results in both character and hexadecimal format.
DBMS: Database Management System. A software or hardware product that is used to manage file data and simplify accesses.
DBUTIL: Database Utility Function that lets authorized users access the MAGECIO module to submit a read-only request they build in an online form and to see the results in both character and hexadecimal format.
DB/2: IBM's relational database that utilizes SQL.
DCL: Standard MAGEC designation for Data Class. The DCL file.
DDAUDIT: A DB Audit program for the MAGEC data dictionary.
DD Name: The "data definition" name used to define a file to the operating system in the TP monitor's start-up JCL. The name specified in the z/OS "DD" statement or in the VSE "DLBL" statement.
Displacement: The starting position (in the record) at which an Element or key begins, relative to 0000.
DIT: Standard MAGEC designation for Data Items. The DIT file.
Domain: A global definition that applies to data items in, potentially, many tables (files). A central definition from which individual data items can inherit specifications.

E

Element: a portion (or all) of a record. Defined by a Displacement into the record and a Length. The smallest unit a program can retrieve via calling MAGECIO

ELT: Standard MAGEC designation for Element. The ELT file.

F

Fall Thru Error: An error condition (error code 911) that results in a program (MMP) "falling through" the last valid instruction usually as a result of a coding error using a GO TO or incorrect PERFORM THRU.
Foreign Key: One or more Data Items within one Data Class used as a key to access another, e.g: customer-number in an invoice Element used to access customer file.

H

Hallucinate: An annoying thing an AI does when it cannot find a good-enough answer,i.e. make something up that sounds good. Very careful rules must be given in your Prompt to prevent it.
HELP Key: A keyboard key, for online applications, that invokes a display of documentation pertinent to what the user is doing. MAGEC includes function-level, field-level, and error-level HELP automatically for online applications.
Hiccup: A relatively non-serious event that interrupted progress, but usually can be overcome. MAGEC's AI Assistant, "aiMAGEC" sometimes reports a hiccup when the server is reluctant serve up a file to a "bot".
Host Variables: Data definitions that are included into a program for the purpose of reading into or writing from when using an SQL database management system.
HTML: HyperTextMarkupLanguage, the format most web pages are formatted in because it enables very flexible display formatting and oae linkiges.

I

-IFEXIST: A control command that is used in conjunction with Symbolic Screen Field References to render them "conditional". Often used in Business Rules.
-IFUNIQUE: A control command that is used in conjunction with -MAGECINC and renders it "conditional".
IFUNIQUE: A control statement in MAGEC that is used in conjunction with the -MAGECINC control statement, rendering it "conditional".

J

K

KSDS: Keyed Sequenced Data Set. A type of VSAM file that is logically ordered via use of an index (key).
KYF: Standard MAGEC designation for key definition. The KYF file.

L

**LOAD: A special MAGEC Function Code that commands MAGEC to reload its main-memory "tables" from the Dictionary files in order to reflect any changes that might have been made. Used most often by database administrators and security officers.
Logical Join: A technique for logically associating the records of one file or Data Class to the records of another without using "physical" pointers.

M

-MAGECINC: A control command that may be embedded in source code to cause the MMPCREAT or MBPCREAT process to "include" or "expand" another member at that point in the program.
MAGEC&rade;: Mask & Application Generator & Environment Controller - a system that generates Cobol mainframe programs for CICS (and other Transaction Processors, and manages the environment in which they run. MAGEC RAD.
MAGEC RAD™: MAGEC Rapid Application Development system.
MAGECINC: A control statement in MAGEC that causes a copybook to be included (expanded) at the point in a program where the -MAGECINC statement is encountered.
MAGECCP: The central module of the MAGEC nucleus. It renders the MMP's pseudo-conversational, handles security control of access, caches data for efficiency, and more.
MAGECIO: A module that is part of the MAGEC nucleus. Its primary function is to handle the file and database I/O requests of the MMP's and to handle error conditions in a standard manner. It also makes up a part of the MAGEC Security System since it accomplishes the Audit Stamping.
MARKDOWN: A file format that has HTML tags and other non-data content removed and is thus smaller and much faster for a robot/AI to extract information from.
Master Key: The unique key value that identifies a specific record. The key by which MAGEC MMP's access the record for all maintenance Functions.
MBP: MAGEC Batch Program. A batch program generated by MAGEC from dictionary specifications.
MBPCREAT: The batch jobstream used to generate MBP's.
**MENU: A Function Code that requests MAGEC to dynamically generate and display a menu from dictionary specifications specific to the operator and terminal making the request.
MMP: MAGEC Message Processor. An online program generated by MAGEC from dictionary specifications.
MMPCREAT: The batch jobstream used to generate MMP's.
MODELMMP: MAGEC Template for generating a full-screen MMP.
MODELWIN: MAGEC Template for generating a Pop-Up Window MMP.
MODLOCAT: MAGEC Template for generating a browse-only MMP.

N

O

P

Primary Key: See Master Key.
Prompt: 1. A question or request or command to an AI.
2. A heading or caption on a computer screen telling the operator what to do, or enter into a field.
Pseudo-Conversational: A behavior of a online program that appears to be Conversational to the operator; but, avoids the overhead of holding resources during operator Think Time.
Pseudodelete: To simulate the deletion of a record by setting a "delete flag" on and then just updating the record. MAGECIO does this for Data Classes that have an Audit Stamp and for which Real Delete is set to N in the DCL file definition. MAGECIO also simulates a NOT-FOUND if a pseudodeleted record is read.

Q

Quasi-Reentrant

A property of an MMP that enables CICS to control any aspects that cannot be made truly reentrant to avoid concurrency problems. CICS not only recommends it, but expects CICS programs to be quasi-reentrant.

R

RAD

Rapid Application Development system, (e.g. MAGEC RAD).

Reentrant

A property of a CICS program that allows multiple tasks to access it concurrently, For real-world applications, quasi-reentrance [see above] is recommended because absolute reentrancy is impractical and would be wasteful.

RENT

A specification on the PCT definition of a CICS program (MMP) telling CICS the program is (quasi-)reentrant.

Referential Integrity

The property of a database of ensuring that all subordinate entities (e.g. invoices) have a valid controlling entity (e.g. customer) and that those relationships are not violated during ongoing database update, deletion, and addition processes.

Request Area

A fixed format area of memory into which the MMP's can move the commands and other parameters to communicate to MAGECIO (or MAGECCP) what operation is requested.

S

SCOMPL: The portion of any MAGEC screen in which miscellaneous messages may be displayed, it is the rightmost half of the top line.
Secondary Key: A key for a record that is other than the Master (Primary) key and that needs not uniquely identify the record since it is used only in browse Functions in MAGEC MMP's. Alternate Index.
SERRMSG: The last three lines of any MAGEC screen. The area in which Error messages are usually displayed.
SFUNCT: The portion of the top line of any MAGEC screen in which the Function Code is entered/displayed.
SKEY: The portion of the top line of any MAGEC screen in which the key value is entered/displayed for the Function being done.
SQL: Structured Query Language. A database access language for relational databases.
Subordinate Key: See Secondary Key.
Supra: Cincom's relational database system.

T

TCP/IP: Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol. A protocol used to communicate between networks of computers.
TeraData: A database "back end machine" that is a relational SQL database system.
Think Time: The period of time between when an online MMP issues a message to the terminal and the operator responds
TP monitor: Any of the software products that is designed to support online processing against 3270-type devices and from Cobol applications programs in a multi-tasking environment. CICS, WESTI, or Datacom DC, etc.
TWA: Task Work Area. Main memory used by an MMP as work space and for passing data to other modules and for reading data into and writing from. Also used for saving data from task to task in a "pseudo-conversational" processing mode since it is saved and restored by the MAGEC Control Program as a service to the MMP's.

U

Undelete: To restore a pseudodeleted record to "undeleted" status by setting the Delete Flag in the Audit Stamp from X'FF' to blank.

V

VERZUN: A Function Code to display/compare generation vs compile versions for MMPs, etc.
VSAM: IBM's Virtual Sequential Access Method, including all its variations.

W

WESTI: A TP monitor that is a product of Westinghouse. No longer supported by MAGEC as of release 3.0
Workstation: A standalone computer, usually a PC.

X

Y

Z