New ARCTOOLS Release Focuses on Speed and Manageability

by Alex Woodie

Companies buying new iSeries Model 8XX hardware won't be worrying much about the performance of their interactive 5250 applications. For the rest of us, making the most of existing resources on older AS/400 and iSeries servers is important. DCSoftware recently started shipping a new version of its suite of purge and archive utilities, ARCTOOLS/400, which helps companies make the most of their expensive CPWs and disk. The company also released a special add-on module for ARCTOOLS/400 designed specifically for J.D. Edwards applications.

ARCTOOLS/400 is a collection of four RPG-based utilities--PurgeWizard, JoinWizard, RulesWizard, and ReorgWizard--that help users track down old or seldom-used files, purge them from the production database, archive them in case they're needed later (using the ARCDATA feature), and then reorganize the file structure so it runs more efficiently. Together, ARCTOOLS/400's capabilities can speed both interactive and batch applications without requiring a user to add more disks or to upgrade to a more powerful machine, says Dave Shea, DCSoftware principal and ARCTOOLS/400 developer.

In ARCTOOLS/400 Version 6.1, the company has added a number of enhancements. First, DCSoftware has enhanced the JoinWizard module. JoinWizard builds on the basic one-at-a-time file purging capabilities of the core PurgeWizard component and adds the capability to identify the entire parent-child "tree" of data related to any particular file and purge them in a single pass. In Version 6.1, JoinWizard gets expanded record selection capabilities, special query functions, and new calculations, concatenations, and substrings, the company says.

RulesWizard, which DCSoftware considers "the powerhouse" of the ARCTOOLS/400 suite, has also been enhanced. RulesWizard builds on the capabilities found in JoinWizard by allowing up to eight files to be used in driving the purge, as opposed to allowing just one file to identify records to be purged, which is how JoinWizard works. Version 6.1 of RulesWizard brings more join criteria, enhanced record selection capabilities, calculations, and free-format SQL special functions, the developer says.

The ReorgWizard is a newcomer to the ARCTOOLS/400 suite. While this utility must be purchased separately, DCSoftware includes it as a member of the suite because its capabilities go hand in hand with the purge and archive capabilities of PurgeWizard, JoinWizard, and RulesWizard. Namely, most users will want to run a file reorg to get the maximum benefit out of a productive purge session. (See "DCSoftware's Wizard Throttles Back on Hungry File Reorgs" for a recent review of ReorgWizard.)

ARCTOOLS/400 6.1 should also give users more control over their purges. Users should be able to purge more in less time because multiple RulesWizard and JoinWizard jobs can now be run concurrently. For lengthy purges, ARCTOOLS/400 6.1 includes a "stop by" date and time functionality that allows purges to be performed in manageable increments. If a user wants to stop a job without waiting for the stop date and time to kick in, there's a new menu option for bringing the job to an end gently.

ARCTOOLS/400 6.1 includes another new job management capability. The new "job throttling" feature adjusts the run rate of the purge or archive job to allow purges to be run without adversely affecting other jobs. This "job throttling" feature is also found in DCSoftware's new ReorgWizard. Other new features include additional multi-level, context-sensitive help, enhanced reports and messages, and improved overall documentation.

DCSoftware has also developed its first application-specific purge and archive module, the ARCTOOLS/400 Module for J.D. Edwards. Developed in conjunction with J.D. Edwards and beta tested at a large, Midwestern J.D. Edwards shop, this new module features scripts and procedures for purging from commonly used J.D. Edwards applications, such as Accounts Receivable, Accounts Payable, General Ledger, and Purchasing, Shea says.

ARCTOOLS/400 6.1 is available now. Licenses are tier-based and range from $499 for a P05 box to $4,999 for a P50 box. ReorgWizard is priced separately and ranges from $499 to $4,999, although DCSoftware is offering 50 percent off the price of ReorgWizard for new and existing ARCTOOLS users. The J.D. Edwards module is available to ARCTOOLS users at no additional cost. For more information, go to www.arctools.com.

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