SEE/Change

Do you need to get control over your System i Change Management?

Why do companies need to manage change on the System i?

There is no question, that in an ever-changing business world, the ability to respond quickly and effectively to market opportunities and issues is the only way to stay ahead of your competitors. As every department in every organisation becomes increasingly dependent upon information systems in order to function, the consequences of change present an increasingly larger problem. Systems need to adapt rapidly to the changing needs of the marketplace, and those changes need to be carefully synchronised, controlled and audited. This is where SEE/Change will give you the edge you need to stay ahead, in control and prepared for change at all times.

What is SEE/Change?

SEE/Change is a comprehensive, fully integrated System i Change Management system that automatically controls, tracks and audits all activities within the development and maintenance lifecycle. It has been designed to provide an easy-to-use and highly secure method of managing any software activity.

Why should I take a closer look at SEE/Change?

The decision to purchase a Change Management product can be complicated if all product appear the same and claim to be the best. The three reasons why you should take a closer look at SEE/Change are:

1. SEE/Change was designed to meet all the needs of small to medium size IT departments. It is easy use and can be installed and implemented in weeks.

2. SEE/Change has 8 powerful modules that are delivered with the base product to cover all aspects of the life cycle, so all your current and future requirements will be covered.

3. SEE/Change is the best value for money Change Management product on the market and Thenon has a long track record of successfully implementing SEE/Change in hundreds of companies around the world.

Is SEE/Change a new product?

SEE/Change was developed in the early 1990's and has been managing software development projects in hundreds of companies round the world ever since. New releases of SEE/Change are issued each year to keep pace with the new System i technology updates.

Does IBM recommend SEE/Change?

Yes; SEE/Change has been certified by IBM to help customers select products to run on the System i.

Does SEE/Change comply with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act?

Yes; SEE/Change helps companies provide greater transparency into business process changes, as required by government mandates such as the Sarbanes-Oxley Act.

What can SEE/Change manage?

SEE/Change enables mixed mode (RPG, Java, HTML etc) development projects to be brought under the control of a single Change Management system.

SEE/Change comprehensively manages all native System i object types. These include source based and non-source based object types such as RPG, COBOL, ILE, SQL functions and procedures, Data Queues, Menus and so on. Where an object is source based, SEE/Change seamlessly manages the safe keeping of the source as well as the object itself. SEE/Change also manages stream files and directories. This support encompasses any stream file type such as HTML, JAVA, JPEG and other image file types, XML, style sheets, scripts and so on. Changed Managed parts may then be distributed and deployed to System i servers as well as other servers such as NT or XP using common release controlling mechanisms.

How is SEE/Change organised?

SEE/Change is made up of a number of Managers. Each Manager deals with an individual aspect of the Change Management Life Cycle.

SEE/Change can be configured for all sizes of IT departments. Each SEE/Change Manager can be allocated to a department or individual to control that phase of the development life cycle. For example the Release Manager might be allocated to the Operations Department.

If an individual needs access to multiple SEE/Change Managers, special functional keys are available to link the Problems, Change, Development and Release Managers together.

SEE/Change Managers


What does each SEE/Change manager do?

  • Configuration Manager
    • Stores details of the hardware and software configurations and existing operational procedures such as programming standards, object authorities and user sign-offs.
  • Problem Manager
    • Registers user requests and problems for review, scheduling and escalation to the development team.
  • Change Manager
    • Enables Change Requests to be allocated to programmers, promoted to testing environments and approved for implementation on production sites.
  • Development Manager (SEE/Change feature for RDi)
    • Allow programmers to check out source and objects against a Change Request, determine the impact of a change using cross-referencing and compile and test in a controlled environment.
  • Release Manager
    • Packages Change Requests into releases and manages the transfer of the software to production sites. At each production site the release is installed and an archive created.
  • Audit Manager
    • Provides continual access to all object history, including automatic versioning, source documentation and electronic approvals.

  • Process Flow manager (SEE/Job)
    • Allows the user to store the route or path for each change type within SEE/Change. For example, bugs must go through all testing environments and require project leader approval. Emergency fixes can go direct to live, but require a project manager and user approval.
  • Compare and Merge manager (SEE/One)
    • Allows users to plan and manage the upgrade of a packaged application. This manager will advise users of the difference between each source member in a new version. It will compare the base version with the new version from the vendor against the customer's changed version and provide a report of the impact.

    Can SEE/Change work with packaged software?

    SEE/Change has been implemented with many third party packages over the years. These include banking, distribution, finance, 4GL, schedulers and project management tools. The unique design of SEE/Change allows it to be configured to manage any software environment. For a complete list of third party packages and tools, please contact us.

    What is the typical SEE/Change workflow?

    SEE/Change enables companies to implement an automatic software development workflow for each application or project. A typical example of a workflow is shown below:

    Typical Workflow


    Does SEE/Change Support Rational Developer?

    SEE/Change is delivered with both support for 5250 and a Feature for Rational Developer for the Development Manager. The 5250 interface has PDM style panels that enable editing, compiling and testing of library objects before they are promoted through the development life cycle.

    The Rational Developer interface has a GUI interface and supports the same Development Manager functions as the 5250 interface. The Development Manager panels below show an RPG program, an RPGLE program and a PF checked out and ready for development using both the 5250 and Rational Developer interfaces.

    Does SEE/Change have the functionality I need?

    If you are looking to install a change management product, or even replace an existing one, it is important to make sure it meets all your requirements. Find below a list of some of the main features we get asked about.

    In SEE/Change you can:

  • Define your hardware configuration
  • Configure your application life cycle
  • Manage many 3rd party packages
  • Control access to your source
  • Preserve existing authorities
  • Implement electronic approval
  • Create Projects and Change Requests
  • Control all System i object types
  • Control all stream file objects (HTML etc)
  • Include user defined object types
  • Create emergency fixes and manage concurrent development
  • Track ILE parts and service programs

  • Rebuild all cross referenced objects
  • Develop using PDM or IBM Rational Developer
  • Group related work in Change Requests and Releases
  • Schedule the implementation of Software Releases
  • Automate the promotion process across your network
  • Manage versioning of parts across your network
  • Rollback any production change using on-line archive
  • Inform users via email at key stages in the life cycle
  • Enable unique audit reports to be built and scheduled
  • And much more..

    • What should I do next?

    For more information on SEE/Change, discuss your requirements or book any on-line demonstration contact sales@thenon.com or phone +44 (0)20 8607 9336.

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