SirLib

Managing changes in User Language-based environments is one of the most challenging tasks facing managers in Model 204 shops. To address those tasks, most managers rely on some type of management system--automated or manual in nature. The simplest system for managing changes must be able to track programmer activity, prevent changes from being overwritten, move procedures and files across environments, allow for backout of changes, and provide a host of reporting and scheduling functions.

SirLib is a system for managing User Language changes that handles all aspects of change control and that is fully integrated into a package of programmer efficiency tools. SirLib allows managers to quickly and accurately track work in progress, apply and backout changes, and distribute new releases. SirLib addresses both management and technical needs of projects, whether they are being newly designed and implemented or are in long-term maintenance mode.

Programmers using SirLib will find that the integrated edit environment increases productivity.: Ffast and efficient search capabilities as well as, full-screen procedure edit, browse, copy, move, delete, and rename functions significantly ease common tasks, while a facility for along with full-screen capture of Model 204 commands provides an otherwise unavailable capability.

SirLib commands for managing changes are part of this integrated environment and a package designed to enhance programmer efficiency, not reduce programmer productivity. From the programmer's point of view, the change management portion of SirLib is transparent. Programmers using SirLib spend more time programming and less time trying to figure out who changed what code, creating paper histories of changes, making backup copies of procedures, or maintaining home-grown change management utilities, making backup copies of procedures, or creating paper histories of changes.

SirLib allows each project manager to determine the mount of control and security to use on a project. Updates may be limited to a single programmer or to a procedure. Managers may force all updates to go through SirLib. Reconfiguration may be limited to only the project leader. The project leader may insist that no changes occur until a logical change identifier is entered in SirLib. Or, all these controls can be bypassed and SirLib used on an honor-system basis while still providing significant benefits in tracking, applying, and reporting on changes to code.

SirLib doesn't dictate a particular promotion scheme to users. With SirLib a shop standardizes on a mechanism for change control while allowing each project to manage versions and maintenance releases, and apply bug fixes and back-outs, via the change promotion path to which it is best suited.

Change Management using SirLib; XCOMPARE utilities
produce change decks in development allowing for small
distribution datasets. Sirlib applies these changes in each
environment, allowing for quick and simple reconfiguration.

Accommodating Different-sized Shops and Projects

In some Model 204 shops, one project will consist of a half-time programmer, two users, and a set of files so insignificant nobody remembers their organization type, while the next project will have 50 programmers, hundreds of users, and design details agonized over by teams of business analysts. Using SirLib as the mechanism for change control allows each project to determine the appropriate amount of control to be exercised over programmers, procedure integration, and releases. SirLib allows straight-forward promotion for simple projects, system sign-offs, and complex integration paths for closely managed projects.

And Different Levels of Control

SirLib can be configured to allow only one programmer at a time to "chec "checkout" a User Language procedure. Alternatively, a number of programmers can work on the same procedure at the same time and SirLib will apply each programmer's change during a "re-configuration" of the procedure file. Possible update collisions are handled early in the development process and the possibility of one programmer writing over the top of another programmer's changes is eliminated.

Change Control Process

SirLib is based around a set of XCOMPARE utilities that reduces the granularity of a change to a section of a procedure. When programmers complete updates they use the XCOMPARE facilities to generate change decks: small procedures containing only the lines of code altered by the programmer. SirLib applies these change decks to base procedures in the procedure file. Multiple change decks can affect the same section of code, and, in the rare case that a change prevents another change from applying correctly, the user is informed and the offending change deck can be re-generated.

Identifying and Reporting Changes

Because it is based around the concept of "change decks", identifying changes in a release is simple and highly accurate. Precise line-counts of changed code can be reported for a release, along with exact functional descriptions of those changes,. Programmers don't have to remember each change they made, and managers can see directly how much work has been done. The changed code can be reviewed for conformity to shop standards and construct efficiency. Along with making possible this type of manual review, SirLib supplies managers with a set of reports that summarize code changes and programmer activity.

To provide these benefits without burdening the programmer with clerical tasks, none of the extensive data used in SirLib reports need manual input. All reporting data is generated directly by program activities. Managers can elect to use SirLib documentation facilities to enter an unlimited amount of text and to associate text with a particular change or a particular version release.

Distributing and Migrating Changed Code

SirLib allows users to distribute changes, whether it be by Model 204 DUMP/RESTORE, by sharing update files across onlines, by IEBGENER, or by a networked distribution system. SirLib, however, gives users the advantages of distributing small procedure files containing nothing but change decks, thus massively reducing the size of distribution datasets and adding the ability to select custom configurations from those change decks. With SirLib all changes to all procedure files can be distributed in a single small Model 204 file.

Handling Emergency Fixes

Most inhouse-developed change control allow for violations of promotion paths to address the need for quick fixes. Sometimes these fixes need to be put into production without going through integration, QA, testing, and staging. This creates a situation where these ad-hoc fixes will not be integrated into the application system, or will be written over by some other programming change.

SirLib eliminates the need for programmers to circumvent the proper change control procedures.

Easy Backout of Problematic Code Changes

Fixes are distributed in change decks, and applied one change-at-a-time. The ability to remove a single change from a set of change decks and to reconfigure a procedure file is almost infinite and is extremely fast. There is no longer a need for ad-hoc fixes, on-call programmers, or backward copying of production procedures. Further, because reconfiguring a procedure file to a particular version is so simple, dependence upon external backups is virtually eliminated.

Configuration Management to Suit Your Needs

In shops with multiple environments, changes are applied in each when it is convenient and appropriate for that environment, and without the need to time procedure file reconfiguration to dependencies in the batch cycle.

SirLib is one member of a family of tools designed to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of the User Language programmer. If you have User Language applications, you would benefit by using SirLib and related Sirius Software products, SirPro and SirXref.