FAQs: Basic Mapping Support (BMS)
The list is by no means exhaustive, so please feel free to mail us questions about any topics we fail to cover here.
Here are some of the topics covered in our FAQ.
- Is HostBridge sensitive to changes in the location of fields, or the value of literals, on a BMS map?
- What happens if I add a new field to a BMS map?
- What happens if I remove a field from the BMS map?
- Do the BMS maps still exist?
- Does HostBridge require that we re-compile our applications?
- Does HostBridge support the PAGE and ACCUM parameters used by BMS applications?
- Does HostBridge support SDF2-generated BMS maps?
Is HostBridge sensitive to changes in the location of fields, or the value of literals, on a BMS map?
Absolutely not. HostBridge is insensitive to where within the BMS map/screen a particular field is located. HostBridge never references the BMS map.
What happens if I add a new field to a BMS map?
Once you have reassembled the new map (which causes the ADS and ADSD to be updated), HostBridge will automatically include the new field in the XML output generated. Middle-tier applications that use HostBridge’s XML output will not need to be changed unless, of course, you want them to reference the new field.
What happens if I remove a field from the BMS map?
If a field is removed from a BMS map, then HostBridge will no longer include it in the XML output it generates. To HostBridge, this is no problem. However, if the middle-tier application expects to find this field in the XML output, then that application will need to be modified accordingly. If, however, the application does not reference a removed field, then it will never know the difference.
Yes.
Does HostBridge require that we re-compile our applications?
HostBridge does not require that your applications be recompiled (in fact, some of our customers probably would hard-pressed to find their source code!). However, if the target transaction/application uses BMS and they are missing the ADSD, you do have to recompile the BMS maps. IBM shipped a new set of BMS macros beginning with CICS TS 1.x and these new macros that generate some of the data structures in the BMS map load module that HostBridge relies upon. Customers seem to have a far easier time finding their maps than the application source (besides, IBM provides a utility to re-generate the BMS map source from a map load module in case they've lost the map source). The map load modules generated by the CICS TS BMS macros are backwards compatible so neither HostBridge nor IBM require that the BMS applications be recompiled.
Does HostBridge support the PAGE and ACCUM parameters used by BMS applications?
Yes, the latest version of HostBridge supports PAGE and ACCUM in conjunction with an IBM-developed CICS usermod. Contact HostBridge technical support for additional information.
Does HostBridge support SDF2-generated BMS maps?
Yes. HostBridge provides a program that will accept as input the BMS macro code generated by SDF2, and generate as output the identical BMS macro code with the long/real field names. Fortunately, all the info we need to do this is included in the BMS macro source generated by SDF2. The great thing about this approach is that it is totally transparent to the COBOL program/programmer. It is also totally transparent to HostBridge. All you would need to do is include an additional step in the JCL used to generate/compile your SDF2 maps.
