Base functionality within Topaz Workbench

Topaz Workbench brings the power of world-class products to IT staff of all experience levels. Technicians can flow seamlessly from task to task while developing and maintaining a complex mix of cross-platform applications. Behind the user interface are the same mainframe products that have provided solid, reliable value for decades—BMC Compuware Abend-AID, File-AID products, BMC Compuware Hiperstation, Xpediter products, and BMC Compuware Strobe. The intuitive and easy-to-use interfaces provide the essentials of software development, testing, and maintenance:

Fault diagnosis
Data browse and edit: Sequential, indexed, VSAM, DB2, IMS, and z/OS UNIX
Advanced data and source search
Interactive debugging: Mainframe-hosted COBOL, PL/I, C language, and HLASM
Application performance tuning and analysis
Audit reporting

Additionally, Topaz Workbench reaches beyond the traditional mainframe development functionality listed above and provides a framework that delivers additional ISPF-like functionality, including:

Source code edit
Invocation of mainframe compiler
JES functions: Job submission, review, print, purge
Dataset management (such as allocation, compression, deletion)

This means that much of what happens in a “day in the life of a mainframe programmer” can be done within Topaz Workbench.

A comprehensive API that allows custom capabilities to be directly integrated into the development environment is provided. Developers can focus on the task at hand rather than on which tool or command they need to use to get the job done.

This Topaz Workbench contains a base set of features that are enabled automatically for existing users of the mainframe tools.

Window to the Mainframe with HOST EXPLORER

Easily conduct core tasks, such as:

Navigate mainframe datasets, network and local file structures; create, rename and delete files.
Create, edit, browse, save, rename, delete, move, copy, and compress datasets and PDS members and copy data across LPARs.
Submit JCL and view held output.
Catalog and uncatalog datasets; recall or delete migrated datasets; manipulate DDIO files.

Refer to the Topaz-Workbench-Host-Explorer-User-Guide for more information on configuring and using the Host Explorer feature.

Debugging with XPEDITER

Debugging capabilities for batch, CICS, IMS MPP, and DB2 Stored Procedures. Functionality includes:

The power of Xpediter debugging within the Eclipse debugging framework
Cross LPAR Shared IMS Queue Support and cross-LPAR debugging
Enhanced navigation and the ability to retain breakpoints across debugging sessions

Integration with Atlassian JIRA enables users to log faults and performance problems found via BMC Compuware Abend-AID and BMC Compuware Strobe with the information to automatically create an Xpediter debug configuration.

Refer to the Topaz Workbench Xpediter/Eclipse User Guide for more information.

Measure testing efficiency with CODE COVERAGE

Measure testing efficiency and risk metrics for mainframe programs:

Display results and drill down to annotated listing.
Quickly access testing efforts, percentage code tests, and relative risk of changed code.

Refer to the Topaz Workbench Code Coverage/Eclipse User Guide for more information.

Powerful data access with FILE-AID

Extensive browse, edit, and search capabilities of data:

Manipulate Sequential, DB2, VSAM, IMS, compressed data, and z/OS UNIX.
Common “data is data” spreadsheet look and feel for all data types; single-table edit and browse; highlighted find/replace.
Enhanced navigation, bookmarking, and data status indicators
Powerful data filtering (Selection Criteria) capabilities, with provisions to save and reuse requests
XREF support

Refer to the Topaz Workbench File-AID/Eclipse User Guide for more information.

Intelligent source code editor

Integration with SonarLint with Topaz Workbench enables developers to rapidly delivery quality COBOL by providing them with automated on-the-fly quality and standards checking with the toolset that is already a standard for technical debt management across a wide range of technologies. SonarLint is produced by SonarSource, the same company that drives the industry leading SonarQube quality platform that helps large enterprises optimize their agility across both mainframe and non-mainframe platforms.

BMC Compuware Abend-AID, BMC Compuware iStrobe, and Fault Analytics plug-ins

This collection of plug-ins allows licensed users to launch Abend-AID, iStrobe, and Fault Analytics.

For more info on configuring and using the Mainframe Tool Access Plug-ins, from the Help menu, select the following:

BMC Compuware Host services SDK

The Host Services SDK includes the Host Services API along with developer resources such as examples, an examples template, code snippets, and Javadoc. The Host Services API provides users with methods to programmatically access and perform dataset and JES operations, as well as launch and communicate with z/OS programs.

Refer to the Compuware Host Services SDK help for more details.

BMC Compuware File-AID Data Privacy

The File-AID Data Privacy plug-in facilitates the definition of test data disguise projects. The plug-in requires Topaz Workbench and provides a GUI interface to create "disguise rules" and a central "rules repository" to contain them. The "dynamic privacy rules" can be applied from File-AID products to disguise personal identification information when creating test data for mainframe or distributed databases.

The File-AID Data Privacy plug-in is installed with the Topaz Workbench to facilitate the definition of data privacy projects. The plug-in requires Topaz Workbench and provides a GUI interface to create disguise rules and a central rules repository to contain them. The dynamic privacy rules can be applied from File-AID products to disguise personal identification information for mainframe or distributed data.

Refer to the Topaz Workbench File-AID Data Privacy User Guide for more information.