COBOL Upgrade Advisor for z/OS

IBM COBOL Upgrade Advisor for z/OS® (CUAZ) helps simplify and accelerate the upgrade process to IBM® Enterprise COBOL for z/OS 6.

CUAZ supports various COBOL upgrade scenarios across versions and editions. For a list of COBOL compilers, see COBOL compiler versions, required runtimes, and support information.

CUAZ offers automated inventory discovery and reporting in a modern Visual Studio Code (VS Code) interface. The program helps organizations to identify and address compiler issues including invalid code and data issues, understand the size and scope of their upgrade projects, and streamline the recompilation process.

The program is designed to help customers stay current with the Enterprise COBOL for z/OS 6 compiler release, and it includes the following benefits:

• Inventory insights

  • You see a visual summary of the COBOL inventory on the workstation that offers a complete view of the size of an upgrade project and recommendations for scoping it down.
  • You are provided with two inventory scanning systems, static and dynamic scans, that offer flexibility and accuracy in assessing COBOL inventory. Both scans provide insights into compiler versions, last compiled dates, compiler options, and other metadata. Also, the dynamic scan shows the programs that are used for each application. This feature can be useful for complex or traditional applications where it is unclear which programs are called and which programs are in scope for upgrade in a specific application.
  • You can re-run the inventory scan at regular intervals to track the progress of COBOL upgrade projects.
• Data export

  • You can export the COBOL inventory to a CSV file, to easily share COBOL inventory data with team members.
  • You can manipulate the CSV data file to create custom reports in any tool that supports CSV.
  • You can share insights with team members who cannot use VS Code.
• Upgrade readiness assessment

  • You can view major prerequisite tasks for each program, such as COBOL runtime updates or source code conversion to help teams prioritize any larger efforts before recompilation.
  • You can avoid reading a large volume of documentation to understand scenarios that are applicable to specific applications and make sure that the relevant but ambiguous upgrade tasks are not missed.
• Compiler option recommendations

  • You are provided with tailored recommendations for compiler option changes, enabling developers to optimize their applications and detect invalid data problems, when upgrading to IBM Enterprise COBOL for z/OS 6.