Introduction

xTrace is an action diagram tracing tool for Gen generated applications on the z/OS (MVS) platform. The combination of an intuitive GUI interface, powerful breakpoint definition, call stack overview, performance analysis and low execution overhead means that xTrace greatly speeds up the testing and debugging of z/OS applications.

xTrace allows developers to trace native batch, CICS & IMS applications without needing to generate for TSO or the workstation. Instead of wasting time poring over code or manually editing COBOL to add DISPLAY statements, developers can immediately trace through the code to locate problems.

To help with tracing large or complex applications, the developer can set breakpoints based on action diagrams, statement numbers or even specific data values. Rather than having to turn off trace for every intermediate action block, the developer simply sets the breakpoints and executes until the breakpoint condition is reached.

xTrace brings to the z/OS platform similar functionality to the Gen Diagram Trace Utility that is available for non-mainframe platforms, but with even more flexible and powerful breakpoint technology and multi-user capability. In addition, the 'call stack' feature allows you to view and save the complete call stack without needing to trace through each action block.

xTrace has been developed in partnership with Meisner IT.