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SupportPac CP12: CICS PA - Charting historical CICS performance data

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Abstract

SupportPac CP12 explains how to transfer data from CICS Performance Analyzer for z/OS into a DB2 table or comma separated value (CSV) file to create various charts and reports.

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SupportPac CP12 was last updated in June 2017, to provide support for IBM CICS Performance Analyzer for z/OS (CICS PA) V5.4. SupportPac CP12 facilitates the transfer of CICS statistics or performance data to DB2 tables or comma-separated value (CSV) files. Example scenarios are provided for creating charts and reports from those DB2 tables or CSV files, including working code and sample files.

This SupportPac can be used to complement the functions provided by the CICS PA plug-in for CICS Explorer.

The example scenarios provided by this SupportPac serve two purposes. First, they create charts or reports that help answer common CICS performance-related questions. Second, they demonstrate different tools and techniques.
  • Scenario 1. Are we meeting service-level agreements (SLA)?
    Creates bar charts of CICS transaction response times compared to an SLA value.

    This scenario uses a Microsoft Office Excel macro to query z/OS-based DB2 tables and then create a set of bar charts.
     
  • Scenario 2. Why is a transaction slow?
    Creates bar charts of a variety of CICS performance data for selected CICS transactions.

    This scenario uses an Excel macro to create bar charts from a CSV file.
     
  • Scenario 3. Tuning local shared resource (LSR) buffer pools.
    Creates a tabular report of LSR buffer pool statistics.

    This scenario uses DB2 Query Management Facility (QMF) for z/OS to query DB2 tables and then format the results.
     
  • Scenario 4. Compare Before-After Excel add-in.
    Compares two CICS PA performance data summary extracts, using colors to indicate differences in corresponding cells: increases in shades of red, decreases in shades of green.

    This scenario uses an Excel add-in to create a workbook from two CSV files.
     
  • Scenario 5. TCB Mode Analysis Excel add-in.
    Creates bar charts of average response times, CPU times, and TCB mode switches for each transaction ID in a performance data summary extract. You can set warning thresholds to highlight transaction IDs with long response times or high numbers of TCB mode switches. You can also create an interactive timeline chart of a performance data list extract of detailed threadsafe-related CICS performance data (or any CICS performance field).

    *Requires a CICS PA performance data summary extract that has been generated using the CICS PA supplied sample summary report form CPU3SEXT.

    This scenario uses Excel add-ins to create charts from CSV files.
     
  • Scenario 6. Timeline Chart Excel add-in.
    Creates an interactive timeline chart of a CICS PA performance or statistics data extract. If your z/OS system allows job submission using FTP, you can use this add-in to submit a CICS PA job on z/OS, transfer the resulting CSV file to your PC, and create a chart, all with the click of a single button in Excel.

    This scenario uses Excel add-ins to create charts from CSV files.
     

Installing these add-ins creates a new "CICS Performance Analyzer" item under the Excel Tools menu, with sub-items for each add-in.




What's New? - June 2017 update
The macros are updated to work with Excel 2010 and 2016, taking account of changes in the Excel object model that have occurred since Excel 2003. Previously, several of the scenarios would not run correctly in Excel 2010 or Excel 2016; now they all run correctly.

Scenario 1 has been changed so that you have the option of taking input from a CSV file or from DB2, instead of solely from DB2. It now also handles long-running transactions with a task termination count of zero whereas previously these could cause a 'divide by zero' macro error.

Scenario 5 has been amended to take account of changes in CICS TS V4.1, CICS TS V4.2, and CICS TS V5.1:
  • The charts now show T8 CPU Time (if there is any T8 CPU Time).
  • If J8 CPU Time or J9 CPU Time fields are present in the CSV extract, there is no error, but those fields are not shown in the charts.

Scenario 6 documentation now states that you must refer to cells in formulas by cell reference, such as B1 rather than by label, such as ‘Current MAXTASK’. This is necessary because the Accept labels in formulas option was removed in Excel 2007.

To take account of changes to the Excel menus, toolbars, and ribbon in recent versions of Excel, you can now run the macros by clicking a button in the CP12 group on the Home tab in Excel.

All files are now provided in the most up-to-date file format: .xls files are now provided as .xlsx or .xlsm files, and .xla files are provided as .xlam files.



SKILL LEVEL REQUIRED
Any user of CICS Performance Analyzer.

DETAILS
Author: Debbie Butts/Satish Tanna, CICS Development, IBM Hursley, UK.
Category: 2
Released: 22Dec05
Updated: 22Jun17
Current Version: 3.0

Prerequisites

The minimum level of prerequisites for this SupportPac are:
  • IBM CICS Performance Analyzer for z/OS V5.1, or later.
  • Microsoft Windows 10 - for the supplied script (.wsf and .vbs) and batch (.bat) files
  • Microsoft Excel 2010, or later.
    • The supplied Excel macros and add-ins have been tested with Excel 2010 and Excel 2016.
    • Unless indicated otherwise, instructions in this document for performing actions in Excel refer to the Excel 2016 user interface.
  • IBM DB2 QMF for z/OS V11.1 - for the supplied QMF objects.
  • IBM DB2 V11.1 - for the processing features.

Installation Instructions

The sample files and PDF are contained in one .zip file. In addition the PDF is provided separately. For instructions on using the sample files, open cp12.pdf in Adobe Acrobat reader.

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Download Package

  1. Click on the download link below and save the file to your local machine.
  2. Extract the saved file to a temporary directory on your target machine. This will create the necessary installation files.
  3. Follow the instructions in the included documentation to complete installation of this SupportPac.

Off
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Technical Support

BY DOWNLOADING, INSTALLING, COPYING, ACCESSING, OR OTHERWISE USING THE FREE-OF-CHARGE SUPPORTPAC, YOU AGREE THAT THE SUPPORTPAC IS COPYRIGHTED AND LICENSED BY INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION, OR ITS AFFILIATE, SOLELY FOR YOUR INTERNAL USE, AND IS NOT SOLD. THE SUPPORTPAC IS PROVIDED ‘AS IS’ WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, OR NON-INFRINGEMENT. IBM PRODUCT SUPPORT IS NOT OFFERED FOR THE SUPPORTPAC. OTHER IBM LICENSE TERMS MAY ALSO APPLY TO THE SUPPORTPAC AND IN THE EVENT (AND TO THE EXTENT ONLY) OF ANY CONFLICT, THOSE LICENSE TERMS WILL APPLY. IF YOU ARE ACCEPTING THESE TERMS ON BEHALF OF ANOTHER PERSON OR A COMPANY OR OTHER LEGAL ENTITY, YOU REPRESENT AND WARRANT THAT YOU HAVE FULL AUTHORITY TO BIND THAT PERSON, COMPANY, OR LEGAL ENTITY TO THESE TERMS. IF YOU DO NOT AGREE TO THESE TERMS:

  • DO NOT DOWNLOAD, INSTALL, COPY, ACCESS, CLICK ON AN "ACCEPT" BUTTON, OR USE THE SUPPORTPAC; AND
  • PROMPTLY DESTROY ALL COPIES OF THE SUPPORTPAC AND RELATED DOCUMENTATION.
To view the available collection of CICS SupportPacs, visit the CICS SupportPacs Home Page

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Product Synonym

CICSPA CICS PA

Document Information

Modified date:
29 November 2023

UID

swg24011321