Introduction

IBM^® Optim™ for z/OS^® manages enterprise data throughout every stage of the information life cycle. Optim enables you to assess, classify, subset, archive, store, and access enterprise application data.

Optim uses the relationships defined in the DB2^® Catalog, where available, and supplements these relationships with those defined in the Optim Directory. Optim runs as a TSO/ISPF application and incorporates familiar ISPF commands. Optim handles any number of tables and any number of relationships, regardless of the complexity.

Optim helps you achieve these benefits with the following components: Access, Archive, Move, and Compare. You can use these Optim components for test data management, data privacy, data retention, application retirement, and data growth management. This manual describes the use of elements that are common to all Optim components.

Test Data Management
The Optim test data management capabilities provide an efficient alternative to database cloning, allowing you to create development and testing environments that are sized appropriately. For information about the test data management functions of Optim, see the Move User Manual, the Access User Manual, and the Compare User Manual.
Data Privacy
Data privacy is a licensed function of test data management.
Data Retention, Application Retirement, and Data Growth Management
You can use the archiving features in Optim to perform the following tasks:
Optim Components
Your site may be licensed for one, all, or a combination of the following Optim components. The Main Menu provides release and copyright information for Optim.
Common Elements and Facilities
Features common to all or most of the Optim components are discussed in this book. To carry out their functions, the Optim components rely on user-defined objects that supplement objects defined to the database (for example, tables, primary keys, relationships, stored procedures). These user-defined objects (collectively, Optim objects) are stored in the Optim Directory.
Basic Screen Format and Handling
Optim emulates ISPF commands, screen format and handling, and provides an extensive set of primary and line commands. Many commands are comparable to ISPF commands.
Processing Order
The CANCEL, HELP, and RESET primary commands take precedence over all other processing and are performed first; otherwise, information is processed in the following order:
Naming Conventions
In naming objects, you must avoid the use of DB2 reserved words.
Sample Database
A sample database is distributed with Optim. The sample database is created during the installation of Optim. The sample database provides data for training and allows you to experiment with Optim without fear of disrupting your production database.
Help and Tutorial Facility
Optim provides an online help facility that is available from any panel. Also, Option T TUTORIAL on the Main Menu invokes a tutorial that explains how to use Optim.
Main Menu
When you invoke Optim, the Main Menu is displayed, as in the following figure. The options available on the Main Menu will vary based on which Optim components are installed at your site. Any option marked with an asterisk is not available for your installation.
Choose a Definition Option
Use the Choose a Definition Option menu to create and maintain primary keys, relationships, Column Maps, Table Maps, and Archive Collections stored in the Optim Directory, and display primary keys and relationships from the DB2 Catalog.
Double-Byte Character Set Support
Optim processes Double-Byte Character Set (DBCS) data and provides DBCS users with all Optim capabilities that are available to Extended Binary Coded Decimal Interchange Code (EBCDIC) users.
ASCII and Unicode Support
While the Optim plan must be bound with an EBCDIC encoding scheme, Optim is still able to process data in ASCII and Unicode DB2 tables. When Optim is reading data from an ASCII or Unicode DB2 table, DB2 will convert characters from the table’s encoding scheme to the target Optim EBCDIC encoding scheme. When Optim is writing data to an ASCII or Unicode DB2 table, DB2 will convert characters from the Optim EBCDIC encoding scheme to the target table’s encoding scheme.
Mismatched CCSIDs
A discrepancy in the Coded Character Set Identifier (CCSID) can lead to unexpected data conversion, affecting any characters that do not map to the same code point in two CCSIDs.

Parent topic: InfoSphere Optim for z/OS Common Elements reference