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Debugging an online IMS/DC COBOL program

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mhw

mhw

MIS
Jul 2, 2001
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Does anyone have any suggestions on how to debug changes to a COBOL program that uses IMS/DC to communicate interactively with users? We don't have any single step software available for online programs like XPEDITER would be used for batch programs. This is old technology that has all but been replaced now by CICS in mainstream business and I've never seen any way of debugging these programs other than the tedious way of changing one item at a time and then running many tests on the screen. Has anyone out there ever used IMS/DC??!! I haven't found too many programmers here in the Northeastern US that have used it.
Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks
MHW
 
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I used to use IMS DC but we had a step by step debug facility which helped alot, failing that you will just have to use the old DISPLAY command and check your file output for the path that the logic takes through the program. It takes longer but still is probably your best option.
 
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I'm going back a very long way now, as is at least 12 years since I last did IMS/DC, but wasn't there a program called BTS or BTS simulator, which you could run from TSO which showed the IMS calls?
 
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yes there was, its called ITB/BTS I think. That was the one I used but I didn't realise it was specific for IMS.
 
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Hello all,
Thanks for the feedback. I have limited reference for BTS, which is Batch Terminal Simulator. I can't even figure out how to invoke this at our shop. Does anyone remember how they began the session? According to the reference material I have (Mike Murach's IMS book 2 for communications) this BTS tool is quite crude - showing dumps of the working storage. Any other info anyone has would be greatly appreciated on how to start a debugging session. I'm on a mission to find someone at my shop as well - the problem is that many have been outsourced and added to the fact that it's old technology, any expert has long disappeared. Well, I'll keep looking here and if anyone still has notes that haven't turned to dust yet, please share them....[upsidedown]

MHW
 
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MHW,
My notes on BTS and BTSFSS (Full Screen Something-or-other, ah how the memories have deserted me!) have long since turned to dust. That said, I remember it as being a pretty poor tool (in comparison to something exceptional, like READY TRACE) but nevertheles, useful. I think you used to be able to get all the calls to IMS DBs, the return, and all the IMS screen stuff too. I recall that the info given back was pretty rough and took a reasonable amount of decoding. I'm going to have a scout around the web and my loft and see what I can find.... watch this space.....
 
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MHW,
Gave up the idea of the loft!, but, did manage to find some interesting stuff on the net...

This appears to be a manual from IBM on BTS, with JCL:

Alternatively try:
but this is huge and I gave up waiting

CA also market a product called InterTest, which I used a long time ago. I thought I used it under CICS, but there's some info that says it can be used under IMS here:

Hope some of this helps. If not, get back to me, and I'll venture up in the loft. I'm SURE I've got some info on this somewhere as I'm so sad I never throw ANYTHING away!! :)
 
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Hi,

The loadmodule of BTS is BTSRC000.

My manual has this identification:

BTSU2000 SC26-8850-00


IMS/ESA Batch Terminal Simulator: User's Guide and Reference


Ü Copyright IBM Corp. 1982, 1997

Regards,

Crox
 
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I put DISPLAY messages in my on-line program and they come out on the system log under IOF. This may be installation dependent so it may not work on your system.
 
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I just started learning COBOL, JCL, and IMS/DC...all the fun stuff. Some responders are basically saying that these programs are old. What is the next version or step? What can I learn so I will be ready when (if?) we update our system?
 
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Camplate,
Congrats on joining the Cobol community which continues to thrive 20+ years after a colleague advised me not to go into the 'dying Cobol field'.

IMS/DC and CICs can be loosely viewed as a similar tool in that the provide the ability to put input/output screens on a Cobol program (I know they can both do a lot lot more, but cut me some slack here, I'm generalising!).

About 15 years ago IMS/DC was the most popular tool. It was replaced 10 years or so ago in the popularity stakes by CICs. You could argue that CICs has been replaced by a multitude of tools which use Windows style GUI front ends as their screens.

So yes, if you are learning on IMS/DC or CICS, you're probably working on an older style system. Don't worry, this is an extremely good way to get used to the concepts of screen processing and handling which will see you well for many years yet. It is the concept that is important (as it differs so much from batch), not the technology (within reason).

Remember, today's greatest language is tomorrow's forgotten software, Cobol/CICs/IMS DC go on and on.
 
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At my shop, will still use IMS/DC on a regular basis. Most of the online programs are developed using Telon, but at the moment we're moving towards Cool:Gen as a generator tool, which however still generates IMS/DC sources.
When debugging IMS/DC online programs, i myself use either Xpediter, which often is way too detailed, or BTS, which might be crude, but gives you an exact insight in what calls take place and what the results of each call are. For solving really nasty bugs, i think it's hard to match.
I'm not a real BTS buff myself, but if you have specific questions i can track the info down for you, although some things may be site-specific.

Regards,
Ronald.
 
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Hi RonaldB,

It seems that you work at the AAB. BTS is a good tool! COOL:GEN gives lots of problems. It generates also nonsense COBOL. Look at the warnings in the compile listing. Things like:

COMPUTE S1 = 6
IF S1 > 6 ......
IF S1 < 6 ......

All nonsense! Typical a bad generator, creating very much overhead. A CONCAT statement in COOL generates two pages of code. A COBOL programmer would code ONE move!


I heard that 'het BAC' and Delta Lloyd are stopping using it, at least for batch.

Mhw: you should use BTS. It is the best tool, a little bit slow, but it works fine. Manuals can be found at


BTS can be found at


TRICK: If you want it completely in ASCII, click on print, select all topics, wait some time and save the whole thing as text. You can read it using for example SPF/SE or an other fast source editor or of course, upload it to the mainframe and do the searches there....

Regards,

Crox
 
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