October 2011

Tech Info

ABSTRACT: A Complete IBM i Development Environment

As a regular SEQUEL Connections reader, you’re familiar with SEQUEL, our enterprise-wide, data access, analysis, and reporting software. But, are you and your development team aware of ABSTRACT, our set of tools to manage your application development projects?

ABSTRACT is an integrated set of cross-referencing, documentation, and programming tools that keeps virtually all your development tasks and utilities at your fingertips in one, consistent, easy-to-use interface. Whether you need to make quick program changes, or develop new applications from scratch, ABSTRACT saves you time and increases your productivity.

ABSTRACT can analyze your applications and build a “where used” cross-reference of system objects. It provides information on object usage, relationships between objects, and other important reference information. And, you can review this information online, print it, or save it to a file.

From a single cross-reference display, you can edit and recompile objects, and perform other development tasks, so you don’t have to navigate multiple utilities or screens to get your job done.

You can use ABSTRACT from a traditional IBM i command prompt using screens that present information clearly and without clutter (a graphical, point-and-click interface is available as a plug-in for IBM Navigator for i).

Powerful Cross-Referencing and Documentation

You determine the scope of the libraries and object types included in the cross-reference data set. Load whatever you need, either by library, object type, creation date, or program source-member type. You can create multiple cross-reference data sets for different applications or users. After the cross-reference is created, you can update it on an exception basis to save processing resources.

You can include any or all of these IBM i object types in your ABSTRACT cross-reference:

*Robot/SCHEDULE job definitions

ABSTRACT gives you detailed information about each file, including all logical files built over a physical file, access paths, select/omit criteria, external record layouts, group field usage, internal record layouts, group file usage, and more.

With ABSTRACT exception reports, you can find potential problems in your applications, including orphaned objects, unused objects, objects whose service data points to the wrong source, and objects not loaded into cross-reference.

Other Reports Help You Document Applications

The Print Source Member report produces two types of source listings: a standard listing shows the source as it exists in the member along with sequence numbers and change dates; an indented listing shows structured programming groups within an RPG program.

The Print Job Stream Flowchart report creates two types of flowcharts: graphic flowcharts show a graphic representation of application job streams using an indented nesting format; source flowcharts provide an interleaved listing of program source code. Source code from a program is printed until a program transfer point is reached, then source code from the new program is printed until it transfers or end.

The Print Network Configuration Flowchart report produces a flowchart showing the relationships between configuration objects for local and remote systems. The Print Program Description report creates a report of program information, including: name, type, user profile, owning user profile, size, source file, and member used.

Automate Manual Programming Tasks

ABSTRACT also offers unique programmer tools to automate time-consuming tasks: Recreate Database Relations – Re-creates a physical file and its logical files when the physical file changes.

√ Recreate Program Relations – Re-compiles all programs that use a physical file or its logical files.

√ Recreate Program Objects – Re-compiles existing program objects of a specified type.

√ Create Programs from Source - Creates program objects from members in a source file.

√ Find String - Searches source and message files for specified string(s).

√ Change SEU Source Type - Updates the Source Type setting for one or more members in a source file to handle inaccuracies that can occur if a source file is damaged, or was copied into a member.

√ Change Service Data - Updates the Object Service Description with the current location of source code for program and file objects that were moved to different libraries after objects are created.

√ Convert PDM Option File - Converts existing PDM options to ABSTRACT format so they can be used by both ABSTRACT and PDM.

Everyone on Your Development Team Benefits from ABSTRACT

Programmers use ABSTRACT to cut the time for edit/compile/debug cycles. ABSTRACT automates tasks, reduces the number of transactions, and helps programmers to multi-task.

Analysts get comprehensive, up-to-date information about application structure, data flow, and object references. They can access information quickly in an easy-to-use, interactive format. ABSTRACT offers a good system overview to integrate new applications or enhancements, and analysts can use its cross reference to see an impact analysis of proposed changes.

Managers and Auditors see full-scale documentation detailing how an application works. They can easily produce file layouts, job stream flowcharts, top-down and bottom-up analysis of object use, and other documentation.

Click here to find out more about how easy application development can be.

By Steven Smith, Technical Consultant

Tech Corner: Manipulate Data on Remote Servers and Databases

SEQUEL R10M15 adds two new parameters, SERVER and SYNTAX, to the INSERT, UPDATE, and DELETE commands. These new parameters allow you to insert, update, and delete data for table files on remote database servers, such as SQL Server, MySQL, and Oracle. They work similarly to other SEQUEL data retrieval or creation commands, such as DISPLAY or EXECUTE.

For manipulating data locally, the INSERT, UPDATE, and DELETE commands now work with *LOCALSYS, which runs using the faster query engine (SQE) for
faster access to the database on the local IBM i server.

So, you can improve performance on the local IBM i server if you override existing SEQUEL views to run as SERVER(*LOCALSYS).

For example, the following UPDATE statement uses the older Classic Query Engine (CQE):

UPDATE SET((CUSNO 100501)) SQL(‘from custlist where cusno=100500’

But, when you update it using the new parameters, it uses the new SQL Query Engine (SQE).

UPDATE SET((CUSNO 100501)) SQL(‘from custlist where cusno=100500’)
SERVER(*LOCALSYS) SYNTAX(*SEQUEL)

For views that update large numbers of records, the difference in performance can be significant.

Note: You can use object level authority to limit access to these commands to specific users or groups. They are shipped as Allow Limited User = *NO.

By Steven Smith, Technical Consultant

IBM i Solution Edition for Help/Systems

Purchase SEQUEL (or other software solutions from Help/Systems—Robot Automated Operations Solution; PowerTech IBM i security solutions; and Bytware antivirus and monitoring solutions for IBM i) and enjoy big discounts on training, services, and IBM POWER7 systems.

For details, contact your local IBM Business Partner, or Doug Fulmer at doug.fulmer@helpsystems.com, or visit our IBM i Solution Edition web page.