When starting with Cobol Migration Manager (CMM), the initial setup usually completes without obvious errors. Still, I have seen cases where nothing meaningful comes out after the first run. It often comes down to a few setup steps being missed early on.
Basic setup before starting
The first thing I check is whether the required datasets have been created and are ready. CMM depends on inventory datasets such as PROGI and PROGL, which must be initialized before running anything further.
If these are not created or allocated correctly, the rest of the setup will not produce the expected results.
Job execution checks
Once the setup jobs are submitted, I do not just rely on return codes. I usually check:
- Whether the datasets were actually created and populated
- If the job output shows any skipped steps or warnings
- Whether libraries and parameters are correctly referenced
Jobs can complete with RC=0 but still miss required updates.
Monitoring setup
CMM works by tracking program activity over time. This means monitoring needs to be enabled and allowed to run long enough to collect useful data. Running reports too early often leads to empty or partial output.
Common gaps I have seen
- Initialization job not fully updated before submission
- Inventory datasets left empty after setup
- Starting report jobs without enabling monitoring
- Assuming installation alone is enough to generate output
These are small misses but can delay progress.
What helped
- Validate dataset creation right after setup jobs
- Review job logs in detail, not just return code
- Ensure monitoring is active before expecting results
- Give some time for data collection before moving to reporting
Starting CMM is mostly about getting the initial setup right. If datasets and monitoring are in place, the rest of the flow becomes much easier to manage.
When you first set up CMM, did you start getting usable output right away, or did it take a few adjustments in the initial setup?
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Pushpalatha Kuruba
*Precisely Software Inc.
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