Using ABO and Enterprise COBOL together
IBM® Automatic Binary Optimizer for z/OS® and the latest IBM Enterprise COBOL compiler serve different but complementary purposes.
- ABO optimizes COBOL program modules complied by earlier versions of the compiler and Enterprise COBOL compiles and optimizes COBOL source code.
- There is no performance trade-off when using ABO. In our performance testing, ABO 2.1 and Enterprise COBOL 6.3 deliver comparable performance.
- ABO offers a faster path to performance gains. Migrating to COBOL V6 can require multiple rounds of compile and test. Source code changes will be required if problems like invalid date are detected in existing applications.
- Use the latest Enterprise COBOL to compile new COBOL programs or to recompile COBOL programs requiring changes. Use ABO to optimize your COBOL programs that are not in your recompilation plan or if the program source code is not available.
You can choose which product to use according to Table 1.
| Use case | IBM Automatic Binary Optimizer for z/OS | IBM Enterprise COBOL compilers |
|---|---|---|
| Significant performance improvements without requiring source, migration, or options tuning | √ | |
| Built-in support on z/OS V2.2 and later for targeting multiple hardware levels | √ | |
| Interoperability and legacy compatibility (e.g. PDS input/output, interoperate with OS/VS COBOL and VS COBOL II NORES) | √ | |
| No need to downgrade ARCH setting to match disaster recovery machine | √ | |
| New COBOL application development or to use new COBOL features | √ | |
| Maintenance on existing COBOL programs | √ |