Understanding X-Analysis: A 4-Part Webinar Series

Ever wish you could improve IBM i developer productivity whilst gaining a deeper insight into the critical data in your organisation?

This four-part webinar series takes an in-depth look at understanding X-Analysis to manage IBM i applications better.

What is X-Analysis?

X-Analysis is a tool from Fresche Solutions, which helps developers to improve IBM i application management, by giving them a full overview and deep understanding of their RPG, CA 2E (Synon) or COBOL applications.

In a nutshell, X-Analysis improves productivity around your IBM i application activities by giving critical insight into your data.

What will I learn in the webinar series?

Ray Everhart is an IBM i specialist. Now he’s passing on his knowledge of IBM i application understanding and improving developer productivity in this four-part webinar series. Each 30-minute session covers key functionality and benefits of X-Analysis, increases your understanding of X-Analysis through tutorials, and crucially provides you with real-world examples so you can see how other IBM i-based businesses have used X-Analysis.

Documenting your IBM i systems

The series opens with an overview of how to use X-Analysis to document your IBM i systems. Easily visualise IBM i applications by automating the creation of interactive, graphical documentation and data flow diagrams. X-Analysis’ automated graphical documentation:

1. Shows program control via the call stack
2. Provides use, access and parameters for objects
3. Displays RPG in a simple, easy-to-read pseudo code

Automated Impact Analysis

In Everhart’s second webinar, he guides you through learning how to track ‘where used’ information with powerful impact analysis automation. With X-Analysis’ impact analysis functionality you can:

1. Track variables through each iteration and association
2. Highlight each object that is affected by changes
3. Easily prepare for audits and make plans with inbuilt document system functionality

Understanding Your Code

In this session, you’ll see X-Analysis’ powerful drill-down and drill-up functionality in action. With X-Analysis you’re able to quickly and easily access the exact information and detail you need – when you need it. This session shows you how to discover:

1. How your IBM i applications and data are connected to one another
2. What rules your business applications run from
3. How you can determine what is obsolete

Everhart will show you how X-Analysis helps you by:

1. Providing details all the way down to the source code
2. Tracing variables down through multiple layers
3. Browsing unused sub-routines and files

Automated approach to Resizing Your Fields

Finally, we all know how difficult manual field expansion is for all but the tiniest databases. X-Analysis automates the process of field resizing, removing the risk of human error. By automating the field expansion process, you’re able to complete these tasks quickly and, more importantly, accurately. Everhart closes the session by showing you how X-Analysis helps you to:

1. Find every object requiring a change
2. Transform thousands of object in just a few minutes
3. Convert, compile and view all the code, and every change that was made

How can I access the IBM i Developer Productivity webinar series?

Register to watch the entire IBM i application understanding series on-demand here.

You can also view our collection of IBM i development, modernisation and mobilisation recorded webinars from Fresche and other IBM i vendors here.

Learn more about our comprehensive range of IBM i development products and tools, including X-Analysis, WebSmart, Zend Server for IBM i and TD/OMS.