/MEDIA_FORMAT=[NO]COMPACTION Controls whether data records are automatically compacted and blocked together. Data compaction and record blocking increase the amount of data that can be stored on a single tape cartridge. The compaction ratio depends on the data and the tape drive you use. For more information, see the documentation supplied with your tape drive. BACKUP allows you to specify different compaction settings on different save sets on a tape. However, not all tape drives support the use of more than one compaction setting on a tape. Whether mixed mode tapes are permitted depends on the model of the tape drive you use.