In my former life as an MVS systems programmer, adding a $DOC, $INDEX, or $README file to a PDS, so as to document what was in the PDS, was done routinely.
I don't have MVS available now, but I think Howard is right on target here.

Using PKZIP 6.2 or above, I was able to create my zip archive of a Word document with an embedded .gif file, and an Acrobat .pdf I created. Then I clicked on ACTIONS... UUENCODE.
This created a *.UUE file which I FTP'ed as an ascii file to unix. You might be using IRMA, RUMBA, EXTRA or some other EHLLAPI application to do the same to an MVS environment instead of FTP. No matter, just transfer it as though it were text. And guess what? the UUE file fits very nicely in a PDS with RECFM=FB and LRECL=80!

I will repeat the suggestion for creating a $README (or $DOC or $INDEX, whatever)
so that a description of this UUE file and instructions for UUDECODING it will be available. Note: PKZIP will decode a *.UUE file back to a *.ZIP archive for you.

Have fun!
Rob Krajcik

I would look for a utility that can perform the "Base 64" encoding which is
used to pass binary files through e-mail. Then make a zip archive of your
files (Word, Acrobat, whatever), encode it, and place that in the PDS.

Of course you will also want to:

(1) test to make sure that the reverse processes all work as expected, and

(2) store a "readme" explaining the whole scheme in detail.

I think this approach is good for providing a backup for use in the not too
distant future. Presumably you will leave the binaries accessible in the PC
environment. For true long-term archiving, I'd be concerned about using
file formats which may become obsolete.

> I am completing a system consisting of some 15 SAS programs and about a
> hundred data files. Now it's documentation time. I have a dilemma. I'd
> like to keep the documentation in the same MVS library (PDS) as the
> programs. That way it won't get lost when I go on to ever greater glory,
> and the next hapless contractor will surely stumble across it and
> hopefully find it useful. However, that solution seems to require that
> the documentation be strictly text - no Excel spreadsheet for a
> file/program crossreference, no MS-Word with nice formatting, bolding
> and italics to help guide the eye. Is there a way to store Excel and
> MS-Word documents in an MVS PDS in such a way that it is easily
> retrievable? Or does anybody out there have any other suggestions as to
> how I might approach this?