IBM OS/390 Phase 3 Customization or Development of Conversion Tools, Design the MVS Target Output

32.4.4.2 Design the MVS Target Output

All the material in this book, including the charts that show functional comparisons of products, is for aiding the analysis of the VSE system to help determine the target OS/390 system. It is during conversion team meetings that these items are presented, challenged and designed.

For project organization and planning, the effort is normally divided per type of application item (JCL, code and files), per type of application (batch or online), and per language (COBOL, Assembler, RPG II, and so on). The design of the OS/390 target material complies with the selected standards and operations procedures for the OS/390 target production.

The conversion specifications are documented in a Conversion Specifications Document that becomes the guideline for custom-modifying the conversion tools and developing or custom-modifying additional conversion tools.

32.4.4.3 Determine the Method to Get from Source to Target

Determining the method to get from source to target is the outcome of these discussions with the conversion team. The outcome becomes the basis for your conversion plan.

There are also implications on OEM products that perform functions such as Report Manager, schedulers and backup utilities. Include these topics in your discussions.

32.4.5 Phase 3: Customization or Development of Conversion Tools

This section is specific to the conversion tool. Customizing the tool is unique to the mass migration method and is a cornerstone of the Cortex tool. In the Cortex method customization is how you deal with exceptions or what you do when you don′t like the tool′s output. In Cortex, you modify the tool and rerun your input.

The objective of this task is to adapt the conversion software or develop additional conversion tools to be able to automatically convert all or most of the VSE material to OS/390, and deliver OS/390 material that complies with the selected OS/390 standards and operations procedures.

The custom modification of the automated conversion process follows the specifications documented in the conversion specifications developed above. It is implemented through the positioning of conversion tools options, design and coding of exit routines, design and coding of ad-hoc pre- or post-processors which are then added to the automated conversion process.

Similar to the definition of specifications, this effort can be divided for better project planning and organization per type of application item, between batch and online and per language.

The customization is validated by converting representative samples of VSE programs and JCL and verifying that the local VSE syntax has been replaced by the appropriate OS/390 syntax.

The Custom Modification phase, which begins simultaneously with the second third of the specifications phase, is typically completed in two to four months. The Custom Modifications tasks include:

Chapter 32. Conversion Process 501