A Windows application is provided to configure, control, monitor and analyze Ivory Data Access operations. All administrative information is stored by Ivory Data Access on a mainframe disk which is organized so that it can be simultaneously accessed and maintained by authorized workstation users.
The intuitive Windows-based tool in Ivory Data Access provides a wizard-driven configuration environment that typically requires little or no training. Users identify the targeted data source and the wizard guides them through the configuration, letting them choose exactly what information they are interested in. Once complete, the tool automatically builds the connectivity path.
Key fields, alternate indexes, descriptors, dub-descriptors and super-descriptors are exploited to optimize the data access path and system performance. All the advantages of the SQL engine apply.
Compression
To reduce the amount of data transmitted and to provide optimum response times, Ivory Data Access compresses data before it is transmitted and decompresses when it is received. Depending on the file structure and the number of records selected, compression rates up to 90% can be achieved with the Ivory Data Access compression algorithm, reducing data transfer overhead to the absolute minimum.
Control
Ivory Data Access also provides logging and monitoring functions that create audit trails for every communication request. The log data can also be used for charge-back procedures. Data transmission procedures can be automated and integrated into IT process flows. Every Ivory Data Access process terminates with a return code, indicating the success or failure of the process, hence automatic actions can be performed. Finally, a complete set of configuration parameters can be set to control every aspect of data access.
Monitoring
Ivory Data Access provides a facility to monitor all data exchange operations, facilitating administration and making data exchange more transparent. A new SQL/Analyzer feature allows the administrator to graphically display data usage by user, SQL request, or data table. Metrics display activity in a dashboard type display that can easily identify problem areas.
Data Mapping and Intelligent Import
To avoid the manual definition of mainframe file structures like VSAM, Ivory Data Access can automatically import data structures defined in source programs or in copybooks. For DL/1 and IMS, segment definitions are imported from the PSB and DBD, and the columns are mapped from the COPYBOOKS. For Adabas and CA Datacom, the corresponding data dictionary system is used (i.e. PREDICT). For CA IDMS, SCHEMA data is evaluated, and information is automatically extracted to establish the proper relationships. Data selected from mainframe files can also be stored in XML, CSV, or ODBC format.
Ivory Data Access' XML support enables e-business-applications to further process this mainframe data without mainframe know-how.
Views and Joins
User-specific SQL queries can be defined with the Ivory Data Access administration application and stored as "Views". End users simply use the View as if it was a single table, and get exactly the data required. Ivory Data Access also supports "Joins", which can be stored centrally as Views for ease of use when needed. Joins allow multiple data sources, of same or unlike file formats, to be combined in a single query. Even mainframe and open-systems data can be combined using SQL.
