Tom Taulli - Modern Mainframe Development: COBOL, Databases and Next-Generation Approaches

by Tom Taulli

Copyright 2021 Tom Taulli. All rights reserved.

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For over 60 years the mainframe has been the system of record for leading businesses, governmental agencies, and institutions of learning. Today, the vast majority of the worlds largest banks, insurance companies, airlines, and retailers continue to rely on the mainframe. If youve shopped, planned a vacation, or done banking online or through a mobile app, your transaction was almost certainly processed by a mainframe.

The mainframes reliability, consistency, security, and performance have cemented its role as the workhorse of the digital economy, and reliance on the platform shows no signs of letting up. In fact, 92 percent of respondents to the 2021 BMC Mainframe Survey see it as a platform for long-term growth. As new technologies arise and demand for better, faster services and applications intensifies, the mainframe continues to evolve to meet changing market needs and power innovation.

The programming environment has advanced from punched cards to ISPF green screens to modern integrated development environments in which developers can edit, debug, and deploy source code from one interface. Meanwhile, modern development solutions have enabled the use of automation throughout the software delivery lifecycle and opened the mainframe to integration with cross-platform development tools, monitoring and security software, and modern front-end applications.

These advanced automation capabilities and an open-borders approach go hand-in-hand with increased adoption of DevOps and agile development on the platform. Modern processes, and the tools that support them, help increase the quality of applications and the speed and efficiency with which they are developed. In short, it is an exciting time for the mainframe, as it continues to build upon its reputation of reliability, security, and scalability and expand its integration with other platforms in support of continuous innovation.

This bright future also presents wonderful career opportunities on the mainframe. DevOps and agile development open the door to greater collaboration with developers on other platforms, spurring the creation of applications and services that have the potential to change the digital landscape. Modern tools and an ever-expanding list of cross-platform integrations enable developers to use their favored tools to do meaningful work on the platform that drives the world economy. Across a wide range of industries and organizations from financial services to medical, insurance, retail, and the public sector, the need for skilled mainframe developers is boundless.

In this book, Tom Taulli introduces the mainframe and the systems behind it, covering the history of the platform, its unique role in the modern digital economy, and the architecture, processes, and people that make it such a powerhouse. In exploring its most commonly used programming language (COBOL) and examining database and transaction management on the platform, Tom provides the foundation upon which readers can build a working knowledge of mainframe development.

Modern Mainframe Development serves as a valuable overview of the platforms history and future while also thoroughly explaining its systems and processes. As experienced mainframe developers retire, taking with them decades of accrued knowledge, and the industry shifts toward a new generation of mainframe professionals, the importance of this resource cannot be overstated.

I hope that you, the reader, will use this book to lay the groundwork for further exploration of the platform and the opportunities it presents. Once youve experienced its power and capability for innovation, Im confident youll develop the same passion for the mainframe that has inspired my career.

--John McKennySenior Vice President and General Manager, Intelligent Z Optimization and Transformation at BMC