ABSTRACT for RDP is the missing piece in your development puzzle.

Whether you're writing new software applications or updating existing ones for your IBM i server, you need an integrated set of cross-referencing, documentation, and programming tools to manage these projects—tools that help you find critical information quickly, automate tedious tasks, and save you time, effort, and money.

Many developers use IBM's Rational Developer for Power Systems Software (or RDP) to create, maintain, and enhance software applications on IBM Power Systems. But what are missing from this environment are the tools to diagnose, document, and analyze the impact of software modifications.

Announcing ABSTRACT for RDP

Now, ABSTRACT, the IBM i programming toolset, offers a new version that you install as a plug-in to your RDP environment. You can use ABSTRACT for RDP to track, document, and manage objects on the IBM i server because it offers cross-reference, documentation, and development features together in a single interface.

In the RDP environment, the ABSTRACT features appear as right-click menu options in the Remote System Explorer, and as a tabbed panel in the bottom View section (the ABSTRACT Tree View).

• The Remote System Explorer lets you load objects into the ABSTRACT cross-reference database or remove them. Other ABSTRACT functions (usage, reference, flowcharts, and more) become available after you load objects into the cross-reference.
• The ABSTRACT Tree View displays which libraries and objects are loaded into the cross?reference database. (As you add new libraries, they also display.) You can expand the library folders to display loaded objects by type and then expand those folders to display individual objects. The ABSTRACT Tree View provides quick access for working with objects in the cross-reference.

Figure 1: The ABSTRACT for RDP Tree View displays multiple systems and libraries in the cross-reference. (Click image to enlarge.) 

ABSTRACT for RDP Helps Everyone

Programmers reduce the amount of time needed for editing, compiling, and debugging programs. ABSTRACT automates many manual tasks and lets programmers multi-task.

Analysts enjoy a complete system overview to help them integrate new applications or enhancements quickly. They see comprehensive, up-to-date information about application structure, data flows, and object references.

Manager and auditors work with full-scale details of how an application works. They can produce file layouts, flowcharts, directional analysis of object use, and other documentation quickly and easily.

ABSTRACT for RDP Is a Big Productivity Gain

ABSTRACT smoothes out the entire development process to save time and increase productivity. With ABSTRACT for RDP, you can:

• Pinpoint critical changes and find essential information fast.
  Analyze applications and build a cross-reference database that provides "where used" and "used by" relationships for system objects and fields. Track object and field usage, relationships between objects, file analysis, and other important reference information.
• Re-create database relationships quickly.
  After a change, re-create all of the affected system objects, including physical files, logical files, file members, and related file structures—automatically.
• Clarify database structure.
  See key information about a database file, including external and internal file layouts, file member information, access path information, and relationships between file objects.
• Comprehensively document your software.
  Generate graphical flowcharts, in both standard and Vision formats, to easily and accurately document your software applications.

Mike Stegeman is Sr. Data Access Consultant for SEQUEL Software, a Help/Systems company. He can be reached at 847-273-1047, or at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..