SDLTRACE

SDLTRACE is a general tracing and logging facility for applications running on the IBM^® z/OS^® mainframe computer system. The connection between the user's COBOL program and SDLTRACE is through a simple CALL-interface specifying the desired action together with a number of options.

In trace mode a record is created for each variable that changes in value, a label that is passed, a section or paragraph that is entered, etc. The generated trace records are written to sequential datasets which are allocated automatically as needed. The result is a complete picture of what the module did during execution.

In log mode the user specifies the data to be logged together with various options depending on user requirements. The generated log records are written to sequential datasets which are allocated automatically as needed just as in trace mode. The datasets on the various images of a complex system are then merged and consolidated into a common depository for detailed analysis and research.

The main feature of SDLTRACE is the speed of execution so that logging can be used in any production environment without hardly any impact on performance. In addition the system is very easy to set up and its use is extremely simple since almost all actions required by the user are automated. All modules of SDLTRACE run in problem state and there is no need for any Operating System service to be installed nor is there any authorization required for any program or library.

A description of the system can be found in the SDLTRACE Cobol Reference (PDF).

There is a complete set of examples together with sample code provided in the distribution package. It may be used to get aquainted with the operation and the various features of the system. The detailed documentation is in SDLTRACE Cobol User Guide (PDF).

In addition to SDLTRACE, which is the central recording engine for all trace and log actions, there are two support programs for the log facility: SDLMERGE and SDLSTATS. Since logging may be active on numerous different system images in a production environment it is necessary to combine all generated log datasets into a central repository on a single system. This function is performed by SDLMERGE described in SDLMERGE Reference (PDF).

Once the log data has been consolidated into a single database (consisting of an ordered set of sequential datasets) it may be searched, analyzed and used as a source to get various selected statistics. The program that provides this function is SDLSTATS described in SDLSTATS Reference (PDF).

The installation of SDLTRACE into the TSO account of the z/OS user consists of allocating the necessary datasets, extracting the programs from the distribution file, linking the object modules and setting the default parameters in the user's ISPF terminal profile. All steps are automated as far as possible so that the installation can be completed within five to ten minutes at most. The procedure to follow is contained on one page in the Installation Guide (PDF).

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