Edge Portfolio Analyzer

The Edge Portfolio Analyzer (EPA) provides OS/390 and z/OS users with the means to understand and control the contents of their application portfolios. With the Edge Portfolio Analyzer, you can reduce problems — and speed implementation — when migrating to new compilers and new run-time environments. You can also use the EPA to improve the performance of your production environment and to assist in problem source identification and problem determination.

For language migration projects, the Edge Portfolio Analyzer can substantially reduce the effort necessary to migrate to the Language Environment (LE) or from earlier to later versions of language compilers. As a portfolio-management tool, the Edge Portfolio Analyzer can help you improve the quality and reduce the effort of implementing and operating quality-control, change-management, and production-management procedures. The following sections describe the EPA:

• EPA Overview
• EPA Execution
• EPA Reports
• EPA Data Files
• EPA External Analyzers
• EPA Operating Environment
• EPA Licensing and Pricing

EPA Overview

The Edge Portfolio Analyzer is a proprietary utility that analyzes executable load modules in existing production libraries. The Analyzer generates both text reports and data files that can used as input to EPA External Analyzers, additional routines supplied with the EPA, or other PC or mainframe development tools, such as change-management and production-control software, for further analysis, reporting, or management. The Edge Portfolio Analyzer looks at load modules rather than source modules because the executable instructions in load modules contain essential information that is not available from any other source:

"The truth only exists in the code that goes into production every night."

Designed as a knowledge- and experience-based "power tool," the Edge Portfolio Analyzer eliminates the need to understand the obscure and arcane contents of load modules. The Analyzer automatically processes production load modules, examines their object code, and extracts information — such as names, dates and sizes, languages, compilers and release levels, compiler and linkage editor options, system date invocations, subsystems used, and much more — that is critical to problem resolution or avoidance. Without the Edge Portfolio Analyzer, most of this vital information buried within load modules is not available without tedious and time consuming manual analysis. With the EPA, you can do large-scale analysis of load module libraries in minutes rather than the hours, days, or even months often required when using only basic system utilities and manual analysis.

The EPA presents extracted data in both easy-to-use printed reports and machine-readable data files. The data files are fully-documented flat files that can be used as input to many host- and workstation-based management tools commonly found in development departments. The format of the data files easily interfaces with other software. EPA External Analyzers provide cross-module analyses and form the basis of user-written customized analyses.

Because much information required by other developmental software packages can be easily obtained from the Analyzer's Data Files, you can use the EPA to automate the population of other tools' data bases. Gathering this information automatically with the Edge Portfolio Analyzer dramatically increases the effectiveness of your other management software.

Using the Edge Portfolio Analyzer, you can easily:

• Identify load modules that are more likely to migrate successfully to a new compiler with minimal intervention.
• Identify load modules that are more likely to create difficulties during a migration to a new compiler or run-time environment.
• Identify load modules that will be impacted by changing a specified CSECT, e.g., the date module.
• Identify the language used by all programs that use a particular facility of the system, e.g., What languages are used to access DB2 facilities?
• Identify load modules containing Assembler CSECTs that reference the system date using the TIME system macro or the Store clock (STCK) hardware instruction. In addition, by using an EPA External Analyzer, high level language (HLL) use of date facilities can be identified.
• Improve performance of load modules simply by recompiling them with different options.
• Ensure that production programs conform to installation standards for compiler and linkage-editor options.

The Edge Portfolio Analyzer is an IT management power tool that performs large-scale, cross-library, cross-module analysis of production load modules in minutes instead of days or weeks. It provides the means to understand and control application portfolios, speed language migrations, and improve production performance.

EPA Execution

The Edge Portfolio Analyzer executes as a batch program in the mainframe environment. As it executes, the Analyzer automatically examines load modules in production load libraries and extracts significant information about both the load modules and the individual CSECTs (Control Sections) contained in them. Extracted information can be output into people-readable reports and machine-readable data files.

The Edge Portfolio Analyzer Analyzer can process:

• A single load module.
• All the modules in one (or more) library(ies).
• A list of specific load modules. The list can either specify modules to be included in or excluded from an analysis. Wild cards can be used to adapt to your naming standards

Because of damaged or corrupted load modules, invalid load modules, or encounters of unforseen or unanticipated data, every load module may not be able to be processed successfully. For these situations, the Analyzer provides a bypass mechanism to allow the remainder of a library to be processed.

• EPA Load Module Analysis
• EPA Extracted Information

EPA Reports

The Edge Portfolio Analyzer produces two "human-readable" reports from the information it extracts — the Summary Report and the Detail Report. The Summary Report contains statistical information about specific attributes of the load modules analyzed. The Summary report is primarily used for planning and managing a portfolio and/or a migration project. The Detail Report describes characteristics of each load module and the CSECTs within it. In addition to being used for migration planning, the Detail Report is often used for troubleshooting and debugging.

Summary Report

The EPA reports Summary information on the complete contents of a load library or selected modules within it. A Summary Report lists, counts and totals of modules in various categories, such as compilers, or that meet certain characteristics, such as compiler options.

EPA Summary information provides an overview of your environment that allows you to accurately assess the scope and track the progress of your projects.

Detail Report

The EPA reports Detail information on the characteristics of each selected load module and the CSECTs within them. A Detail Report lists information about a load module as a whole, such as linkage-editor options, and also each CSECT within it, such as size and compiler information.

Detail information permits you to focus on and resolve potential problem situations. It is crucial for many operational activities such as successful migration to a new compiler.

EPA Reports are described in more detail in the Edge Portfolio Analyzer: General Information Manual which can be downloaded from this site.

• Summary Report Information
• Detail Report Information
• Download General Information Manual

EPA Data Files

In addition to printed reports of extracted information, the Edge Portfolio Analyzer can deliver essentially the same data in four machine-readable data files. Information in these four files is coded to input into EPA External Analyzers or other programs, such as DB2 or ISPF, to perform further analysis, reporting, or management functions. The four kinds of EPA Data Files are:

SUMMARY File

An EPA SUMMARY File contains one record for each execution of the Analyzer and provides the same counts and totals as found in an EPA Summary Report.

MACHINE File

An EPA MACHINE File contains one record for each CSECT analyzed and provides the same detailed information on CSECT contents as found in an EPA Detail Report.

IDROUT File

An EPA IDROUT File contains one record for each CSECT analyzed that contains user IDR information and provides the same detailed information on IDR contents as found in an EPA Detail Report.

XREF File

An EPA XREF File contains cross reference information necessary to analyze multiple CSECTs. Global cross reference information is valuable in managing and controlling changing production environments — especially in identifing possibly troublesome situations in Language Environment (LE) or other migrations. The file contains records identifying external references, load module sizes, SSI values, alias names, CSECT-to-CSECT references, and selected kinds of dynamic calls to external routines. The number of records and types of data depends on the kinds of information requested.

Data in all EPA Data Files is in standard EBCDIC format, with no binary or packed fields. Data definitions are provided in COBOL, PL/I, Assembler, SAS and SQL formats. This simple, straightforward formatting permits other software to process the files with a minimum of reformatting. The data can be used by virtually any tool that can process or perform queries on character data. Records in the four files are tied together by a user specified identifier code which allows other software to use one or more of the EPA Data Files for input, depending on the objectives of the particular program.

Additional analysis tools can be located on a host, workstation, or PC. The plain formatting of the EPA Data Files allows their data to be easily downloaded to workstations running UNIX, LINUX, NT or Windows. This enables the EPA to directly feed all tools used to track and manage a production environment. Typical tools used with EPA Data Files include:

• Mainframe
  • ISPF
  • Production Inventory
  • Change Control
  • Query / Report Tools
  • DB2 / QMF
  • Statistical / SAS
• Workstation
  • Project Management
  • Spreadsheets
  • Time Lines
  • Data Base
  • Statistical Analysis

EPA External Analyzers

Included with the Edge Portfolio Analyzer are more than twenty External Analyzer programs. These routines process extracted information in EPA data files to provide many commonly needed analysis functions.

Most External Analyzers are supplied in source format, PL/I or COBOL or both. A few are supplied only in object format. JCL needed to compile and execute the Analyzers is also supplied.

Because the Analyzers are provided in source format, you can use them as skeleton programs, easily tailoring them to analyze data to suit your own needs. This allows you to meet your specific requirements without having to write analysis programs from scratch.

• EPA External Analyzers
• EPA External Analyzer Reports

EPA Operating Environment

The Edge Portfolio Analyzer will execute on any MVS/XA, MVS/ESA, OS/390, or z/OS system. No additional hardware, system modifications, or special authorizations are required.

The Analyzer can be installed in about thirty minutes simply by uploading two files from a CD-ROM to the mainframe. External Analyzers distributed in COBOL or PL/I source format must be compiled at the user's site.

Complete product documentation is provided in four manuals in both hardcopy and Adobe® Acrobat® (PDF) format.

• EPA Operating Requirements and Installation
• Download EPA General Information Manual

EPA Licensing and Pricing

The Edge Portfolio Analyzer is available through a perpetual site license, either domestic or international. There are no additional charges for adding CPUs, increasing MIPS, or changing model groups. Licenses are available for two types of sites: Basic and Distributed. Each kind of site has its own fee.

Basic Site License

A Basic Site license is required for a customer's first site. This site is the primary contact with the Edge Information Group through which all program distribution, problem reporting, and billing are handled.

A Basic Site License fee is $24,500 (USD).

Distributed Site License

A Distributed Site License is required for each additional site (geographical location) at which customers want to use the EPA. All shipping, invoicing, and support for Distributed Sites are handled through the Basic Site.

A Distributed Site License fee is $16,500 (USD).

Maintenance Support

EPA Maintenance Support provides telephone and e-mail problem support as well as new releases of the Analyzer. Periodic new releases incorporate enhancements to the program, support for new IBM operating systems and compilers, and improved External Analyzers to provide additional functions.

Maintenance Support for the first year is included in site licenses at no additional charge. After that, an annual fee of 15% of current site (Basic plus any Distributed) license fees is charged. We limit annual increases to maintenance fees to 10% of the previous year's fee.

• Download Domestic Site License Agreement
• Download International Site License Agreement