File-AID/EX ConverterPro

ConverterPro and Data Privacy Manager Online Help

This online help includes ConverterPro and the Data Privacy Manager. The Data Generation Function Wizard help, although part of the ConverterPro component, has been given its own chapter in the Table of Contents to the left. 
Click on one of the links below for the area of help you want to access or navigate through the Table of Contents.

  • Welcome to ConverterPro
  • Welcome to the Data Generation Function Wizard
  • Welcome to the Data Privacy Manager

How to Use the Online Help

The ConverterPro and Data Privacy Manager online help can be used:

  • from individual windows within the Data Privacy Manager (context-sensitive help)
  • by selecting a topic from the Contents tab
  • by selecting a keyword from the Index tab
  • by searching for a topic

To access context-sensitive help

Context-sensitive help is specific to the window currently being displayed in File-AID/EX.

  1. Click the Help button or press F1 to display help for the current window.
  2. worddave2160103fb4781f544675e259b4d0e70.pngWhen you first open context-sensitive help, a "Show" link appears at the top of the page. If you need information on more than the current topic, click this link to open the entire Data Privacy Manager online help, including the Contents, Index, and Search tabs. Hide these tabs by clicking the ( ) icon.
  3. Links also appear within many help topics. Click these links to open different topics, jump to information within the same topic, or display information in a pop-up box.

Important

Some topics may contain a screenshot of the window being described. These screenshots or other graphics can be viewed by clicking the expanding link as follows – Initial ConverterPro window.

Initial ConverterPro window

worddav18f6ed98df51d879bf7182516e296061.png

To select a topic from the Contents tab

The Contents tab is the first tab that appears after opening the online help. Similar to the table of contents in a printed manual, the Contents tab displays topics in an expandable/collapsible hierarchy in a logical order for use.

  1. Click a book icon ( worddavb5925165a48819f65e80280cd6bd01a1.pngor worddav62c9b09e27d6598b75cecfebb2869799.png) to open or close the list of topics.
  2. Click on a page icon ( worddav82263d55164d436ddc0400a80241af69.png) to open a specific topic.

To select a keyword from the Index tab

The Index tab provides an alphabetical listing of keywords that are associated with topics. Click a keyword to open the associated topic.

  1. Click the Index tab.
  2. Click or type a keyword in the Keyword to Find field to quickly find a topic.
  3. If a keyword has multiple topics associated with it, a menu appears showing a list of topics. Click on a topic

to view it. 

To search for a topic

The Search tab lets you to search every topic in the online help for a particular word or words.

  1. Click the Search tab.
  2. Type the words for which you want to search. A list of all topics that contain the word or words appears. If you enter multiple words, any topic that contains either word will appear in the topic list. To find topics that contain a phrase, enclose the phrase in quotes (" ").
  3. Click on a topic to view it.

To look up a term or definition

The Glossary tab provides an alphabetical listing of terms and definitions used in File-AID/EX.

  1. Click the Glossary tab.
  2. Click on a Term. The definition of the selected term appears in the lower pane.

ConverterPro

ConverterPro is a wizard-based data migration utility that has several unique features.

ConverterPro Feature Summary

The key ConverterPro features are its source to target migration, connection, and browsing capabilities.

  • ConverterPro can migrate data from:
    • One data source location to one data target location (One-to-One)
    • One data source location to many data target locations (One-to-Many)
    • Many data source locations to one data target location (Many-to-One)
    • Many data source locations to many data target locations (Many-to-Many)
    • Hierarchical sources to hierarchical targets
  • ConverterPro, using Data Generation, can generate and/or migrate data from:
    • No data sources to one data target location (None-to-One)
    • No data sources to many data target locations (None-to-Many)
    • Data Generation and one or more external data source locations to one data target location (Many- to-One)
    • Data Generation and one or more external data source locations to many data target locations (Many-to-Many)
  • ConverterPro enables source and target data browsing.
  • Once connected and mapped, a data source can still be changed dynamically, facilitating effortless testing against multiple environments.

Additional Features

In addition to the features mentioned above, you can use ConverterPro to:

  • Create a reduced working set of non-relational data sources
  • Generate Data Definition Language (DDL) for non-existent targets
  • Process designated data (due to its distributed architecture) in an efficient and timely manner
  • Handle small to large volumes of data
  • Dynamically invoke conversions from a workstation
  • Run batch jobs on any Windows or UNIX server
  • Convert, age, and reformat data using built-in functions. In addition, users can define their own functions and call external functions.
  • Enable expressions and validation logic to be specified before/after-read, during mapping, and before/after inserting
  • Define templates for rules, connections, and data definitions
  • Display a graphical view of the conversion being performed
  • Specify manual reject handling logic
  • With the optional Data Generation feature, provide sample data for testing conversions
  • Perform Data Privacy on selected sources or targets using the Data Privacy Manager
  • Perform Update in Place on a copy of your target data (null source)

Introduction to ConverterPro

ConverterPro Architecture
ConverterPro architecture consists of the ConverterPro Graphical User Interface (GUI), Communication Manager, and Execution Server.
File-AID/EX Communication Manager

  • The GUI is an easy-to-use ConverterPro Graphical Interface.
  • The File-AID/EX Communication Manager routes and retrieves information (ConverterPro specifications) to and from the Execution Server.
  • The File-AID/EX Execution Server processes all data conversion instructions. Refer to the File-AID/EX Getting Started guide for more information on these functions.

File-AID/EX Communication Manager

The File-AID/EX Communication Manager controls converting, extracting, and loading data. 
The Communication Manager's function is to route or pass communications between File-AID/EX clients and the File- AID/EX Execution Server. Primarily, the Communication Manager retrieves Related Extract, Related Loader, and ConverterPro specifications from the repository and passes them to the File-AID/EX Execution Server for execution. 
The Communication Manager is a separate module running on Windows XP, 2000, 2003, JVM 1.4.1 or more current, or UNIX. 
Refer to the File-AID/EX Getting Started guide for more information.

File-AID/EX Execution Server

The File-AID/EX Execution Server quickly executes complex conversions, extracts, and loads. The Execution Server is written in Java, so it can run on supported Windows, UNIX, or Linux platforms. Refer to the appropriate chapter of the File-AID/EX Installation Guide for specific operating systems and platforms that File-AID/EX supports. 
When the mapping specifications are complex, transformations are CPU intensive. Having the Execution Server reside on the same machine as the source or target data reduces network traffic. However, using high performance servers is another option. 
The File-AID/EX Execution Server connects directly to a variety of relational data environments as well as MVS data types through the MVS Access Modules. Data conversion is enabled among the major MVS data types (VSAM, QSAM, DB2 UDB, and z/OS) and between mainframe and distributed data types. It can also read existing File- AID/RDX extract files, and import record layout information from the extract file. 

Important

The pre-fetch option for RDX Extract loads is no longer enabled by default. It may be enabled by changing the DNoRemotePrefetch property in the goEngine.bat file, which is located in the <File-Aid EX Install directory>\dme\ directory. 
Execution Servers are configured using Topaz Workbench preferences. Refer to the Topaz workbench File-AID/EX User Guide topic about managing execution servers.

 

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