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COBOL source evaluations

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Wakser, David

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Jul 7, 2008, 8:14:39 PM7/7/08
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All:

Is anyone aware of any products that will "read" COBOL source
programs and evaluate the performance-related items. For example: point
out inefficient numeric formats (e.g. DISPLAY fields instead of COMP-3
or COMP), inefficient verbs (e.g. where SEARCH might be more efficient
that SEARCH), inefficient file access methods (e.g. opening a file for
I/O when it is only used to read), etc. etc. I have a client that has
thousands of programs, most with embedded "COPY" statements of both
WORKING-STORAGE entries and PROCEDURE DIVISION code, who really needs
help in this area.

Does such an animal exist?

David Wakser

Tony Thigpen

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Jul 7, 2008, 9:54:12 PM7/7/08
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Only URIBAL version 1.0.

Tony Thigpen

Tony Thigpen

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Jul 7, 2008, 10:18:12 PM7/7/08
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I hope the joke did not get missed. :-)

URIBAL = Your eyeball.

Rich Smrcina

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Jul 7, 2008, 10:21:52 PM7/7/08
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Yeah OK, I didn't get it either.

CA-Optimizer did stuff like this, produced a report of the parts that
needed changing in the source, but actually optimized the code. It's
been a long, long time since I've used the product, I don't know if it's
even around anymore.

--
Rich Smrcina
VM Assist, Inc.
Phone: 414-491-6001
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Martin T2..

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Jul 8, 2008, 3:41:26 AM7/8/08
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Dave,

since URIbal is the only product (even for the MVS market).....
Working with my VSE-profiler to produce graphs tickles the following:

might want to look at it for analysing specific programs. Finding the
hot spots is something it can do like no other product in VSE.

And it has an excellent price. (zero)

The zero is not because I am crazy, but because the output needs someone
being able to read a link-list (and a verb-list).

--
Martin
--
XML2PDF - the way to get all features of PDF into your documents
on mainframe or PC systems; more at http://www.pi-sysprog.de

Kevin Corkery

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Jul 8, 2008, 7:03:04 AM7/8/08
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David ...

I like Tony's answer :-) Also, CA-Optimizer (nee: Capex Optimizer) does a real good job of optimizing things that go undetected with just casual examination. For instance, it minimizes redundant register save/restore cycles that the compiler can generate often mitigating the issues associated with data typing. I must also point out that a file opened for I/O but only ever read may not necessarily be wrong. It may have been the intention of the programmer to insure exclusitivty of a VSAM file or at least read integrity for SHR(4). Many constructs in COBOL can appear on the surface as inefficient, but are not necessarily so once you understand the intent. The SEARCH verb may not be more efficient than a manual table search that is optimized based on some knowledge of the prior table position. In essence, it's very difficult of apply broad generalizations of what is best in existing programs. That being said, something like Martin's program may be a way to get a leg u!
p on ho
t spots to be researched.

--
Kevin Corkery
Independent Consultant
Voorhees, New Jersey

Wakser, David

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Jul 8, 2008, 7:49:48 AM7/8/08
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Yes, it passed right over me! I was "googling" URIBAL and couldn't find
anything thing!

Correct, that is the obvious method (in addition to training programming
staff in proper coding techniques). However, in this instance, it is the
"technical" group desiring to get the "programming" group straightened
out. And, politically speaking, having a product would be the best
method to achieve this!

David Wakser

John Mycroft

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Jul 8, 2008, 11:34:16 AM7/8/08
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Can't point you at an automated tool to do it but I can assure you that the job can be well worth doing. I did it for a customer in NZ who was
thinking of upgrading from a 4361 to a 4381 (this wasn't last week!) and changing less than a dozen lines in their data division of their longest
running program avoided the upgrade. Their #1 sin was using DISPLAY for subscripts to make it easier to debug the not-infrequent dumps the program
produced.

John Mycroft

Wakser, David

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Jul 8, 2008, 11:39:32 AM7/8/08
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John:

Yes, a VERY good idea - but because of the "politics" involved,
having a "product" would reduce the quarreling; that way, applications
could not say "we don't take direction from the systems people". So, a
product would be best!

David Wakser

-----Original Message-----
From: owner...@Lehigh.EDU [mailto:owner...@Lehigh.EDU] On Behalf
Of John Mycroft
Sent: Tuesday, July 08, 2008 11:34 AM
To: VSE Discussion List
Subject: Re: COBOL source evaluations

robert...@yahoo.com

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Jul 8, 2008, 7:48:13 PM7/8/08
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On Jul 7, 7:14 pm, David.Wak...@infocrossing.com (Wakser, David)
wrote:


That's the wrong approach. Use a profiler to identify the performance
hot spots, and then optimize those. A display field used as a
subscript might well be "inefficient", but if that usage is not
executed frequently, it's a non-issue. The profiler will identify the
parts of the program that are actually using the CPU time. The
approach you're suggesting will at best identify things that *might*
be a performance issue, *if* a bunch of other conditions are met.

Anonymous

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Jul 8, 2008, 11:00:56 AM7/8/08
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"Martin T2.." <Mar...@pi-sysprog.de> wrote in message
news:48731A06...@pi-sysprog.de...

> Dave,
>
> since URIbal is the only product (even for the MVS market).....
> Working with my VSE-profiler to produce graphs tickles the following:
>


I believe MVS has, IEHIBALL. <g>

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