File status 49: REWRITE or DELETE on a file not open I-O

What it means

Status 49 is a logic error. REWRITE changes a record that's already in the file, and DELETE removes one. Both need the file open for input and output at once, which COBOL calls I-O mode. A file that's closed, or open INPUT, OUTPUT or EXTEND, gets 49.

Which files support these statements at all also matters. For QSAM, REWRITE works only on a disk data set opened I-O, and DELETE isn't available for sequential files. An ESDS is a sequential file to COBOL, so it allows REWRITE in I-O mode but not DELETE. A KSDS or RRDS allows both in I-O mode, whatever the access mode. Line-sequential files allow neither.

Under the older CMPR2 behavior 49 was reported as 92. Like 47 and 48, it often follows an OPEN that failed without being checked.

Common causes

• The file was opened INPUT for a read-only version of the program, and update logic was added later without changing the OPEN.
• OPEN I-O failed, for example with 35 on a VSAM cluster that was never loaded or 37 on a tape, and the status wasn't checked.
• The file was opened OUTPUT to load it, and the program then tries to REWRITE records without closing and reopening it I-O.
• An update runs after the file was closed in an end-of-job routine.

How to find the problem

1. DISPLAY the status of the OPEN for the file.
2. Check the open mode on the OPEN statement. REWRITE and DELETE need I-O.
3. Trace any CLOSE that can run before the REWRITE or DELETE.

How to fix it

• Open the file I-O when the program updates or deletes records.
• Check the status after every OPEN and stop if it fails.
• After loading a file with OPEN OUTPUT, CLOSE it and OPEN it I-O before updating.
• Use DISP=OLD on the DD of a QSAM file updated in place, so no other job reads it while it's half updated.

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.