How the TCA Began

TCA's role as an informal information exchange on the technical aspects of CICS started in February 1987. Since then meetings have been held between September and June, with attendance varying up to 80 individuals, depending on the session content.

What the TCA Offers YOU

You spend a half day with fellow CICS users at the scheduled CICS meetings. Starting in 2008, the TCA fiscal year will be a calendar year and we hope to have 4 meetings a year. Common problems are discussed, solutions exchanged as IBM internalists, users and independent software vendors present information on the latest developments in CICS applications and software. The TCA members are heavily involved in the technical and functional aspects of CICS and many have developed their own solutions to problems associated with aspects of CICS use such as Temporary Storage, VSAM I/O, file contentions and networking considerations. Learn from the experiences of the others and avoid the same mistakes. Each meeting is structured to give TCA members specific information on a critical aspect of CICS operation, while also offering the opportunity during breaks to informally discuss individual problems, and solutions. Improve CICS Performance and Application Design Tuning CICS systems is one of the most complex tasks that you will be called upon to perform. In the process of tuning the system, eliminating one bottleneck can reveal others. Our members learn how to avoid these traps through expert advice. Presentations on different performance reporting software and in house programming are given to aid in this process.

Membership Categories and Qualifications

Any individual or company now using or planing to install CICS is eligible for membership, as are vendors, consultants and others involved with CICS implementation, enhancement and performance measurement. There are two classes of membership:

• Single member at $100 per year.
• Corporate member at $300 per year. Permits up to four individuals to attend the meetings.

There is no requirement that memberships be assigned to a set group of CICS personnel, which permits large corporations to spread participation among staff members based on professional interests and the content of each meeting's program. Dues are payable on an annual basis. A membership form is included on this website. Once membership is established, renewal notices will be e-mailed to members at the beginning of each year, in January.