File status 43: REWRITE or DELETE without a prior READ

What it means

Status 43 is a logic error. In sequential access, REWRITE and DELETE act on the record most recently read. IBM requires the last input-output statement on that file before the REWRITE or DELETE to be a successful READ. If it wasn't, the statement fails with 43.

It applies to QSAM files on disk opened I-O, where REWRITE updates a record in place, and to indexed and relative files with ACCESS MODE SEQUENTIAL. With random or dynamic access, a REWRITE or DELETE on an indexed or relative file finds its record by key, so no prior READ is needed. Line-sequential files don't allow REWRITE or DELETE at all.

VSAM has a matching rule of its own. An update or erase without a prior GET for update gives register 15 = 8 with feedback code 92 (X'5C'). Under the older CMPR2 behavior, status 43 was reported as 92.

Common causes

• The READ before the REWRITE failed, with 10 or 46, and the program didn't check, so it went ahead with the REWRITE.
• Another statement on the same file ran between the READ and the REWRITE, such as a START or a failed READ, so the successful READ is no longer the last one.
• The program issued REWRITE twice for the same record.
• A file declared ACCESS MODE SEQUENTIAL is treated as random. The key is filled in and REWRITE or DELETE is issued without reading the record first.

How to find the problem

1. DISPLAY the status of the READ that should come before the REWRITE or DELETE.
2. List every statement that touches the file between that READ and the failing statement. A START, a failed READ or an earlier REWRITE or DELETE in between breaks the pairing. A successful look-ahead READ doesn't give 43, but the REWRITE then replaces the newer record.
3. Check the ACCESS MODE in the SELECT clause.

How to fix it

• Only REWRITE or DELETE after a READ that returned a status starting with 0.
• Restructure look-ahead logic so the REWRITE always follows the READ of the same record.
• For keyed updates in any order, use ACCESS MODE RANDOM or DYNAMIC, where REWRITE and DELETE work by key.

Last reviewed 2026-10-18 by the WND Software team. Written in our own words. For the full reference, check IBM’s Enterprise COBOL documentation for your release.