I read your response about trying to access a Microsoft SQL server database from the mainframe. I am not a CICS programmer and I have no experience with SQL server. However, the one thing that struck me is that you did not recommend to the person asking that he/she consider either: 1. Moving the data to a DB2 data base on practically any platform, or 2. Moving the data to DB2 on the mainframe, leaving it accessible to users on other platforms. I cannot guess whether either of those choices is feasible but they probably should be considered. (We all know which platform has the best record for availability.)

In my experience, businesses sometimes let its user community run wild developing "mini-apps" and then task their IT pros with integrating the "mini-app" with the enterprise apps. Trying to span all possible platforms and use their data does not lend itself to very efficient integration.

So, where's the question in this? I'll ask it this way, "Why not move the data to the mainframe?"

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An interesting comment. Coming from the background that I undoubtedly do, I think that data should always be accessible from any platform.

I know that the Java community has adopted this idea from the enhancements made to JDBC 2.0 (and CICS can use JDBC function to talk to DB2 or any other data provider at that provided, a suitable JDBC driver is supplied).

However, I admit a bias towards DB2 on a mainframe on a RAH basis but readers must make up their own minds and it's not my place to interefere!

Robert Harris
Inventor
CICS Technical Strategist -- CICS expert at Search390.com

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This was first published in August 2003

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