Staging

Staging is the process of introducing newly developed (or previously developed) components into the change cycle for modification or enhancement, and packaging with related change package components. When you stage a component, ChangeMan ZMF recognizes the type of component that you are staging and copies it into a staging library of corresponding type (source, load, JCL, documentation, copybook, etc.). Staged components are also associated with a pre-defined change package, which is the vehicle used to move components through the change cycle and track the history of change management activities for each staged component.

In change management systems other than ChangeMan ZMF, staging libraries are merely pre-production holding areas shared by one or more application groups. After components are tested in development libraries, they are copied into staging libraries prior to production implementation.

ChangeMan ZMF staging libraries are more than pre-production holding libraries. Components can be modified and tested in protected ChangeMan ZMF staging libraries. Moreover, when you stage source components, they are compiled and the resulting load modules are identified, helping you to maintain the integrity of source-to-load relationships.

In addition, ChangeMan ZMF maintains up-to-date records of all staging activities for packages and components. For example, when you stage a source component, the time that the component was staged is recorded, along with the name of any associated load modules, or copybooks, and the compiling procedures and linkage parameters used during the compile. This information is kept in the ChangeMan ZMF master file, the package master. You can view this component and package information any time by using the query function.

ChangeMan ZMF further extends the concept of staging by providing a means of isolating components from other changes in progress. This prevents uncontrolled and unknown copybooks and subroutines from being inadvertently referenced, allowing parallel or concurrent development without the risk of accidental overlays. The stable coexistence of multiple versions of a single component simplifies the blending of changes.