Natural 2006 – What is it and Why Should I Be Excited? : Natural 2006 – What is it and Why Should I Be Excited? Software AG User Group – Southwest Region 8 June 2006 Mark Braukhoff Software AG - Denver Sales
IT Trends in Application Development : IT Trends in Application Development Application
Development Integrated
Life-Cycle Management
(IT Governance) Web and Rich Internet
Applications SOA Environments,
Web Services and XML Linux Unified Open Tools
Platform - Eclipse
Natural 2006 : Natural 2006 Natural 2006 excels as a new application development platform due to its openness and flexibility, as well as its simplicity and efficiency
The functionality provided with Natural 2006 was closely identified with hundreds of customers around the world
Natural 2006 addresses latest IT trends and open standards, e.g. Unicode, XML, Web Services, Linux, Eclipse, AJAX
Natural 2006 is a family of various new products and versions
Natural 2006 highlights include support for:
Service-oriented development of business applications
Rich Internet applications
The Eclipse development environment
Mainframe, Linux, UNIX and Windows platforms
Unicode
Natural 2006 Service-Oriented Development of Business Applications : Natural 2006 Service-Oriented Development of Business Applications Cross-Platform Support Mainframe, Linux, Unix, Windows Application Designer Rich Internet Applications Natural for Eclipse Developer Productivity Natural Business Services SOA and Web Services
Natural 4.2 and 6.2 : Natural 4.2 and 6.2 Two new major Natural releases in 2006
Natural for the Mainframe 4.2
Natural for Open Systems 6.2
Unicode support
Enables development of international applications
Advanced XML processing capabilities
Industry Standard Information Structure
Powerful document exchange via the HTTP protocol
Industry Standard Information Transfer
Natural Unicode Support : Natural Unicode Support What is Unicode?
Unicode provides a unique number for every character, no matter what the platform, no matter what the program, no matter what the language.
- The Unicode Consortium http://www.unicode.org
Natural Unicode Support : Natural Unicode Support Global operating companies are able to develop global applications
Multi-language support (e.g. English, German, French, Russian)
Multi-script support (e.g. Latin, Cyrillic, Greek, Japanese, Chinese)
Multi-cultural support (e.g. date, time and number format)
Better client online services (e.g. support in the local language)
New or extended application logic in Natural 4.2 and 6.2
Enables international electronic document exchange without loss of data integrity
Native XML processing in Unicode
Using the Web browser to visualize Unicode characters
XML Support: Processing with PARSE and XML Toolkit : XML Support: Processing with PARSE and XML Toolkit PARSE statement
Internal XML parser (SAX)
Simple to use, e.g. no callback programming required
Better maintainability
Encapsulate XML specific parser technologies
XML Toolkit
Automatic Natural data area and XML parser generation based on DTD or XML Schema XML Schema
DTD Natural XML Toolkit Natural
Data Area Natural Studio
Plug-In Parser
String processing,
PARSE statement Application
HTTP Support: Document Exchange with REQUEST DOCUMENT : HTTP Support: Document Exchange with REQUEST DOCUMENT Exchanging documents via the Web infrastructure (HTTP)
Process structured, XML or binary documents
Consume Web Services using SOAP and HTTP
Access to XML databases with HTTP e.g. call a Google
Web Service
Natural for Windows and Natural Development Server : Natural for Windows and Natural Development Server Local and remote application development and deployment
GUI development tools on the PC for mainframe, UNIX and Linux platforms
Benefits
Productivity gains in application development and maintenance
New skills make it easier to train and motivate for Natural development
More flexibility with multi-platform development and deployment (“Single Point of Development”)
Hides mainframe complexity
Extensible environment (Plug-In’s for various add-on products)
Moving development and testing process to the PC Natural "Green Screen" Natural for Windows Mainframe UNIX, Linux Natural Development Server Natural
runtime
platforms One Multiple
Natural for Windows : Natural for Windows GUI Development Environment Wizards Integrated Tools
Natural for Eclipse : Natural for Eclipse What is Natural for Eclipse?
Natural development environment on the open-source framework Eclipse
Multi-platform support using the Natural Development Server
Benefits
Unification of development environments based on the de-facto standard Eclipse
Support of open standard version control (e.g. CVS)
Increase developer productivity with advanced editors and tools
Leverage open source Eclipse Plug-In's
Motivate young developers to learn Natural
Seamlessly integrates with the Natural Development Server
Natural Local and Remote Development : Natural
Development
Server Natural
Runtime
Environment Natural Local and Remote Development z/OS, z/OS.e, zLinux
z/VSE, z/VM, CICS,
IMS, Com-plete Local & Remote
Development BS2000/OSD,
OpenUTM, MSP Solaris, HP/UX,
AIX Linux, Suse,
Redhat, 64-bit Windows XP,
2003 Server, 64-bit Natural Add-On Products Windows Natural for Windows Version & Release
Management System Resource
Browser Application
Metadata DBMS Generation
& Administration Code
Generation Remote
Development Code Analysis
& Refactoring Predict Application Control, Predict, Natural Engineer, Construct, Natural Business Services
Natural Business Services : Natural Business Services What is Natural Business Services?
A new product designed for service-oriented application development
Successor of Natural Construct and Spectrum
How Natural Business Services is increasing the productivity?
Less time searching for services – better reusability
Less time worrying about middleware complexity
Less time by using code generation - Wizards
Simple integration into Java and Microsoft .NET environments
Natural Business Services : Natural Business Services
Components of Natural Business Services : Components of Natural Business Services Model-driven code generator for services
Built-in test tools
Integrated development tools for
Natural for Windows
Microsoft Visual Studio
Eclipse
Service communication via Java, .NET or Web Services
Leverages the asynchronous EntireX Communicator messaging capabilities
Development and runtime service repository
Service-specific security model (domains, services, methods)
Runtime monitoring with auditing capabilities
Model-driven Service Generation Natural Business Services : Model-driven Service Generation Natural Business Services Rapid service development with model-driven code generation
Various predefined models
Generates CRUD data services for one file or more related files
Generates a data query for a file, supporting multiple keys and filtering options
Encapsulates any kind of Natural subprogram as service
Creates a higher-level services accessing more granular services
Models can be enhanced with custom coding (user exits)
Existing Natural Construct models for subprograms can be leveraged Service Implementations
Natural Business Service Repository : Natural Business Service Repository Development and runtime repository for Natural Business Services
Stores metadata about services
Business description
Technical details
Security information
Runtime auditing and logging
Resides on the same runtime platform as Natural
Repository browser for Natural Studio, Eclipse and Microsoft Visual Studio
Integrates with CentraSite (UDDI) – for registering Web Services .NET
MS Visual Studio
Add-In Java
Eclipse
Plug-In Natural
Business
Service Repository CentraSite
UDDI Natural Studio
Plug-In
Service Client Proxies Natural Business Services : Service Client Proxies Natural Business Services NBS
Runtime Natural Business
Service Repository Repository Browser Retrieve
Service Service Proxy Generator Service Client Proxies Runtime Library Classes Web Service EntireX
Messaging SOAP, WSDL, HTTP Java, .NET 1 Generate
Service
Client-Proxy 2 Invoke the Service 3
Microsoft .NET and Visual Studio Add-In Natural Business Services : Microsoft .NET and Visual Studio Add-In Natural Business Services Visual Studio Add-in for Natural Business Services
Repository Browser
Code Generator
Generated .NET classes (VB, C#) compliant to unit testing
Bind classes directly to .NET data sets
Business data types simplifying data conversion
Automatically creates standard Web Services (SOAP, WSDL, UDDI) Repository
Browser NUnit Class
Generator Web Service
Generator
Eclipse Plug-In : Eclipse Plug-In Natural Business Service tools as Eclipse Plug-In
Repository Browser
Code Generator
Generates native Java classes compliant to unit testing
Automatically creates standard Web Services (SOAP, WSDL, UDDI)
Support of the open source framework Apache AXIS
Natural and Application Designer (CAI) : Natural and Application Designer (CAI) Develop new Web applications with Natural supporting the latest Web technologies (AJAX)
Simply drag & drop development of the Web Pages
Provide rich client functionality within a standard Web browser (e.g. Internet Explorer, Firefox)
Library with over 40 powerful Web GUI controls (e.g. grids, context menu)
No Web programming required (e.g. HTML, JavaScript)
Natural applications can be integrated via Web Services
Web Services provided by Natural Business Services, EntireX Communicator or ApplinX
Later in 2006 the Application Designer is natively supported as new Web front-end for Natural (UI connectivity)
Higher productivity compared to other Web development tools, e.g. Java with JSP
Application Designer (CAI) Building Rich Internet Applications : Application Designer (CAI) Building Rich Internet Applications Menus Vector Graphics Tab Areas Grid Management Charts Calendar
Control Validation Multi-page Forms Trees Context Menu Develop in a Web Browser Drag & Drop
Integration of Natural with Application Designer (CAI) : Integration of Natural with Application Designer (CAI) Web Browser Web Service Adapter Calling and
Implementing
Web Page Logic Natural Business
Services or
Subprograms Direct
UI Integration Web Services H2 2006
Characteristics of old Applications : Characteristics of old Applications Different people developed and maintained the application over a long period of time
Mix of report and structure mode
Business rules are buried in Natural maps
Not designed for external use (application as silo)
Data access everywhere - no separate layer
Various workarounds caused by former size limits (e.g. variables, program size) or performance reasons
Program code is not in synch with the documentation (inline or external documents)
Program cross-communication not always obvious
Code Analysis with Natural Engineer : Code Analysis with Natural Engineer Goals
Lower maintenance costs
Handle skill shortage
Improve code for SOA and Web
Highlights
Automatically create a transparent application inventory and technical documentation
Creates reports in various formats (e.g. MS Word, MS Excel, HTML)
Analyze Natural, Cobol and JCL
Standard and customized metrics and complexity measurements
Automated refactoring and code changes Coding
Standards
Refactoring Process : Refactoring Process Refactoring improves the internal design
of your application and making it ready for new challenges After Refactoring Data
Access Business
Logic User
Interface
Refactoring with Natural Engineer : Refactoring with Natural Engineer Features
Workflow tools for refactoring processes
Identify and eliminate redundant code
Externalize program code, create a subprogram
Rename an variable or object with all references
Find objects not used
Eliminate rules in maps
Separate User interface, Business logic and Database access logic
Benefits
High level of automation (up to 95%)
Full control - preview on changes, auditing and tracking of changes (change log)
The Natural Community : The Natural Community Software AG is committed to Natural and provides many free resources
Developer Community and Newsletter
Free Natural Productivity Package – Personal Edition
Software AG and partners around the world provide professional services, consultancy and training classes
Certification program
Free Web training
Natural for Eclipse will motivate young people to learn Natural Developer Community Developer Newsletter Training Services
Natural Analyst Research Report : Natural Analyst Research Report
Natural 2006 Service-Oriented Development of Business Applications : Natural 2006 Service-Oriented Development of Business Applications Web Services and SOA
Build “reusable” service-oriented business applications with standard interfaces
Rich Internet Applications
Radically improves Web application development and user experience
Eclipse-based Development Environment
Open and extensible Natural IDE based on the Eclipse “Open Source” framework
Special Bonus Feature: “I want to upgrade to Natural 4.2. Is there anything I need to know about?” : Special Bonus Feature: “I want to upgrade to Natural 4.2. Is there anything I need to know about?”
Natural 4.2.1 – Supported environments : Natural 4.2.1 – Supported environments
Natural 4.2.1 and other Software AG Products I : Natural 4.2.1 and other Software AG Products I
Natural 4.2.1 and other Software AG Products II : Natural 4.2.1 and other Software AG Products II
Natural 4.2.1 and other Software AG Products III : Natural 4.2.1 and other Software AG Products III
Natural 4.2.1 and other Software AG Products IV : Natural 4.2.1 and other Software AG Products IV
Natural 4.2.1 and other Software AG Products V : Natural 4.2.1 and other Software AG Products V
Natural 4.2.1 System File Considerations : Natural 4.2.1 System File Considerations Number of Header Records for Natural Source Objects in FUSER/FNAT increased
An additional header record will be written when a source object is saved with Natural 4.2. This header record contains date and time when the object was saved as well as information on the code page.
The available API‘s were adapted accordingly.
Programs accessing the system file directly, i.e. without using the API‘s may require adaption.
Customers sharing an exising Natural 4.1 FUSER with Natural 4.2 require Natural 4.1.4 Service Pack I00003 or higher.
System file stores locking information when a source object is edited.
Supported with SPoD and local environments
Natural 4.2.1 System File Topics II : Natural 4.2.1 System File Topics II Natural 4.2.1 does not require a new FNAT during installation
No re-install of Add-On necessary
If you are already running under Natural 4.1
If your add-on Product versions are supported with Natural 4.2.1
Complexity to install Natural 4.2 reduced
You may upgrade the add on products before upgrading Natural
Effort to install and test Natural 4.2 reduced
Natural 4.2.1 Language Enhancements : Natural 4.2.1 Language Enhancements X-Arrays (extensible arrays)
Number of occurences for an array may vary during runtime of the program
EXPAND, REDUCE, RESIZE Statements
*LBOUND, *UBOUND System Variables
Constants can be larger than 127 characters (up to 2 gig ... The logistics of defining a constant that large boggle the mind, but we‘ll let you do it.)
Natural 4.2.1 Language Enhancements : Natural 4.2.1 Language Enhancements REQUEST DOCUMENT Statement
Access documents in the internet providing an url.
PARSE Statement
Parses an xml document
Uses xpath xml parser
Both statements together simplify xml processing on mainframes
Natural 4.2.1 Language Enhancements : Natural 4.2.1 Language Enhancements New System Variables
*CURRENT-UNIT
*TYPE
*LBOUND
*UBOUND
*PARSE-COL
*PARSE-LEVEL
*PARSE-NAMESPACE-URI
*PARSE-ROW
*PARSE-TYPE
Natural 4.2.1 Language Enhancements : Natural 4.2.1 Language Enhancements Unicode and Code Page Enhancements
Data type „U“
System variables:
*CODEPAGE, *LOCALE
MOVE NORMALIZED
MOVE ENCODED
Profile parameters:
CPCVERR, CPOBJIN, CPPRINT, CPSYNIN, SRETAIN
Natural 4.2.1 Adabas 8 Support : Natural 4.2.1 Adabas 8 Support Support for alphanumeric and binary fields longer than 253 bytes
Support of multiple value (MU) fields and periodic groups (PE) with more than 191 occurrences
Record length greater than 32KB
The OPRB profile parameter has been enhanced to improve control of Adabas files accessed for exclusive update (EXU) usage
Use of Adabas data type „W“ to store Unicode (also with Adabas 7)
Natural for VSAM 4.2.1 Enhancements : Natural for VSAM 4.2.1 Enhancements Support for alphanumeric and binary fields longer than 253 bytes
Support of multiple value (MU) fields and periodic groups (PE) with more than 191 occurrences
Record length greater than 32KB
Support of local shared resources (LSR) in a Natural Development Server (NDV) server environment
Support of reusable VSAM files
Natural 4.2.1 DB2 Version 8 Support Enhancements : Natural 4.2.1 DB2 Version 8 Support Enhancements Dynamic Scrollable Cursors
supports both sensitive dynamic scrollable and asensitive scrollable cursors
SELECT Statement
The table-spec term of the FROM clause of the SELECT statement has been enhanced by an INSERT statement
Sequence Objects and Identify Columns
Sequence objects generate values which can be used as unique key values of columns. These objects can be referenced as expressions in SQL
Scalar Fullselect in Expressions
Current Package Path Register
is expanded to contain a set of collection names
Natural 4.2.1 DB2 Version 8 Support Enhancements : Natural 4.2.1 DB2 Version 8 Support Enhancements Materialized Query Tables
provide functionality that allows DB2 applications to define, populate and make use of materialized query tables to improve query performance
Common Table Expressions
permits defining a result table with a table name that can be specified as a table name in any FROM clause of the fullselect that
Multiple Row Processing
for both the FETCH and the INSERT statement
GET DIAGNOSTIC Processing
provides diagnostic information about the last executed SQL statement
XML Publishing Built-In Functions
a set of SQL built-in functions that allow applications to generate XML data from relational data
Natural 4.2.1 Driver Enhancements : Natural 4.2.1 Driver Enhancements Natural CICS Interface
The Natural CICS interface has been made threadsafe and therefore can run under a private TCB in CICS,
Startup messages are provided to allow for easy detection of installation failures,
Channels and containers are supported
Natural for VSE/ESA
VSE ABEND exits are stacked to allow ABEND percolation,
Storage prefixes are introduced in order to assist in identifying storage areas belonging to a specific task in a multi-tasking or server environment
Natural for BS2000/OSD
Compile and link installation procedures for BS2000/OSD have been changed to use SDF as the procedure language in order to support new BS2000/OSD compiler and binder features.
Natural 4.2.1 Further Enhancements : Natural 4.2.1 Further Enhancements DUMP Command
Displays special purpose ZAP‘s as well
Natural Debugger
Allow setting of break points in copycodes
Natural Optimizing Compiler
Optimizes array assignments
COMPOPT
V41COMP parameter to restrict syntax to Natural 4.1
User exit to perform SYSBPM blacklist maintenance
Profile parameter to specify thousand separator character
Print and Work File Buffers Above 16-MB Line (z/OS)
Natural 4.2.1 Migration Issue : Natural 4.2.1 Migration Issue Objects generated with Natural 2.2 or earlier may not run under Natural 4.2
Re-catalog necessary.
Last, but not least: Natural Security 4.2.1 : Last, but not least: Natural Security 4.2.1 Prompt to allow deletion of owner (EP526)
Enable copy links form a NSC object to a defined NSC objects (EP 3969)
Enhance NSC API with error text as optional parameter (EP 3631)
NSC environment protection for multiple FSECs (EP 3820)
Free list of modules (EP3688)
NSC Api to read SYSSEC "General Options„ (EP 3709)
NSC API: Xref external objects – user (EP3961)
Need to clean out old user IDs (EP 3827)
XR user --> library module (EP 3032)
Search order utility access (EP 3187)
NSCUS Handle Owner IDs (EP2540)
NSC SECLOAD load data in Test mode (EP4000)
ETIO support – Object Maintenance