CICS Sort Migration
UniKix Sorting Procedures in CoSort for BPE and TPE
Challenges
When you move from the mainframe to „open systems,“ you might be working with NTT DATA's Mainframe Rehosting Solutions team (formerly Dell, Clerity, Sun, Blue Phoenix, and UniKix) to migrate CICS Sort jobs (UniKix). One of the components of your migration will be the sort tool.
Therefore, you are looking for a proven solution for UnixKix sorting operations, JCL sort step conversion, VSAM file processing, associated data transformation, and reporting services that run on Linux, Unix, or Windows (LUW).
In addition to improved UniKix sorting, you may also need a way to modernize a variety of other data management and masking operations. However, you prefer to work with a single, proven, and affordable vendor to reduce the learning curve and technical and commercial complexities associated with multi-vendor toolsets.
Solutions
Since it improves the UniKix sorting procedures, it is IRI CoSort Part of the NTT Data Mainframe Reference Architecture and a decades-long proven solution for migrating legacy sort software (including automatic JCL Parm conversion) and modernizing applications. Since 1985, when CoSort was first made available on Unix systems, it has become established worldwide as „The Open Systems Standard“ for sort software.
Thanks to close collaboration with NTT Data and its predecessors, you can leverage the power of CoSort directly within the UniKix Batch Processing Environment (UniKix BPE) and UniKix Transaction Processing Environment (UniKix TPE). These environments support multiple mainframe data types, including Virtual Storage Access Method (VSAM), sequential and relational data.
CoSort serves not only as a fast UniKix sort in CICS migrations but also includes free z/OS MVS and VSE sort parameter translation tools to create JCL equivalent job scripts that run in CoSort's Sort Control Language.SortCLThese translators can also be used for programs. These translators also map JCL commands from other legacy sort/merge software functions to SortCL, including: record selection, field formatting, aggregation, deduplication, and data type conversion. IRI can also help you move many ICETOOL, IEBGENER, and File-AID jobs to SortCL equivalents to save you money in the long run.
In addition to „lift and shift“ activities, CoSort uniquely and cost-effectively positions itself for a variety of large Challenges in the areas of data processing and governance outside of the mainframe. Through SortCL and the broader IRI Voracity Data management platform users can:
Fast data integration for data warehouse and data lake operations.
· Evaluate or clean data for BI and analytics
Protect PII through field-level masking
· Improving data quality
Generate intelligent, secure test data
All these activities use the same simple SortCL 4GL-CoSort scripts and are in a free Eclipse IDE for job design, which IRI Workbench, supported.
If you are involved in a mainframe migration and require CoSort and its associated conversion assistance, please contact us or NTT Data for references and further information.