TestBench for IBM i vs. IRI Data Manager

Managing and testing data for IBM i, IBM iSeries, and AS/400 systems necessitates a meticulous approach to validating intricate applications, right down to the data they rely on. TestBench for IBM i provides a powerful and dependable framework for managing test data, verifying its integrity, and conducting unit tests, all while integrating effortlessly with other tools to enhance overall application quality. Rather than replicating the entire production database, you can concentrate on the critical data necessary for your testing operations. By selecting or sampling relevant data without compromising referential integrity, you can optimize the testing workflow. It becomes straightforward to pinpoint which data fields need protection, allowing you to implement various obfuscation methods to ensure data security. Furthermore, you can keep track of every data operation, including inserts, updates, and deletions, as well as their intermediate states. Establishing automatic alerts for data abnormalities through customizable rules can greatly minimize the need for manual monitoring. This methodology eliminates the cumbersome save and restore processes, clarifying any discrepancies in test outcomes that may arise from insufficient initial data. While comparing outputs remains a standard practice for validating test results, it can be labor-intensive and prone to errors; however, this cutting-edge solution can significantly cut down on the time required for testing, resulting in a more efficient overall process. With TestBench, not only can you improve your testing precision, but you can also conserve valuable resources, allowing for a more streamlined development cycle. Ultimately, adopting such innovative tools can lead to enhanced software quality and more reliable deployment outcomes.

The IRI Data Manager suite, developed by IRI, The CoSort Company, equips users with comprehensive tools designed to enhance the efficiency of data manipulation and transfer. IRI CoSort is adept at managing extensive data processing activities, including data warehouse ETL and business intelligence analytics, while also facilitating database loads, sort/merge utility migrations, and other substantial data processing operations. For swiftly unloading vast databases for data warehouse ETL, reorganization, and archival purposes, IRI Fast Extract (FACT) stands out as an indispensable tool. With IRI NextForm, users can accelerate file and table migrations, while also benefiting from features like data replication, reformatting, and federation. IRI RowGen is capable of producing test data that is both referentially and structurally accurate across files, tables, and reports, and it also offers capabilities for database subsetting and masking, tailored for test environments. Each of these products can be acquired separately for perpetual use and operates within a shared Eclipse job design integrated development environment, with additional support available through IRI Voracity subscriptions. Together, these tools streamline complex data workflows, making them essential for organizations seeking to optimize their data management processes.