ADF(ID:2729/adf001)for Application Development Facility 4GL from IBM References: PERSPECTIVE IBM's Application Development Facility (ADF) is an application generator that works primarily in conjunction with IBM's IMS/VS data-base management system. However, a feature is now available that allows it to operate in the Database 2 (DB2) environment as well. The version of ADF current as of this printing is called ADF II. The product is also sometimes known as IMS ADF or IMSADF II. We will refer to the product simply as ADF in this chapter. ADF is a set of preprogrammed modules that reduces or eliminates the need for conventional application coding. It provides a means for developing data-base/data-communications systems rapidly in an IMS/VS or DB2 environment. ADF supplies the logic to handle many common functions that a program-would require to code into each program. ADF can reduce the effort required in designing, coding, testing, and documenting application systems. In today's application environment, it is highly desirable to develop on-data-base applications quickly and efficiently. It should be an objective of any data processing manager to reduce as much as possible the huge amount procedural code in application development. ADF can be an aid in achieving end. Some application generators are powerful but are not well human-factored, Though ADF is clearly a major aid to productivity, in terms of human factor-it is among the worst of all the software described in this book. A great deal of training and practice is needed to code applications using ADF. It requires complex coding rather like MVS Job Control Language (JCL). ADF is suitable for programmers and systems programmers. ADF works well with certain types of applications but cannot handle others without supplementary coding in a third-generation language. It does not the full programming flexibility of languages like MANTIS or IDEAL[...]. ADF users usually build IMS systems with physical but no logical IMS linkages. They thus use IMS more as an access method than a full data-base facility. Here is an overview of the general characteristics of ADF: • Designed to speed up the building of applications • Suitable mainly for use by experienced programmers who are trained as ADF specialists • Generally used for data bases with physical but not logical parent-child relationships, hence of limited generality • Interfaces only to IMS/VS and DB2 data bases • Requires significant training • Requires thorough knowledge of the MVS operating system and its environment • Requires complex coding involving fixed sequences and mnemonics |