# File status 43: REWRITE or DELETE without a prior READ Source: https://wndsoftware.com/mainframe-errors/file-status-43 ### File status 43: REWRITE or DELETE without a prior READ File status 43 means a REWRITE or DELETE on a file in sequential access mode wasn't directly preceded by a successful READ. COBOL needs that READ to know which record to change. #### Other names for this code Also written as `FS 43`, `file status code 43`, `COBOL status 43`, `VSAM status 43`, `REWRITE without READ`, `status key 43`, `SK43`. ### 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 - DISPLAY the status of the READ that should come before the REWRITE or DELETE. - 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. - 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. ### IBM documentation [IBM Enterprise COBOL documentation](https://www.ibm.com/docs/en/cobol-zos/6.4.0). Use the documentation for your installed release. This link opens the relevant IBM reference library or lookup instructions. Match the complete code and your installed product release; it is not a code-specific review. [Report a correction to WND Software](https://wndsoftware.com/contact#message). 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. ### Related codes [File status 49 REWRITE or DELETE on a file not open I-O Read →](https://wndsoftware.com/mainframe-errors/file-status-49) [File status 46 READ with no valid next record Read →](https://wndsoftware.com/mainframe-errors/file-status-46) [File status 21 Key sequence error Read →](https://wndsoftware.com/mainframe-errors/file-status-21) [File status 23 Record not found Read →](https://wndsoftware.com/mainframe-errors/file-status-23) [File status 44 Record length not allowed on WRITE or REWRITE Read →](https://wndsoftware.com/mainframe-errors/file-status-44) ### Questions #### Does file status 43 apply in random access mode? No. In random access, REWRITE and DELETE find the record by key, so they don't need a READ first. #### What is the difference between 43 and 49? 49 means the file isn't open I-O, so updates aren't allowed at all. 43 means it is open I-O, but the REWRITE or DELETE didn't follow a successful READ. #### Does a READ that returned 02 count as successful? Yes. Any status starting with 0 is a successful READ, so a REWRITE after it is allowed. [COBOL file status codes](https://wndsoftware.com/mainframe-errors/cobol-file-status) · [File status 42](https://wndsoftware.com/mainframe-errors/file-status-42) · [File status 44](https://wndsoftware.com/mainframe-errors/file-status-44) [← All error codes](https://wndsoftware.com/mainframe-errors/)