Each audit that compares attributes does so by calling a Compare Attributes 1 command and places the results in an output file. Each row in an output file for a Compare Attributes command can contain either a summary record format or a detailed record format. Each summary row identifies a compared object and includes a prioritized object-level summary of whether differences were detected. Each detail row identifies a specific attribute compared for an object and the comparison results.
The type of data included in the output file is determined by the report type specified on the Compare Attributes command. The data included for each report type is as follows:
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Difference reports (RPTTYPE(*DIF)) return information about detected differences. Only summary rows for objects that had detected differences are included. Detail rows for all compared attributes are included. Difference reports are the default for the Compare Attributes commands.
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Full reports (RPTTYPE(*ALL)) return information about all objects and attributes compared. For each object compared there is a summary row as well as a detail row for each attribute compared. Full reports include both differences and objects that are considered synchronized.
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Summary reports (RPTTYPE(*SUMMARY)) return only a summary row for each object compared. Specific attributes compared are not included.
For difference and full reports of compare attribute commands, several of the attribute selectors return an indicator (*INDONLY) rather than an actual value. Attributes that return indicators are usually variable in length, so an indicator is returned to conserve space. In these instances, the attributes are checked thoroughly, but the report only contains an indication of whether it is synchronized.
For example, an authorization list can contain a variable number of entries. When comparing authorization lists, the CMPOBJA command will first determine if both lists have the same number of entries. If the same number of entries exist, it will then determine whether both lists contain the same entries. If differences in the number of entries are found or if the entries within the authorization list are not equal, the report will indicate that differences are detected. The report will not provide the list of entries—it will only indicate that they are not equal in terms of count or content.
You can see the full set of fields in the output file by viewing it from the native user interface.
1. The Compare Attribute commands are: Compare File Attributes (CMPFILA), Compare Object Attributes (CMPOBJA), Compare IFS Attributes (CMPIFSA), and Compare DLO Attributes (CMPDLOA).