Eccox Application Environment Management for Parallel Testing (Eccox APT) tool is the only solution on the market that automates infrastructure preparation processes for testing in IBM z/OS environments, allows the reprocessing of a given test, enabling a view of the results, and enables the creation of isolated scenarios for DB2 batch, VSAM CICS, DB2 CICS, and DB2 IMS tests (CICS® or IMS / DC®), and MQ® Queues on the IBM Mainframe Platform. By choosing the system components to be isolated, it allows the user to obtain his exclusive Test Track with cloned components and masses of tests that meet his specific needs, documented and transforming the tests into equity, and can be re-run at any time, with reduced cost. In this way, all plans and test cases are stored in the repository and available for audits and consultations or even serving as a living model for testing new systems or programs.

Its goal is to provide the appropriate technology for the adoption of Agile processes associated with DevOps, where, in the wake of deliveries, the creation of isolated test tracks provide the necessary speed, security, and adherence in the provision of a testing environment in order to meet multiple parallel projects and without conflict, by standardizing the testing processes of programs and systems, transforming the collection of test plans into a company asset.

Software testing is one of the key processes in the delivery of application. The market has matured to offer more success to the user, but changes in technology, such as agile practices, mobile computing and cloud platforms can hinder the evaluation of suppliers by testers and test managers. (Source: Gartner).

This category encompasses frameworks for tests in the distributed platform's environment in the WORKBENCH segment, treating the mainframe as an “external resource”, and it executes the mainframe transactions in the “EMULATED” model. The tool seeks to emulate every access to “external resources” to execute tests. Thus, access to the mainframe or other systems, web, etc., are simulated by the product, closing the test in a kind of armored cell.

Eccox APT, on the other hand, does not simulate these resources but rather it clones entities such as load modules, DB2 tables, and JCL files in a mainframe environment. An application that comes from the distributed platform will really access the mainframe environment and trigger processes and access to data and real systems. Eventually, these components will be clones of the original components, but CICS, IMS, and DB2 are real, not simulated.

The WEB interface brings Exclusive features that make the solution unique on the market:

• Creation of clones of real elements identical to the original as DB2®, VSAM and Sequential bases, both Batch and Online (CICS® and IMS/DC®) in Mainframe environment for the generation of microenvironments;
• Creation of elements such as DB2®, VSAM, and Sequential bases, both Batch and Online (CICS® and IMS/DC®) in Mainframe environment in a fully automatic way without the need for the support and support teams;
• Clustering of components in a test plan, creating a unique environment for each test condition on the Mainframe allowing the inclusion of the same element as DB2®, VSAM and Sequential bases, both Batch and Online (CICS® and IMS/DC®) in different test plans;
• Registration and cloning of elements such as DB2®, VSAM, and Sequential bases, both Batch and Online (CICS® and IMS/DC®) modified and/or requiring isolation to meet the test condition, all other components will be used directly from the environment Mainframe;
• Artificial Intelligence for decision making in each Mainframe execution, allowing the targeting to the cluster of isolated elements;
• Storage of the test plan for reuse in the PDCA1 concept: Create-Destroy-Update-Reuse through WEB interface with just one click;
• To use the product and the created environments, no program or source code changes are necessary;
• When creating the test plan, the targeting occurs automatically without any change in the environment.

Enabling DevOps through continuous testing on the mainframe:

ECCOX APT FOR zDEVOPS

It allows transforming the test plans and their cost materializations to equity, documenting, and saving everything necessary to implement the infrastructure to be used to execute the test cases. This saves a lot of time to redo a test passed for maintenance, correction, or evolution, allowing test conditions that have been increased over time, preventing, for example, old errors from returning due to some problem in changing the code. The plans and test cases will then have a treatment similar to that dispensed with the programs: they will be stored, reviewed, evolved, and reused.

ECCOX APT CONTAINERIZATION FOR CICS®

It allows users to isolate the executions of their transactions, program versions, DB2 tables, and VSAM files, eliminating conflicts with tests of the same components among other projects or users, eliminating the rework generated by the conflicts. During the process of creating a Test Track, the user informs which components he intends to isolate for his test and, through an established convention - which can be the user's own code, an extract of the input that the transaction will receive for its execution or other crucial information - your test runs without conflicts with the other components in common. After the end of the tests, the user, with a simple touch, destroys the created track, eliminating the environment's cloned components. If there is a need to perform new tests on this track, the user does not need to register the components again, as every track created becomes an asset and serves as a knowledge base for as many new tests as needed.

ECCOX APT CONTAINERIZATION FOR IMS®

It allows users to isolate DB2® transactions, program versions and tables, eliminating conflicts with testing the same components among other projects or users, eliminating the rework generated by conflicts. During the process of creating a Test Track, the user informs which components he intends to isolate for his test and, through an established convention - which can be the user's own code, an extract of the input that the transaction will receive for its execution or other crucial information - your test runs without conflicts with the other components in common. After the end of the tests, the user, with a simple touch, destroys the created track, eliminating the environment's cloned components. If there is a need to perform new tests on this track, the user does not need to register the components again, as every track created becomes an asset and serves as a knowledge base for as many new tests as needed.

ECCOX APT CONTAINERIZATION FOR MQ®

Enables users of the Eccox APT solution to use queues and MQ messages, contemplating the scenarios:

1. Cloning all messages from a given MQ queue in the Mainframe Environment, under CICS and IMS: the queue name would be used as the Unique Identifier. All messages in that queue would be redirected to a cloned transaction.
2. Cloning separately from messages in a queue. This process will be implemented through the following processes:
• Cloning an MQ queue: Definition of an MQ queue similar to the original, directed to a clone transaction;
• Use of MQ EXITs to intervene in MQPUT to direct certain messages, according to their content, to the cloned queue on the Mainframe Platform.

ECCOX APT DISCOVERY FOR SCLM

From a Change Package, which is defined in the ChangeMan ZMF® and/or CA Endevor® tools, traceability of all contained components is carried out. They are automatically returned to the Test Track that the user wishes to carry out the creation. In addition, all components (Programs, DB2 Bases, VSAM, and Sequential Files) that are accessed and that are not part of the Change Package are also returned to the user, along with the CRUD matrix that the programs make based on form to subsidize the automatic process of creating a track. With a simple click, the user selects which components are eligible for his Test Track. It is a simple and automatic impact analysis oriented to the test case informed by the user.

ECCOX APT DISCOVERY FOR PROGRAM ANALYSIS

It is a functionality that allows the user to inform the DB2 programs that would like to be cloned in the Test Track, and all components are automatically listed (Programs, DB2 Bases, VSAM and Sequential Files). With a simple click, the user selects which components are eligible for your Test Track.

ECCOX APT DISCOVERY FOR LIBRARIES (PDS/PDSE)

It is a functionality that allows the traceability (Automatic Cross Reference) of all components from a PDS/PDSE file defined as repositories of source programs in the Cobol language. When this function is executed, the user is returned to the list of all accessed Programs, VSAM Files, Sequential Files, and DB2 Tables. In addition, all accesses (CRUD matrix) that the programs do in the bases are returned to the user to subsidize the automatic process of creating a track. It is a simple and automatic impact analysis oriented to the test case informed by the user.

ECCOX APT DISCOVERY FOR ONLINE SERVICES (CICS®/IMS®)

It allows users to perform an automatic search of the Test's transaction object to be performed, being returned to the corresponding head program registered in IMS® and/or CICS®.

ECCOX APT DISCOVERY FOR DATA MANAGEMENT (DB2 for z/OS® v11 and v12 support)

It allows the user to perform a search through one or several DB2 tables, being returned the list of all the Programs that access, allowing the user to create the Test Track from these components.

ECCOX APT DISCOVERY FOR JCL (Batch Impact Analysis of JOBS, PROCEDURES AND INCLUDES)

It allows the user to perform automatic traceability (Automatic Cross Reference) of all components used in the JCL from a JCL, being returned the list of all Programs, Procs, Includes and Files used. From this search, all components (Programs, DB2 Bases, VSAM and Sequential Files) that are accessed are also returned, allowing the user to create the Batch Test Track from these components.

ECCOX APT FEATURE FOR IBM DEBUG TOOL FOR zOS®

Enables the simultaneous use of Eccox APT and IBM® Debug Tool for z/OS® solutions.

• Real test in segregated Mainframe environment with pioneering containerization technology on z/OS, without emulation or virtualization;
• Isolated real components allowing Debug and database changes;
• Healthy original environment eliminating incidents due to changes or conflict of simultaneous executions in the shared environment;
• It does not require any infrastructure changes or the acquisition of new licenses for basic software;
• Complete automation of the setup process of environments and simplified test cases for continuous integration and functional tests, agile and reusable execution;
• Intelligent impact analysis (APT DISCOVERY) of all application/services/API components for containerization and 100% automated test case execution;
• Automated processes for managing test environments (application and data) without the need for support from support teams or specialized support;
• Focus on test processing with full interoperability for end-to-end executions;
• Knowledge storage of the criteria for creating environments and criteria for carrying out tests for reuse and updating the components of future test cases;
• Isolation of test environments with DB2®, VSAM and Sequential bases, both Batch and Online (CICS® and IMS/DC®), allowing competition between developers without interference in common files, databases or programs;
• Possibility to perform regression tests with reduced cost and maximum agility and scalability;
• Higher quality of tests and, consequently, of application systems in general;
• Reduction of developers' time with rework for inefficient tests (Shift-Left);
• Optimization of developers' working time by preparing and validating the execution of their tests;
• Reuse of the investments already made in the construction of tests.