Hello,
Level Set 20.0.03 (LU17135) for the Database Management Solutions for IMS for z/OS is now available. This Level Set PTF helps you identify your current level of maintenance and installed features.
Features Applied with Level Set 20.0.03
This Level Set PTF includes the following features:
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IMS 15.6 Support
Version 20.0 of the Database Management Solutions for IMS supports the IBM IMS version 15.6.
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Support for DDL-based Compression with SFESEGCC User Exit
The new Compress Data Compression IMS DDL user exit, SFESEGCC, supports database compression defined through DDL statements, where the EDITPROC parameter specifies IMSHRINK as the compression exit routine. This enhancement provides support for defining database compression in IMS-managed ACBs environments using DDL. This support ensures consistent handling of compression definitions, aligning DDL-based definitions with those defined through traditional DBDGEN. Using SQL DDL to create a database simplifies the process compared to the DBDGEN method.
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Support for IMS-managed ACBs in ICB
Control Block Validity Manager (ICB) now supports IMS-managed ACBs in the Disassemble, Map, and Report functions, for specific DBD or PSB object names. This feature lets you see the database schema or program structure when IMS-managed ACBs are used. You can now more easily troubleshoot IMS applications by identifying the indexes and databases to start, stop, or take image copies of.
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Support for IMS Catalog Alias Name in IMS-managed ACBs
Database Management Solutions for IMS now support an aliased IMS catalog name in IMS-managed ACBs environments. Using aliased IMS catalog names provides the following benefits:
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Simplifies the verification of catalog database integrity
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Enhances catalog availability and performance
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Optimizes the generation of catalog recovery assets
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Allows quick recovery of the catalog database
Database administrators can now maintain multiple IMS catalogs in one DBRC, reducing the risk of a single point failure and improving scalability by allowing other IMS systems to handle the workload if one catalog goes down.
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Support for Staging Directory in IMS-managed ACBs
Database Management Solutions for IMS add support for the staging directory in an IMS-managed ACBs environment. The new DEFINITION control statement lets you specify whether to use the active or staging directory. This feature allows database administrators to prepare database and schema changes in a staging environment without affecting the active IMS directory, making testing changes easier and reducing downtime.
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Support for WHERE Clause in SELECT Statements
The Extract function of Database Organizer adds support for a WHERE clause in the SELECT control statement, allowing for more precise filtering of database segments. You can now specify detailed conditions for retrieving data from a DEDB database. The SELECT control statement defines conditions for extracting database segments and provides additional filtering after the CASE statement. Selecting only relevant data to extract reduces unnecessary processing, improves application performance, and decreases processing time.
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Support for New Buffers for Loading Data When SORT=YES
The Extract function of Database Organizer now supports additional buffers used to load data that is passed to the sorting process. The new BUF4SORTINPT control statement lets you specify the number of buffers, while the new Buffer Usage for Sort Loading report tracks the use of these buffers. This feature significantly speeds up extraction when SORT=YES is used, reducing CPU consumption, especially when processing large amounts of data. The report shows how buffers are allocated and used, helping you tune their use.
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New DBO Report for Segment Extraction Details
The new Database Organizer Extract function report, Segment Read/Write Counts, lists segments from the DBD and shows the number of segments that are read and written. A separate report is generated for each extracted DEDB area and each written extract file. This enhancement helps database administrators monitor segment activity during extraction, verify that all required data is extracted, and estimate data allocation when cloning to another database.
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Support for HDUNLOAD Format in Extract Function
The Extract function of the Database Organizer now supports the HDUNLOAD output format for DEDB databases. The EXTRACT=HDUNLOAD option lets you generate output files that can be used as an input for the RELOAD function of DBO. This feature helps database administrators to more efficiently troubleshoot and resolve issues. You can clone data from production to test environment for debugging. Using the CASE control statement, you can target data that is causing issues for your user program.
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Standard Format Extract Data Interface
Database Management Solutions for IMS introduce the standard format extract data interface (DBOEXIF). User COBOL programs can call this module to read data from sequential files that are created by the Extract process. DBOEXIF generates a statistics report that shows the number and type of segments that are read from the extract file. DBOEXIF ensures an unchanged interface to the user, minimizing the need for programming changes.
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Support for New Fields in the EXPAND Utility Report
The EXPAND utility of Compress Data Compression now prints the product release in the report header. The product release value helps you identify your current level of maintenance and features that have been installed.
The EXPAND utility also reports the BUFNO value for the INPUT and OUTPUT file DCBs. The BUFNO value indicates the number of buffers that the operating system uses for QSAM processing. You can use this value to reduce the elapsed time for the SHRINK and EXPAND batch utilities. You can also assess the effectiveness of the BUFNO value in the utility.
For more information, see New Features in Level Set 20.0.03 in the Release Notes in the Database Management Solutions for IMS for z/OS documentation.
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Tomaz Kranjc
Staff Technical Writer
Mainframe Software Division | Broadcom
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