• Connectivity has always been a priority with IMS. IMS traditionally has supported a number of communications facilities (e.g.. 3270, APPC, TCP/IP, MQSeries, etc.). These solutions can use workstation or S/390 servers to access IMS. Information can be retrieved from the server system in a two-tier environment or in a three-tier environment. The Web servers have used connectors for IMS, DB2, CICS, MQ, etc., to communicate with the applications and data and to generate the formatted screen to be displayed on the browser. Our strategy here is to ship connectors with their tooling with VisualAge Java and with WebSphere for consistency across platforms and subsystems. We want people to connect regardless of the tool they are using and regardless of what they want to connect with. IBM's goal is to do the best job of integrating our tools. Applications can also use these tools to display information on the internet using HTML (Hypertext Markup Language), a markup language for describing pages of information displayed, or XML (extended markup language), for data interchange. Mapping activities, as well as enhanced function, can take place in the web server between the web and the existing network protocols and input/output streams.
• IMS has taken advantage of the new Cross Coupling facility (XCF), a software facility that allows MVS subsystems to communicate more efficiently, with its Open Transaction Management Access (OTMA) facility. This IMS access for TCP/IP through IMS Connect, for MQSeries, etc., provides a more efficient and richer capabilities in accessing existing, unchanged IMS applications. MQSeries solutions built on the IMS OTMA interface provide e-business access to IMS for other environments such as VisualAge Interspace to Visual Basic programs (i.e.. COM/DCOM) and Lotus Notes/Domino for notes and collaboration.
• New IMS application development for e-business can also take place with the IMS V7 Java support and the Java tools being provided.
• And the IMS Open Database Access facility (ODBA) provides a callable interface for easier database access as well. This facility is being used by DB2 Stored procedures so access is provided to IMS DB data as well as DB2 data and through this access can be provided through DB2 Connectors to the web.
• IMS has also been providing Business Intelligence solutions with Data Joiner's Classic Connect, as well as with other data replication/propagation tools, such as the IMS DataPropagator.
• The IMS DataPropagator provides synchronous and asynchronous updates passed between IMS DB and DB2 databases to enable consistency and use in a mixed database environment. The IMS Data Propagator can provide IMS customers with advanced data integration and analysis capabilities, while leveraging their existing IMS data assets. IMS Data Propagator has been enhanced to run with IMS V7. IMS Data Propagator V3 now supportsr near real time asynchronous update. Additional requirements are being worked on to address improved user interface and support for additional environments.
• Classic Connect provides SQL data access for a distributed environment to IMS data bases. Classic Connect has recently provided enhanced communication, data access and data mapping functions for customers using relational queries to access IMS and VSAM data. In conjunction with DataJoiner, users can, from a variety of client platforms, submit a standard SQL query that accesses IMS and VSAM data consistently with DB2 data. A workstation end user can issue an SQL join across IMS, VSAM, DB2 and non-IBM databases as well.

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