Parameters used in this sample: 

Additional optional parameters: 

Performance Best Practice: While filter and sort are powerful, it is recommended to use the prefix and owner parameters first whenever possible, as they are applied earlier in the SDSF data retrieval process and can reduce the amount of data processed. For a complete list of available columns and supported filters for each SDSF panel, refer to the SDSF documentation.

Run the provided browse_sample.py to access job spool data sets: 

python3 -m pysdsf.samples.browse_sample 

This sample uses connection.active_users() to find jobs, then calls browse()to retrieve output: 

from pysdsf import Connection  
from pysdsf.isfexception import ISFException 

connection = Connection() 
options = { 'prefix': 'SDSFAUX*', 'owner': '*' } 

try:  
   da_result = connection.active_users(**options) 

   if len(da_result): 
      for da_row in da_result: 
         print(f'Browse result for {da_row["JNAME"]}({da_row["JOBID"]})') 
         browse_result = da_result.browse(da_row, **options) 
         if browse_result: 
            for line in browse_result: 
                print(line) 
         else: 
            print('Nothing to browse') 
   else: 
      print('Jobs with prefix SDSFAUX* not found')    
  
except ISFException as e:  
   print(e) 
finally:  
   connection.close() 

Sample Output: 

Browse result for SDSFAUX(STC05519) 
1                    J E S 2  J O B  L O G  --  S Y S T E M  I P O 1  --  N O D E  T V T 5 0 7 3 
0 
15.15.34 STC05519 ---- WEDNESDAY, 06 MAY 2026 ---- 
15.15.34 STC05519  IEF695I START SDSFAUX  WITH JOBNAME SDSFAUX  IS ASSIGNED TO USER IBMUSER , GROUP OMVS 
15.15.34 STC05519  $HASP373 SDSFAUX  STARTED 
15.15.34 STC05519  HSF0001I Server initializing 
15.15.34 STC05519  HSF0002I Server initialization complete 
15.15.34 STC05519  ISF540I Server SDSF assigned as default server. 
15.15.34 STC05519  ISF433I Server SDSF XCF connection established as server "HSF     HSFIXC". 
15.15.34 STC05519  ISF442I Server SDSF XCF communications ready. 
         1 //SDSFAUX  JOB MSGLEVEL=1                                               STC05519 
         2 //SDSFAUX  EXEC SDSFAUX 
... 

This demonstrates programmatic access to job logs, JES messages, and spool output - data typically viewed manually through SDSF panels.

Reading the System Log 

import datetime 
from pysdsf import Connection 
from pysdsf.isfexception import ISFException 
  
connection = Connection() 

# Define time window (last hour) 
today = datetime.datetime.now() 
an_hour_ago = today - datetime.timedelta(hours=1) 
  
start_date = an_hour_ago.strftime("%m/%d/%Y") 
start_time = an_hour_ago.strftime("%H:%M:%S") 
stop_date = today.strftime("%m/%d/%Y") 
stop_time = today.strftime("%H:%M:%S") 

try: 
    syslog_result = connection.read_syslog( 
        start_date=start_date, 
        start_time=start_time, 
        stop_date=stop_date, 
        stop_time=stop_time, 
        response_limit=1000 
    ) 
    print("Syslog records follow ...") 
    for row in syslog_result: 
        print(row) 

except ISFException as e: 
    print(e) 
finally: 
    connection.close() 

Use cases include: 

Example use case: A Python script could scan SYSLOG for $HASP373 messages to detect when a critical batch job starts, then send an alert or update a dashboard. Similarly, monitoring for HZS* messages allows automated detection of Health Checker warnings without manual SYSLOG review. 

# Example: Filter syslog results for specific message IDs 

for row in syslog_result:  
   if '$HASP373' in row or 'HZS' in row:  
      print(f"Alert: {row}") 

from pysdsf import Connection  
from pysdsf.isfexception import ISFException 
connection = Connection() 

try: # Find active jobs matching a known prefix da_result = connection.active_users(prefix='SDSFAUX*', owner='*') 
    if len(da_result): 
        for da_row in da_result: 
            print(f'Job step details for {da_row["JNAME"]}({da_row["JOBID"]})') 
            # Request job step information 
            js_result = da_result.action('JS', da_row,  
                action_columns=['STEPNAME', 'PGMNAME', 'RETCODE', 'STEPNUM'])        
            if js_result: 
                for js_row in js_result: 
                    print(f"  Step: {js_row['STEPNAME']}, " 
                        f"Program: {js_row['PGMNAME']}, " 
                        f"RC: {js_row['RETCODE']}, " 
                        f"Step#: {js_row['STEPNUM']}") 
    else: 
        print("No matching jobs found") 
  
except ISFException as e:  
    print(e)  
finally:  
    connection.close() 

Job step details for SDSFAUX(STC05519) 
  Step: SDSFAUX, Program: HSFSRV00, RC: ACTIVE, Step#: 1