Spectrum SMF Writer for MXI is a special version of Spectrum SMF Writer -- our full-function 4GL report writer for SMF files. It has integration features to allow it to interface smoothly with MXI software. Rocket Software has developed a number of historical batch reports that complement MXI's live reporting. Running these batch reports requires Spectrum SMF Writer for MXI. (The reports themselves are maintained and distributed by Rocket Software.)

Spectrum SMF Writer for MXI includes our full SMF reporting software package. So, in addition to the reports especially developed by Rocket Software, you can also write your own reports from your shop's SMF files. (Examples)

With Spectrum SMF Writer for MXI, you can even export the SMF data you select to comma delimited files. Then you can analyze or graph your data using your favorite PC tools. (Example)

Use Spectrum SMF Writer for MXI to:

• run the MXI reports developed by Rocket Software that complement their live reporting tools
• create regular production reports to monitor activity and performance in all of your z/OS systems (from SMF files)
• quickly run one-time queries to investigate security or performance questions
• convert SMF data into comma-delimited export files that lets you analyze or graph your SMF data in spreadsheet programs
• turn SMF data into Web reports (HTML format)

Support for SMF & RMF Records

The SMF file is surely the most complicated file in any shop. It contains hundreds of different record types and subtypes. And each one can have multiple types of embedded segments, each of those variably located, of variable length, and possibly recurring.

And the arcane data formats used in SMF records are rarely found in other files, requiring complicated conversion routines to make sense out of.

But Spectrum SMF Writer for MXI makes it easy to produce reports from your SMF files. Spectrum SMF Writer for MXI supports:

• SMF's famous "triplets" (indicating offset to, length of, and number of variable record segments)
• the unique SMF date format CYYDDDF - packed Julian, but with a leading century indicator (containing a 0 or 1).
• SMF's "binary hundredths of seconds since midnight" timestamps and intervals
• SMF's complex STCK (Store Clock) style timestamps and intervals, now in both 8- and 12-byte varieties
• the testing and outputing of individual bits within a byte
• unsigned, as well as signed binary fields, and packed decimal fields
• floating point fields (found in many newer SMF records)
• gives you full computational ability to perform your own calculations
• automatic calculation of subtotals, totals and statistics
• ability to sort and break on any number of fields, to organize the report in the way that is most useful to you
• lets you chain to VSAM files or DB2 tables (for example, to expand the 2-byte binary DB2 database-ID into its full database name for your report). (DB2 support is an extra cost option.)
• time functions that let you easily compute intervals between any two timestamps (even when they are stored in different formats)
• powerful built-in functions for performing complex date calculations and manipulations, as well as string and math functions
• plus all the powerful formatting functions to automatically present the raw data in an attractive report format