Saratoga Financial Systems

FIS Online Toolbox

A suite of CICS-based products assisting in transaction definition, testing, debugging, and quality assurance proving and reporting.  These productivity tools were specifically designed to be used in conjunction with the Fidelity Information Services Transaction Delivery System.

SimTerm
Teller/Platform/VRU Simulated Terminal Transmission Facility 

This facility provides a means to develop and test a FIS online teller or platform transaction set without the use of an intelligent branch automation system. The facility may be used as a testing tool prior to delivery and installation of a branch automation system or by programmer analysts unit testing at the host without the added overhead of manipulating the actual branch automation system.

SimTerm uses host-based System Architecture (SA), and Transaction System Delivery (TSD) definitions to create a screen to input all message header fields, transaction status codes, and specific data fields. This data is then reformatted to the appropriate delimited or fixed data stream or Data Group (DAG). The response fields are extracted and displayed after completion of the online transaction. The TSD/Native/Teller transactions are invoked using existing TSD standard protocols requiring no modification to the TSD baseline code.

There are multiple versions of the facility available to supply those inbound message formats processed by the standard TSD/Native releases although any vendor or proprietary message format may be supplied.

SimPoint
FIS TouchPoint Simulated Transmission Facility

This facility will allow the on-site developers to begin the testing of the host-based components prior to completion of the client/server portions of TouchPoint Teller and TouchPoint Sales and Service, thus reducing any delay in unit testing. 

This facility provides a means to develop and test the host-based components of a Fidelity National Information Services (FIS) TouchPoint Teller or Sales and Service transaction set. The facility may be used as a testing tool prior to the delivery and installation of the client/server portions of TouchPoint or allow developers to unit test at the host without the added overhead of manipulating the TouchPoint client.

SimPoint uses host-based System Architecture (SA) definitions to create a screen to input all data fields expected by the host applications for the specific transaction. This data is then reformatted to the appropriate Data Group (DAG) message and delivered to the FIS Transaction Delivery System (TSD).

The SA transactions are invoked using existing TSD standard protocols requiring no modification to the TSD baseline code.

SimNet
ATM/POS Simulated Network Transmission Facility

This facility is much like SimTerm except that it supports the asynchronous processing for an ATM/POS interface. Various network messages, i.e. x.92, x.95, ISO858x, Format8, etc are generated providing a means to test the FIS TSD MA front-end EFT network interface. The user may define default values for fields not associated with specific transaction processing, i.e. BIN, FIID, Track III data, Route and Transit numbers, etc. At transaction generation time, only those fields specific to the testing transaction, i.e., transaction type, transaction amount, and application are entered. As with SimTerm, the response fields are extracted and displayed after completion of the online transaction, principally post processing balances and status code(s).

The TSD/MA transactions are invoked using existing TSD standard protocols requiring no modification to the TSD MA baseline code.

StorView
TSD Runtime Control Area Viewer

StorView enables the user to easily view and alter specific data and control areas of a TSD Native or SA transaction during execution. This greatly reduces transaction debug time because of the dynamic nature of the TSD internal control area structures. Any other addressable CICS storage area may be viewed or altered by entering the valid storage address.

For viewing TSD control areas of a transaction in execution the utility is used in conjunction with the CICS Execution Diagnostic Facility (CEDF/CEDX). The specific control and storage areas are viewed via mnemonics and Programmed Function (PF) keys. 

ScriptWriter
Testing, Debug, and Quality Assurance Facility

ScriptWriter is a combined testing/debug and quality assurance utility.  Data is gathered by either placing a terminal or group of terminals in capture mode via a CICS transaction or via the TSD Run-time Control Area Viewer, StorView.

As scripted or unit testing transactions are executed in CICS through any of the following FIS channels:

• TSD/Native 3270
• TSD/Teller
• TSD Teller/MA (For ATM and POS)
• TouchPoint

Data items are collected, formatted, and then written to the primary ScriptWriter Log File SWLOG.  When invoked by StorView the data captured is limited by the amount present at that point in the transaction process.

The following general areas of data are captured:

• Processing Environment
• Terminal
• User
• External and Internal transaction control areas
• Input Transmission, formatted and raw i.e., delimited data stream, DAG
• Output Transmission, formatted and raw i.e., delimited data stream, DAG
• All data records either added or deleted
• All data record fields that were updated with data Dictionary ID, field description, COBOL data name, update action and update data.

A number of logical “scripts” can be captured to the ScriptWriter Log File at one time. After capture, specific groups of transactions may be filtered and grouped to an extract file under a predetermined script name. A CICS-based viewer can be utilized to view all captured scripts and subsequently captured data for specific transactions within a script. This viewer will display data from the primary log file or a specific extract file.

ScriptWriter reports may be generated from an extract file or the extract file may be converted to XML format and downloaded to a server database for review, reporting, and archiving.

ScriptWriter Replay
Automated Script/Transaction Re-Entry Facility

Transactions captured and archived by ScriptWriter may be restored and then replayed back through TSD with this facility. The replayed transactions can be captured via Scriptwriter and then compared for processing differences.

Entire collections of transactions within a filtered script, individual external transactions within a filtered script, and individual external transactions on the ScriptWriter Log File may be replayed back through the FIS Online environment. These transactions may again be captured during replay and these results measured against the original transactions.

CrossDoc
Graphic Charting of Transaction and Security Level Definitions

In order to visually document existing transaction definition structures, by device type, and security definition structures this facility creates graphical flowcharts.

For transaction definition structures the Controller Definition Record (CDR) or Screen Definition Record (SDR) are at the highest level of the structure. All subordinate control records i.e., Transaction Build Records (TBR), Internal Control Records (ICR) and Transaction Control Records (TCR) are then charted in a hierarchical manner back to the root record to illustrate the association. Any unused records encountered will be reported.

The same basic process is performed for the security structures. All Employee Options Records (EOR) are summarized by their defined security classes to create true employee role. These employee role represent the highest point of the structure and are then charted to the associated security definition records i.e., Security Options (SOR), System Environment (SER), Application Options (AOR), Default Control (DCR), Valid Terminal (VTR), and Valid Class (VCR) Records, etc. 

For information contact Peter Rokeach at (518) 786-8030 or