Asheville, N.C. — May 22, 2012 — SoftBase, a division of Candescent SoftBase LLC and a leading provider of DB2 z/OS coding, testing and deployment tools, today announced the availability of a new product feature, Attach Facility's Multi-Row FETCH (MRF), enabling DB2 users to automatically retrofit older applications for IBM’s Multi-Row FETCH technology. With Attach Facility’s MRF, DB2 administrators can simultaneously improve application performance by as much as 74 percent while bypassing the expensive recoding and testing process required to upgrade by hand.
IBM introduced Multi-Row FETCH to enable users to process multiple records (rows) simultaneously – saving time and reducing CPU overhead – a significant cost factor for DB2 shops. However, upgrading existing applications from single-row to multi-row requires an expensive manual recoding and testing process. SoftBase’s Attach Facility sits between the application and DB2, providing an interface that enables administrators to pull multiple rows of data into a temporary memory space, immediately eliminating the need for the application to “go back” and retrieve additional information.
“We decided to run some test scenarios using SoftBase Attach Facility’s Multi-Row FETCH feature,” said Jeff Boggess, senior database administrator, NC Farm Bureau. “Because we didn't have to manually code and test the processes, we were up and running much more quickly than expected. Being deployed so soon enabled us to run a SQL statement in which the CPU time went from 45 seconds to 11 seconds …that is a 74 percent improvement! The time savings translates to immediate dollar savings and reinforces the value we derive from SoftBase DB2 z/OS tools every day. ”
Key benefits of SoftBase Attach Facility’s Multi-Row FETCH includes:
- the ability to improve legacy application performance, minimizing CPU utilization
- reduction of mainframe computer usage, thus reducing IT expenses and
- little-to-no recoding and testing of applications.
“Our estimates have shown that by using Attach Facility, an average sized DB2 shop could potentially achieve positive ROI in as little as 1 year, and within 5 years it could save more than $1 million,” stated Sheryl M. Larsen, IBM Information Champion & Gold Consultant, president, smlsql.com.
To learn more, DBAs can determine their own ROI forecast on SoftBase’s website: www.softbase.com/mrf_roi.php
SoftBase Attach Facility is the most widely used call-attach facility on the market. Attach Facility allows users to execute applications more efficiently, in less time and with greater flexibility. Now with the addition of the MRF feature, DB2 administrators can enjoy the performance improvements that MRF provides batch applications without tedious recoding and testing.
“There are approximately 2,000 IBM mainframe shops in the United States, most of whom have not taken advantage of IBM’s Multi-Row FETCH because of the time and cost associated with manual upgrades,” said Steve Woodard, CEO, SoftBase. “With the new automated MRF capabilities available in Attach Facility, the need for manual coding and configuration goes away and MRF becomes a much more valuable, realistic option. Some of these organizations are already implementing MRF and experiencing success – we expect many more to follow.”
About SoftBase
Headquartered in Asheville, N.C., SoftBase, a division of Candescent SoftBase LLC, has provided industry-leading DB2 application testing and performance-tuning solutions for more than two decades. With a combination of proven testing and performance-tuning tools and unrivaled customer support, SoftBase creates a better DB2 experience for application developers and DB2 administrators, enabling faster and easier creation of reliable, high quality DB2 applications. For more information, call 1-800-669-7076 or visit www.softbase.com.
