Applied Logic's FEU Provides Powerful Database Options

by Alex Woodie

While the focus of many new OS/400 products these days is tightening data and restricting access to data, there's still a need for powerful database utilities that give administrators direct access to DB2/400-resident data and other files. File Edit Utility (FEU) from Applied Logic is one of the flexible products in this class. This month, Applied Logic is shipping a new version of FEU that adds new data validity checking, an XML export option, message file handling, and other features.

These days, many iSeries administrators, programmers, and operators are occupied with the task of locking down their systems and--more importantly--documenting how they did it in order to meet federal regulations such as the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and HIPAA. At the same time, they're also expected to keep day-to-day operations running smoothly. Of course, "day-to-day" operations seldom mean routine.

When iSeries professionals are faced with an exception--such as the need to correct a single error entered into a database field, or even the same error affecting multiple database fields--they need a tool that gives them direct access to the database so they can rectify the situation quickly. IBM includes a tool with OS/400, called Data File Utility (DFU), that lets users access, update, and delete files in DB2/400. However, many find DFU lacking in the speed and ease-of-use departments (it requires programming), and this has created a market for third-party tools.

Applied Logic's answer to DFU is a greenscreen program called File Edit Utility (FEU). In addition to the basic file editing function--including the capability to quickly and easily pull up files (physical or logical), edit the file's contents, make changes to files en masse based on specified criteria, copy files, create new files, and delete individual files or groups of files based on criteria--FEU adds a few other handy features, such as the capability to edit and reformat spool files, retrieve files that have been deleted, generate DDS, distribute files via FTP, output files in PC formats, and many others. Such a powerful tool needs security safeguards, and FEU has them in the form of role-based access, an audit log of activity, and an undo function.

Applied Logic recently unveiled version 12 of FEU. This new release adds a number of new features, including data validity checking, the capability to work with message files, the automatic identification of key fields on the screen, an the capability to export selected data to XML format. Other features added with this release include: the capability to check for level checks; removal of dependent logical files; the capability to specify 80- or 132-column display; new CT (contains) search argument; the capability to modify and save custom file views; a new function for incrementing values in numeric fields; and the capability to clear all members in a file.

Applied Logic, which is based in Keizer, Oregon, says it has sold FEU to thousands of programmers and operators in more than 100 countries since it started developing FEU in 1988. In addition to OS/400 tools, the company also develops Windows tools.

Pricing for FEU is $995 per server, or $1,495 for an LPAR license to use FEU across any number of logical partitions. For current FEU users, the cost to upgrade to version 12.0 is $269, or $489 for an LPAR license. Visit www.alcsoftware.com for more information.