IBM Transaction Analysis Workbench for z/OS

Analyze transaction performance and behavioral problems and simplify problem analysis

Product documentation

Unified platform for z/OS® transactional problem management

Transaction Analysis Workbench enables you to look at individual z/OS subsystems or combine them into a single unified view, including the ability to replay or track the flow of the transaction within and between various z/OS subsystems. It does not require special agent software to collect data for analysis. Instead, Transaction Analysis Workbench uses the logs and other historical data that each subsystem generates during normal transaction processing and system operations.

 What's new in Transaction Analysis Workbench
Enjoy cross-subsystem coverage

Analyze records from multiple z/OS subsystems, including IBM CICS®, IBM Db2®, IBM IMS™, IBM MQ, SMF, IBM WebSphere® Application Server for z/OS and IBM z/OS Connect. Over 1,500 log record types.
Analyze logs you already collect

Include the logs and other historical data that each subsystem already generates during normal operation. No special agent software is required.
Track across logs and subsystems

See all of the events in a heterogeneous transaction, for example CICS-Db2, CICS-DBCTL, IMS-Db2, in a single consolidated view.
Consistent user interface

A consistent user interface for all log records helps make it easy to extend analysis skills into unfamiliar log types and subsystems. 

Features

Interactive on-host log analysis

An ISPF-based log browser shows all log records in a single, consistent interface. You can browse summarized records from multiple logs merged in time sequence, then view all fields of a single record and target details of a single field.

Generate batch reports

You can generate various batch reports that are designed to help solve common transaction analysis issues. For example, combined CICS-DBCTL transaction analysis reports can help determine whether long response time is caused by problems in IBM CICS or IBM IMS.
Transaction tracking

It tracks the transaction across available logs to provide a cross-subsystem timeline of events and highlights delays often absent in subsystem-specific tools. Tracking can also help developers understand the behavior and interrelationships of systems.
Shared problem details and history

IBM Transaction Analysis Workbench offers an optional framework for analyzing problems in sessions. A session encapsulates information about a problem and its analysis. It includes the time period, systems involved and corresponding log files. If you create a session, other users can share that session rather than creating their own.
Workflows

When creating a session for a problem, you can optionally select a session template that describes a workflow. A workflow is a sequence of tasks for analyzing a problem. Each task can be a written instruction or JCL for a batch job. Experts can develop workflows to help other users, such as help desk staff, begin to analyze a problem or at least select the log files necessary for analysis rather than immediately assigning the problem to an expert.
Automated file selection

Automated file selection eliminates the tedious process of manually locating the log data required for analysis. You specify a time period and the systems that you are interested in and IBM Transaction Analysis Workbench locate the corresponding log files and attaches them to your problem session.
Off-host analytics dashboards

You can run IBM Transaction Analysis Workbench for z/OS batch jobs that forward log data to off-host analytics platforms such as the Elastic Stack or Splunk. View your log data in Kibana or Splunk dashboards that complement on-host analysis.

Components

ISPF dialog

The ISPF dialog user interface offers options for browsing logs, managing sessions, creating JCL, and defining system and filter records.

 Explore the ISPF dialog Repositories

Repositories are the data sets where Transaction Analysis Workbench stores data related to transaction analysis.

 Explore repositories Automate file selection utility

The automated file selection utility is a batch program that locates the log files for a session based on a time period and a system definition.

 Explore an automated file selection utility Knowledge modules

A knowledge module is an executable load module that Transaction Analysis Workbench uses to interpret and process a particular type of log record.

 Explore knowledge modules

Technical details

Software prerequisites: mandatory

Before installing and configuring Transaction Analysis Workbench, ensure that the following software requirements are fulfilled:

  • z/OS, V2.1 or later

Hardware prerequisites

Transaction Analysis Workbench operates on any hardware configuration that supports the required software.

Videos

Transaction Analysis Workbench overview

This video gives an overview of Transaction Analysis Workbench for z/OS and how you can use it to analyze transaction logs on-host.
Operations analytics dashboards

This video demonstrates dashboards on two analytic platforms—Splunk and Elastic.
On-host analysis

This video provides an overview of how to analyze transaction logs on-host using the ISPF dialog.
IMS-Db2 transaction problem analysis

This video demonstrates using the ISPF dialog to analyze an IMS-Db2 transaction problem.

Tutorials

Browse the step-by-step tutorials to help you get started with Transaction Analysis Workbench.
Browsing a log

This tutorial shows you how to create a session for a problem, manually specify a log file for the problem, and then browse the log file.

 Submitting a batch report

This tutorial shows you how to create a batch report for a session.

 Automating selection of IMS logs

This tutorial shows you how to define an IMS system to Transaction Analysis Workbench, and then use that system definition to locate the related IMS log files (SLDS or OLDS) for a particular time interval.

 Automating selection of DB2 logs

This tutorial shows you how to define a DB2® system to Transaction Analysis Workbench, and then use that system definition to locate the related DB2 log files for a particular time interval.
Take the next steps

IBM Transaction Analysis Workbench for z/OS. Schedule a no-cost 30-minute meeting with an IBM Z representative.

 Get started guide
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