Need a tool for DBDEF check-out and verification

TPFUG_Req_Number: DF10193
ORIGIN DATE: 10/06/2010

REQUIREMENT ABSTRACT

TPFDF should include a standard tool for easier DBDEF check-out,
verification and compares.

REQUIREMENT DESCRIPTION

A DBDEF is a program that contains a number of file definitions. When
any of those definitions needs to be updated, the DBDEF program gets
assembled and loaded onto TPF. The specific file definition being
changed is updated and tested before going to production. There are
typically many file definitions in a DBDEF pgm, and all definitions
get assembled and loaded. They may not get the attention a typical
TPF program gets when assembled/loaded.

In a perfect TPF(DF) maintenance environment, a DBDEF with no changes,
will always be assembled into exactly the same object codes. That is
not always the case for a variety of reasons. Editing errors, hidden
changes in DSECTs and macros and mistakes in macro concatenation can
result in inadvertent and often unrecognized changes. To alleviate this
type of concern, we need a validation process or tool to decode the old
and new DBDEF object code to compare to find out differences. The need
is to prevent or detect any unwanted or unintended changes to slip into production systems. The tools should detect and report any difference
between the old DBDEF and the new DBDEF for validation or correction.


CRITICAL SUCCESS FACTORS

The tool must be able to detect any and all changes. A partial solution
that detects some changes and misses others would not be very useful.

Existing LINUX or Windows based compare tools don't adequately meet this requirement as they are too location and displacement dependent and not sensitive enough to the context or significance of the value being
compared. The tool needs to be independent of or able to function without regard to any specific development environment or process.

ALTERNATIVE SOLUTIONS

The example shown in Solution Considerations assumes an offline compare process. It may also be possible to do this in an online TPF system after
the loadset is loaded (preferable) or possibly even after activation but before the DBDEF INIT entry. This would use a ZUDFM display entry type process that decodes and compares a parameter or value at a time and
reports any differences.

SOLUTION CONSIDERATIONS

We are validating DBDEF changes using an offline decoder that converts a
DBDEF object into a text file specifically formatted to show a uniform
view of all the sub-tables of each DBDEF statements. Once old and new
DBDEFs are converted into text files with a consistent format, existing
tools can be easily used for comparing and analyzing. The DBDEF Check-Out process has been in use and served the purpose for the past 2 years or so
for TPF4.1, and now is being upgraded for zTPF systems. We think it would
be great if we can find a standard process or a similar tool within IBM TPF(DF) product.