Serena StarTool FDM
File and Data Manager for Application and System Programmers
Data centers are more difficult to manage today than ever before. The expanding volume and distribution of data, coupled with tight budgets, downsized staffs, and increased user expectations, create new challenges. With the needs of eBusiness requiring ever faster response times, Serena StarTool FDM allows organizations to use the mainframe more effectively as a back-end to Web-based business applications. Serena StarTool FDM addresses these challenges by providing a single workbench for MVS and OS/390 that can be used across the entire data center by both application and systems programmers.
Serena StarTool FDM provides a comprehensive and easy-to-use environment for editing and managing PDS,
PDSE, sequential, extended sequential, direct, DB2, and VSAM files, Advanced Functionality as well as
their contents. With Serena StarTool FDM, complex data and file management tasks are simplified, and 
the need for multiple tools, batch utilities, and homegrown routines is eliminated for the entire data
center.
Broad Editing Capabilities
The SuperEdit function of Serena StarTool FDM enables complete file and data management by providing extensive editing capabilities. Using SuperEdit, test data can be quickly created without writing and debugging one-time programs or using a number of batch utilities. With Serena StarTool FDM, users can modify data interactively on the screen or apply global updates. Additionally, the SuperEdit function allows users to copy like files to unlike files and to copy subsets of files based on user-defined selection criteria.
Another important feature is Full-Screen Copybook Editing, which enables programmers to display and edit individual VSAM data records within the context of a COBOL or PL/I program's copybook record layout. An entire data file can be viewed by simply switching to a given display, without saving the current field, exiting and reopening the file under an alternative view.
The unique editing functions of Serena StarTool FDM provide additional functionality including: global search and replace across data sets and members; restoration of accidentally deleted members or previously edited members without reverting to backup tapes; and expansion of PDS directory blocks or addition of data set space.
With SuperEdit, records can quickly be added, deleted, updated, and inserted in a VSAM data set. Inserted records can be padded with blanks, binary zeros, or any other value and to any length to eliminate the need for writing special programs to modify files. SuperEdit enables users to position to a record by partial key in character or hexadecimal format. SuperEdit supports common edit primary and line commands. Users can copy, move, delete, and replicate individual lines and groups of lines with ease.
Working With Data
With Serena StarTool FDM, users can easily customize views of data set, member, and file lists. Serena StarTool FDM combines data from multiple sources, including the systems catalog and VTOC, to provide more than fifteen types of information about the status and characteristics of data sets, members, and files. Additionally, Serena StarTool FDM displays the link-edit date of load modules in a member list. A Serena StarTool FDM list can be named and saved for recall in a later session.
Serena StarTool FDM offers one-step solutions to the most common problems that applications and systems programmers face when working with PDSs. With Serena StarTool FDM, restoring a production environment after the integrity of files or physical attributes has been compromised no longer requires complex processes or an IPL. Serena StarTool FDM can expand PDS directory blocks and space allocations on the fly, restore deleted or previously edited PDS members, verify and fix physical and logical errors in members (i.e., altering DSCB), and rename ENQUED data sets.
Advanced Functionality
With the Serena StarTool FDM Batch Facility, large data and file management jobs can be run under native batch mode, rather than interactively. The Batch Facility allows users to utilize standard StarTool commands and sub-commands as input to a batch processing job. With Serena StarTool FDM, large one-time jobs and repetitive jobs can be run with greater efficiency by executing from saved JCL and control streams.
The Started Task Facility in Serena StarTool FDM provides a unique method for accessing and altering data sets, and their contents, without the availability of VTAM, TSO, or JES. Using MVS's subsystem interface, Serena StarTool FDM has the ability to communicate through the system console to perform line mode commands makes it possible to make changes that can prevent the need for an IPL.
Load Module Expertise
Extensive load module management facilities allow users to perform complex tasks in a single step. With StarTool, users can interrogate a single module or selected subset of modules to assist in identifying properties, such as COBOL attributes and IDR DATA. The load module data can then be used to generate JCL to relink a module, or disassemble modules for which the source code cannot be located. This data can also be used to generate SMP/E control statements or assign member aliases and alter load module attributes without relinking modules. Serena StarTool FDM can display all types of data associated with a load module, search for a load module by name, attributes or contents, and process selected modules with a wide variety of built-in tools.
JCL used to compile and link programs is often missing. Tracking down the missing JCL is a time-consuming and a frustrating chore. Serena StarTool FDM simplifies this tedious task by providing tools to recreate link edit JCL and control cards in a flash. The time saved can be significant, especially when working on large projects. The MAP subcommand of Serena StarTool FDM reveals the structure of any member or group of members giving a list CSECTS. This gives immediate insight into the makeup of your load modules.
Serena StarTool FDM has the ability to perform many everyday, time consuming tasks makes it an invaluable tool for application developers. Using the CSECT and ZAP commands, an application programmer can make changes to a load module without having to re-compile and link edit the program. This can speed up program development when only minor changes are needed to an application. For example, the wrong length was used or a bad pointer is being used. When making small changes to the code in an executable load module without having to recompile or relink, critical updates can be put into production faster.
Serena StarTool FDM @ Work
The Challenge:
You have a PDS that has run out of space. Either there are no more directory blocks available or the size of the PDS is simply larger than what has been allocated.
Without an advanced data management tool, correcting this process is error prone and time consuming taking from 15-20 minutes, depending on the size of the PDS, and how fast your system is running, and your familiarity with ISPF. Using ISPF, you would take these steps:
- Allocate a new PDS with the necessary new attributes (more directory block or larger size).
- Copy all of the members from the original PDS into the new one.
- Delete and reallocate the old PDS.
- Copy all the members from the temporary PDS back into the newly reallocated old one.
- Hope you did everything correctly and didn't make any typing mistakes!
The Serena StarTool FDM Solution:
With Serena StarTool FDM, even a novice developer can solve this common problem quickly and easily. Instead of a multi-step process-each with chance for error-Serena StarTool FDM resolves the problem in one easy step.
- Enter FIXPDS option and add directory blocks or larger size.
- Problem Solved! Go have an early lunch!
Serena Software Solutions
Serena StarTool FDM is an integral part of the Serena ChangeMan and Serena StarTool solution infrastructure products that manages change across the entire eBusiness lifecycle. Serena Software delivers end-to-end Software Change Management (SCM) solutions across the enterprise. Only Serena Software can deliver consistent SCM from the mainframe to the Web, with package-centered, process-oriented solutions and a clear plan for integrating products across all platforms. Enterprise-wide integration will enable companies to further accelerate time to market of new applications, raise software quality, and enhance programmer productivity by enabling developers and managers to view and act on any software component on any platform from any client.
Serena StarTool FDM Options
Serena Software has enhanced the already-advanced functionality of Serena StarTool FDM by adding support for other data types and functions associated with your development requirements. These add-on options include:
DB2 Option
Serena StarTool FDM for DB2 provides application programmers with a comprehensive set of tools for managing their DB2 data. The powerful editing engine provides a full range of editing features. By using the intuitive SQL builder, programmers can select exactly the data to be edited, or they can code their own SQL directly. Additional features include the ability to extract data into a subset table for ease of test data creation, panel driven dialogs for all the most popular SQL statements, an interactive SQL process, and a full range of catalog reporting options.
Compare Option
The capabilities of Serena StarTool FDM have been extended to offer you the necessary robust data comparison to effectively perform your development tasks. With this option, you can compare data sets to one and other to insure that the changes made were the required ones, down to the record level.
Data Conversion Option
Creating test data in new formats minimizes the need to write batch programs for each situation and enables programmers to create test data by automating the process of incrementing, decrementing or specifying default values for data fields. This saves programmers time while testing new or updated programs. Constantly changing of data requirements-stock market decimalization, the Euro, and other required date or data format changes-make this a critical addition to the developer's workbench.
Conclusion
Serena StarTool FDM provides programmers with the broadest editing capabilities for complete file and data management industry today. Users will realize immediate benefits from using Serena StarTool FDM immediately-providing more functionality than the several other utilities combined. With only a single product and only one user interface to learn, Serena StarTool FDM increases developer productivity-fast.
Serena is your answer for file and data management!
System Requirements:
- ISPF 4.1 or above
- OS/390 1.1.0 or above
- TSO/E 1.1.0 or above
- DB2 version 3 or higher for DB2 Option
(Serena StarTool FDM, with its StarBat option, is designed to provide a superior file and data management solution for application developers and system programmers at a more attractive price than major competitors. StarBat is not a drop in replacement for File-AID/Batch MVS and there is no guarantee that StarBat MVS has all the functionality of File-AID/Batch MVS. Serena StarTool FDM provides many features and functionality not found in File-AID MVS.)
StarTool is a registered trademarck of SERENA Software, Inc. Serena, ChangeMan and SuperEdit are trademarks of SERENA Software, Inc. All other products or company names are used for identification purposes only, and may be trademarks of their respective owners.