DataDirect IDMS Extensions OCA-EXCI
Most CA-IDMS sites use both CA-IDMS and CICS. Since CICS is the de facto standard when it comes to IBM and non-IBM z/OS resources, access to those resources becomes increasingly important for IDMS users.
Product Description
DataDirect's IDMS Extension OCA-EXCI provides a familiar, easy and efficient interface for accessing those resources with no additional development effort through the use of CICS EXCI calls. When used with other DataDirect OCA components such as OCA-Commit and OCA-Syslink, OCA-EXCI provides a complete, robust and secure solution for accessing and updating simultaneous resources in a multi-vendor environment.
Key Features
- Full support for EXEC CICS and EXCI CALL interfaces
- High performance, multi-threaded architecture
- Supports for COBOL, PL/I and Assembler languages
Easily invoke programs from outside and from within CICS
DataDirect's OCA-EXCI makes the process of using CICS programs from CA-IDMS as easy as using them from within CICS. One single statement is all that is needed to invoke that program, instead of numerous APPC calls using interface modules in both CICS and CA-IDMS.
When multiple CICS program calls are necessary, EXCI offers a second programming interface (the EXCI CALL interface) that is more efficient (in multiple call situations) than the single call interface (also called EXEC CICS interface).
Use existing CICS-based applications
If a piece of business logic already exists under CICS, OCA-EXCI allows you to reuse that program. All you have to do is to call it by inserting an EXEC CICS LINK statement in a COBOL DC program. The remote invocation is completely transparent to the CICS module.
Access a CICS-based package
A similar situation arises when a user needs to access a CICS based package. Even though that package may offer an Application Programming Interface (API), it is useless from within CA-IDMS. OCA-EXCI takes care of that problem. There again, it is easy to insert EXEC CICS LINK statements in your CA-IDMS programs and directly invoke the package's API.
Access Oracle, IMS or other CICS resources
Another obvious reason for the use of OCA-EXCI is to invoke CICS modules to access non-IDMS resources such as IMS, Oracle, MQSeries, VSAM, etc. If the resource is accessible from CICS, all you have to do to gain access to it from CA-IDMS is to insert an EXEC CICS LINK statement in your CA-IDMS program. The CA-IDMS program calls the CICS access module, which reads or writes to the resource and returns whatever data is needed.
Solve database synchronization problems
DataDirect's OCA-EXCI, used in conjunction with OCA-Commit, allows you to perform concurrent updates in CA-IDMS databases and other CICS resources with guaranteed data integrity. That is possible because DataDirect's OCA-Commit is the only product that can perform two-phase commits between CA-IDMS and other CICS resources such as DB2, CICS, IMS, MQSeries, VSAM, as well as non-IBM products supporting the CICS two-phase commit process. This also applies to cases where applications need to update multiple CA-IDMS databases. DataDirect's OCA-EXCI/OCA-Commit combination is the only solution needed to solve your multiple database synchronization problems in a CA-IDMS based system.
Updating both CA-IDMS and IMS databases; an example
The organization needs to implement a new system that will update both their CA-IDMS and IMS databases. Because there are cases where information from both databases needs to be updated in the same transaction, the organization is in an impasse because there are no standard technique for accessing IMS data and no ways of insuring integrity between the databases in case of problem.
Gaining access to IMS data can be solved in various ways such as using APPC to communicate with a CICS program. But APPC applications are maintenance intensive and difficult to write. DataDirect's solution is OCA-EXCI, which uses IBM's External Call Interface to easily and transparently invoke CICS programs. Parameters can be passed easily. Security options can be implemented and any application programmer can use the EXEC CICS LINK command.
Data integrity is a more serious problem. DataDirect's OCA-Commit is the only product that provides perfect data integrity between CA-IDMS and CICS resources such as IMS. Once an IDMS program has invoked a CICS program using OCA-EXCI, it can update any CICS resource while at the same time updating one or more IDMS databases. By performing a CICS SYNCPOINT, OCA-Commit will participate in the two-phase commit process with the other CICS resources.
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