Shadow z/Direct
SQL Access to Mainframe Data and Applications
DataDirect Shadow z/Direct enables direct SQL access to mainframe programs and data stored in an array of relational and non-relational formats. With Shadow, organizations leave mainframe data in place and avoid the cost and risk associated with replication or migration, and instead effectively employ the mainframe as a true enterprise data server.
Moreover, Shadow’s unique architecture improves data integration performance while reducing costs. By diverting processing-intensive data mapping and transformation away from the mainframe’s General Purpose Processor to the zIIP specialty engine, Shadow lowers MIPS capacity usage and reduces Total Cost of Ownership (TCO)
Utilizing industry-standard APIs such as ODBC, JDBC or ADO.NET, Shadow transforms mainframe data assets into virtual RDBMS tables or converts legacy business logic assets into virtual RDBMS stored procedures.
Shadow z/Direct for Data
No matter what the structure – flat files such as VSAM, hierarchical such as IMS DB and Adabas, or relational such as DB2 – Shadow provides a set of high-performance, call-level interfaces to data on the mainframe, making it look like just another familiar RDBMS such as SQL Server or Oracle.
Shadow z/Direct extracts data definitions and schema information from a variety of places to create standard relational metadata maps – all underlying mapping is transparent to the developer who simply codes standard SQL calls. At runtime, this mapping capability translates the standard SQL into the appropriate calls for the underlying database.
Shadow z/Direct for Programs
At the same time, Shadow allows developers to use reliable, proven CICS, IDMS, IMS TM, and Natural business rules as if they were local stored procedures. Shadow z/Direct includes a mechanism that initiates mainframe applications, no matter if the source is legacy business logic or screen logic.
Shadow z/Direct then uses the metadata created from application programs and screen maps to create database-stored procedure metadata maps – all underlying mapping is transparent to the developer who simply codes standard SQL/stored procedure calls.
These structures are 100% compatible with standard database stored procedure metadata calls, providing maximum interoperability. At runtime these maps convert stored procedure calls into the appropriate underlying calling syntax for the mainframe application subsystem.
Shadow shields developers from the complexity of mainframe data source interaction by providing an intuitive, highly-functional development environment, seamlessly tied to a mainframe integration server that provides secure, scalable, enterprise-class performance.
Development
Providing a highly-graphical intuitive interface built on Eclipse, Shadow Studio allows developers to employ familiar industry standard J2EE or .NET development environments to access or publish mainframe data, business logic or screen assets for reuse with new composite applications or deployment with modernization initiatives involving SOA, data access or business event processing.
Deployment
Shadow is one of the most advanced mainframe integration runtime environments available. Shadow’s z/OS ‘footprint’ appears to the mainframe as a native z/OS started task and has been designed for maximum reliability and minimum resource utilization, without compromising its ability to support thousands of users and thousands of transactions per second.
Unique to Shadow is its patent-pending hybrid threading model called the Logical Dispatchable Unit which has the ability to dynamically switch between the Task Control Blocks (TCB) and enclave Service Request Blocks (SRB) depending on the system need. This fundamental capability of Shadow allows it to run up to 99% of its integration related processing within the non-measured zIIP specialty engine.
Shadow z/Direct provides a robust list of key features that streamline access to mainframe relational and non-relational data and programs. Features include:
- Metadata Support – Shadow offers full relational metadata support for dynamic integration with development environments and business intelligence tools.
- Automated Component Generation – Shadow z/Direct offers automatic generation of J2EE and .NET components from database interfaces. z/Direct also provides substantial platform interoperability, supporting dynamic data services with SQL or SOAP interfaces.
- Data Connectivity Administration – Shadow provides outstanding diagnostic and control facilities and offer users a single, integrated solution to identify, diagnose and correct data connectivity issues between distributed ODBC, ADO.NET, and JDBC client drivers and mainframes.
- Enhanced Scalability – Shadow’s dynamic load balancing and virtual connection facility reduces the possibility of application failures, improves application availability and performance, as well as supports virtually unlimited concurrent users and transaction rates.
- Dynamic-to-Static SQL Conversion – When using ODBC or ADO.NET drivers, z/Direct converts dynamic SQL to higher-performing static SQL, improving performance up to 70%, as well as simplifying and enhancing application administration.
- 2PC Transactional Support – z/Direct employs full XA two-phase commit (2PC) support for transactions to integrate and update data on multiple platforms with integrity.
- XML Support – In conjunction with the Shadow JDBC client driver, information from data sources is returned to the calling application in XML format.
- SSL Support – Shadow fully integrates with mainframe RACF, CA-TopSecret and CA-ACF2 as well as SSL and client-side, certificate-based authentication on distributed platforms. Shadow fully supports the choreography of SSL between the application platform suite and the mainframe.
Shadow’s foundation architecture provides holistic zIIP exploitation across all of the Shadow integration options, providing up to 99% offload to the zIIP specialty engine for integration related processing. By diverting processing intensive data and SOA integration workloads from the mainframe GPP, Shadow improves performance while lowering the TCO.
And, Shadow opens up the zIIP to databases beyond DB2, to include IMS DB, VSAM, Adabas, IDMS, as well as processing related to SOAP/XML parsing for the transformation of business logic and screen logic in CICS, IDMS, IMS DB or Natural.
