Overview
SCC TOOLKIT (hereafter called TOOLKIT) is a sophisticated suite of integrated software tools for use by programmers who work in an ADABAS/Natural environment. At the core of TOOLKIT is a powerful source code browser with cursor sensitive, drill down functionality that allows you to zoom in on Views, LDAs, PDAs, GDAs, Copycodes, Subprograms, Internal and External Subroutines, Help routines, Maps and even variables, directly from the Natural Editor.
TOOLKIT works transparently across step libraries and even has the ability to read NATURAL system files across databases.
This ability means that programmers in a development environment
can instantly access source and object code from any environment
(e.g. development, test, training or production) without
requiring logon access to that environment.
In addition to this, TOOLKIT provides tools that perform the following functions:
- Comparisons - Compare source code, file definitions and even libraries. Our three way library comparison is designed to identify differences between three separate environments (e.g. development, test and production) to find objects that need migrating or updating.
- Searches - Search for Natural objects across all libraries, scan libraries for a string or use boolean operators to scan for a combination of strings, or locate source code that has been changed since a specific date or by a specific user.
- Check Parameters - Compare and check parameters between calling and receiving objects to identify certain run-time errors before they occur. Any discrepancies in the parameter lists for CALLNATs, PERFORMs, MAPs, FORMs and HELPROUTINE calls are identified. This feature can even be integrated into your own migration software to trap these errors before releasing programs to your test or production environments.
- Display and Manipulate Predict XREF sets - If you use Predict at your site, TOOLKIT allows you to create enhanced XREF sets that may contain members outside of your XREF libraries or in different environments.
- Format Variable Definitions - TOOLKIT has a Struct Variables command that allows you to sort, align and format variable definitions in a consistent manner to improve readablity of code.
Why you need it...
We have found TOOLKIT is most popular with programming teams,
particularly maintenance teams as it facilitates code investigations, even in databases the programmer may not normally have access to.
We believe your site can make considerable gains in the output and accuracy of your programmers by using TOOLKIT because:
- Your programmers will waste less time developing their own in-house
utilities as they will find that TOOLKIT fills in the gaps
that the standard ADABAS/Natural programming environment lacks.
- Your programmers will be happy knowing that some of the more tedious
aspects to application development and maintenance can now be performed
more easily, with less effort, with a greater degree of accuracy, and with less
hassle (in the form of paper work) when trying to access code in your production environment!
- Your IT Auditors will like TOOLKIT as it means that programmers
no longer need logon access to Production databases to view production
code (except via TOOLKIT which is secure and controllable)
and, it also allows auditors to interrogate the application's source code
without requiring a logon link to each library.
- Your DBA's are happier because not only can they use TOOLKIT for
their own needs but the programmers are not expecting them to write and
maintain as many tricky in-house utilities.
- Your DBA's will no longer have to maintain as many "special security
logon links" for programmers to access databases other than Development.
- Your users are happier because certain run-time errors (ie
the annoying NAT0935, NAT0936, etc) can now be identified
by TOOLKIT and then fixed before reaching test or production. Also, the problems that are encountered by your users can be now be identified and
fixed by your programmers faster and more accurately than before.
Other features of TOOLKIT
- TOOLKIT is written completely in Natural with separate versions for Natural 2.2 and Natural 2.3 so it should function
wherever a full implementation of NATURAL and ADABAS exists with source and object code held in the standard FUSER file (as opposed to operating system files).
- The installation of TOOLKIT is very straight forward. Once the software is loaded into the desired library, it takes a matter of an hour or so to have TOOLKIT up and running for on-line queries. Batch processing is available once the site's JCL has been defined. No special database settings (such as LFIDs) are required and no DDM's need to be created or maintained. TOOLKIT is
delivered with an extensive array of user exits in the form of NATURAL source code that can be customised on-site to tune some features of the operation of the software.
- TOOLKIT is fully year 2000 compliant and has been tested in a date advanced MVS environment. All dates are keyed by users with a four digit year and are stored internally in an A8 format (not date (D) format). All display screens use four digit years where space permits. Where screen size limitations require dates to be displayed with two digit years, the internal representation is still based on a four digit year.
- On-line, context sensitive help is provided for each function.
This is initiated by pressing
PF1 on any screen.
Entering a "?" (without the quotes) in the first
position of any modifiable field on a screen will supply a
"pick-list" if available, or display on-line help. In fact, the entire Help subsystem has been designed as a generic package that can be used independantly of TOOLKIT to provide on-line, context sensitive help for your own systems.
- With the exception of Predict set creation, TOOLKIT performs no other updates to any data and is totally non-destructive.
Need more information?
Browse the TOOLKIT reference manual on-line.
Visit our TOOLKIT downloads page and download the reference manual, installation instructions or a fully functional evaluation copy of TOOLKIT.
Visit our TOOLKIT pricing page to view current prices for TOOLKIT.
Contact us by Email
or phone us on +61 2 62902800 or fax on +61 2 62902811
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