CA Repository Exchange for UDB (UDB for z/OS) › Overview of CA Repository Exchange for UDB
Overview of CA Repository Exchange for UDB
CA Repository Exchange for UDB is used to gather information about Universal Databases. You can then use CA Repository for z/OS to consolidate this metadata into a central repository.
RDBMS Administrators use the CA Repository for z/OS (CA Repository) to manage the relational database environments of their enterprises.
Most CA Repository sites use DB2 along with other mainframe and server-based database management systems. The CA Repository requires DB2 to be present because all repository data is stored in DB2 tables.
Many organizations implement DB2 as multiple subsystems that reside on one or more machines. The CA Repository is specifically designed to support this complex environment; however, the CA Repository can also fully support those sites that implement DB2 on a single DB2 subsystem. See the Benefits of Using the Repository to Manage Relational Databases (RDBMS) for more information.
The CA Repository serves as a dictionary for the relational database management systems. In this role, it manages RDBMS object definitions across all relational database subsystems. The repository provides a number of functions to assist in the management of RDBMS objects.
Benefits of Using the CA Repository to Manage Relational Databases (RDBMS)
Benefits that come with using the CA Repository are as follows:
- Convenient lookup of objects—The CA Repository provides a user-friendly facility for looking up object definitions across all subsystems and machines in your organization. It requires no SQL or knowledge of the catalog tables.
Standard reports are provided which display information such as table and index layouts and DASD requirements.
- Single, authoritative source of information—Some enterprises have different definitions of tables in the database catalogs, CASE tools, and other locations. The CA Repository serves as a central place to store your object definitions.
- Location to document objects—The CA Repository provides locations to further document objects such as tables and columns, resulting in database designs that are easier to understand and reuse. The repository's extensibility features allow you to add site-specific information to any RDBMS object.
- Easy-to-use object editor—You can create and maintain all RDBMS objects in the easy-to-use Repository environment; this maintenance does not require knowledge of specific DDL syntax.
- Impact analysis capabilities—The CA Repository allows you to easily see the impact of a change to a table.
For example, if you need to extend the length of the customer ID from six to eight bytes, the repository can provide a list of tables that you'll need to change. Depending on your implementation, you could also see a list of all the programs that use that column.
- Enforcement of Standards—If your organization wants to enforce any site-specific standards, you can easily accomplish this by setting up policies that prevent users from inserting objects into the repository that do not meet your site's standards.
- Link to other platforms—The CA Repository allows you to map your RDBMS columns to non-relational objects, including copybooks, VSAM, and IMS segments. For relational objects, there is one central location. You can reuse the same definition for your DB2, SYBASE and UDB objects. This results in data that is more integrated across platforms and DBMSs.
Repository Functions for Relational Database Management
The repository provides a number of functions to assist in the management of RDBMS objects, including:
- Generation of DDL to CREATE or DROP the following RDBMS objects:
- Tables
- Storage Groups
- Indexes
- Databases
- Synonyms
- Views
- Aliases
- Primary and Foreign Keys
- Triggers
- Constraints
- Distinct Data Types
- Procedure
- Function
- Full copybook generation for UDB tables and views
- The Catalog Synchronization Facility, which synchronizes the repository's RDBMS-related definitions with the contents of the RDBMS catalog