ETL through COBOL

pandeesh · Post by **pandeesh** » Tue Apr 12, 2011 3:36 am

Is it possible to do ETL process via COBOL?(provided db is db2)

do anyone have experience in that?

if yes, is there any tool to conver those COBOL jobs into datastage jobs?

Thanks

vmcburney · Post by **vmcburney** » Tue Apr 12, 2011 4:34 am

Short answer - no. There is a version of DataStage called DataStage MVS that lets you build a DataStage job in Designer and compile it into a Cobol program to transfer and run on the mainframe. I don't think it can reverse engineer existing Cobol programs. You can use DataStage to read Cobol copybooks to process files created by Cobol. You can use database replication technology to get transactions off a mainframe DB2 database to make it available to a DataStage server off the mainframe and remove the complexity of finding changed data. I suggest you find a good solution architect.

ray.wurlod · Post by **ray.wurlod** » Tue Apr 12, 2011 4:51 am

When you get to version 8.5 there are new ways for getting at DB2 on mainframe from parallel jobs that would make your life easier. But you will still definitely need to analyse the logic of the COBOL program's procedure division and replicate that logic in DataStage.

FranklinE · Post by **FranklinE** » Tue Apr 12, 2011 7:07 am

Please don't ask me for specifics -- I am not in a position to share code, regretfully -- but this is something to which I have had to give some thought.

Your first step is to flowchart your Cobol programs. I have found that, in the absence of a utility for conversion, a flowcharted program can point the way to a DataStage design. If your shop is big enough and has the budget to spend on it, an analysis tool like Micro Focus Revolve can be a very big help in identifying Cobol routines that could translate to a stage or group of stages.

Much depends on the state of your Cobol design. The better the structure, the easier it should be to translate. For example, if a program keeps all or nearly all of its business logic within one paragraph or series of paragraphs, it will help you isolate those portions that are most difficult to translate. If the design is haphazard or subject to multiple "styles", you might be better off starting from the requirements and staying away from the Cobol.

Just my thoughts. Free advice is often worth what you pay for it.

pandeesh · Post by **pandeesh** » Tue Apr 12, 2011 7:08 am

Thanks Franklin!!

venkatvelpula · Post by **venkatvelpula** » Tue Jul 19, 2011 10:35 am

Hi Pandeesh,

Any helpful notes/considerations on Cobol ETL Logic conversion to Datastage Processes

pandeesh · Post by **pandeesh** » Tue Jul 19, 2011 11:43 am

venkatvelpula wrote:Hi Pandeesh,

Any helpful notes/considerations on Cobol ETL Logic conversion to Datastage Processes

No!i haven't got any..still i am wondering how ETL can be done via COBOL

jwiles · Post by **jwiles** » Tue Jul 19, 2011 1:44 pm

ETL via COBOL would be done like ETL via any other language. That is, in a manner consistent with the capabilities of the language and the systems that are being used.

ETL has been performed in some manner on some system for decades: Read some data, twiddle with the bits and bytes and then write it somewhere else, be that a database or a file on tape. It's only relatively recently that it's been called ETL. I do in DataStage now what I did for years beforehand in Assembler, PL/I, COBOL and C with assorted supporting tools.

Regards,

DSXchange

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