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For fixed-length records, all control fields and the sum of their lengths cannot exceed 4092 bytes. When EQUALS is in effect, the number is reduced 4 bytes to 4088 bytes. EXTCOUNT also reduces the number by 4 bytes. Thus, if both EQUALS and EXTCOUNT are in effect, the number is reduced to 4084 bytes.
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For variable-length records, all control fields must be located within the first 32750 bytes and the sum of their lengths cannot exceed 4084 bytes. When EQUALS is in effect, all control fields must be located within the first 32746 bytes and the sum of their lengths cannot exceed 4080 bytes.
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Control fields can be in contiguous or non-contiguous locations in the record.
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Remember that for variable-length records, the first 4 bytes are reserved for the Record Descriptor Word, so the first byte of the data portion of the record is byte 5.
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If the output file is a key-sequenced VSAM cluster, the VSAM key must be the first control field specified.