A trace is the process of recording the sequence in which the statements in a program are processed.
A trace differs from a breakpoint in that you are not given control during the trace. The system records the traced statements that were processed. However, the trace information is not automatically displayed when the program completes processing. You must request the display of trace information using the Display Trace Data (DSPTRCDTA) command. The display shows the sequence in which the statements were processed and, if requested, the values of the variables specified on the Add Trace (ADDTRC) command.