Using the IXCQUERY Macro

When you code the IXCQUERY macro, you specify what type of information you want (REQINFO parameter) and where you want the information placed (the output area identified on the ANSAREA parameter). When you code the ANSAREA parameter, you must also code the ANSLEN parameter to tell XCF the size of the output area. You can determine the size by consulting the data structures mapped by IXCYQUAA. If you do not allow enough space, XCF:

Fills up the space you provided
Lets you know how many records could not be included
Lets you know how much space you should have provided
Sets the QUAARSNRECORDSREMAIN reason code.

Handling the QUAARSNRECORDSREMAIN Reason Code
The QUAARSNRECORDSREMAIN reason code indicates that the ANSAREA you provided is too small to contain all the requested data. You can reissue the IXCQUERY macro using the value returned in QUAHTLEN (total length of answer area needed to contain all the requested information) as the length of your answer area. However, be aware that the IXCQUERY information returned is a snapshot of the current environment — which might change between one invocation of IXCQUERY and the next. (For example, additional systems might have joined or left the sysplex, thus changing the number of system records in the answer area.)

You must provide code to handle the QUAARSNRECORDSREMAIN reason code in case the length of the record(s) you are requesting ever changes.
Retrieving Information from the Answer Area
The answer area mapped by IXCYQUAA can contain one or more instances of many different types of records depending on your IXCQUERY request. To help you reference each of the record types, the answer area contains fields indicating the length of each record type. You must use these length fields to index through the answer area in case the length of the record(s) you are requesting ever changes. Using the DSECT length of a particular record type is not recommended because the length might have been changed since your program was assembled.