PDM (Parallel Development Manager)

Vinni · New User Joined: 10 Jun 2008 Posts: 3 Location: Hyderabad

Hi,

By using PDM we can build a WIP file and using this file we can do retro fit of code by using merge option in PDM.

I have did retrofit of code it works fine for me. But want to know if it has any disadvantages ?

Please let me know is it good to do code retrofit by using PDM ?

What are the disadvantages if we use PDM to do code retro fit ?

Thank you
vinni

dick scherrer · Posted: Tue Jul 13, 2010 10:08 pm

Hello,

What does retrofit mean to your requirement? This has different meanings different places.

A disadvantage of automated processes to make wholesale changes to source code is that sometimes the resulting code is difficult or impossible to maintain. Sometimes, the code becomes resourse intense causing perfomrance problems.

As they say - your results may vary. . .

Vinni · New User Joined: 10 Jun 2008 Posts: 3 Location: Hyderabad

Retro fit means : combining two differnet code changes made in different regions to a production one.

Example : If we have 3 regions called A, B and C.

A contains production codes
In B region i do some changes in a program which is retreived from A.
In C region other person do some changes in the same program which is retreived from A.

now before moving the code into production we need to keep the code in sync. To do it we do manual retro fit of code.

I have used PDM to do retrofit it works fine for me but i would like to implement retrofit changes to many programs. so want to know does PDM is having any disadvantage ?

Thanks for the help.

Thank you.

enrico-sorichetti · Posted: Tue Jul 13, 2010 10:42 pm

review Your understandings... retrofit has a different meaning

see ibmmainframes.com/viewtopic.php?t=24791&highlight=retrofit

what You are doing is not retrofitting, just forced modifications merge ( due to a poor practice )

any tool is good as long it gives the desired results

dbzTHEdinosauer · Posted: Tue Jul 13, 2010 10:45 pm

you do have to 'look at' your results.
often, it is easier to merge,
check the results,
modify the change file
and remerge

if you are making changes in a different area than the other programmer,
often you will be ok,
but if both of you make changes in the same paragraph,
you need to audit the results.

as far as I am concerned, PDM is another piece of BS that was sold to
managers,
who don't know dog-poop about code control.
WIP is nothing but an extension of the add-delete list of the ispf
compare utility.

again, if the changes are in different areas,
and the programmers don't screw-up existing data definitions,
probably an easy task.
but when both programmers are affecting the same area, or control code,
have fun.

WIP/PDM works best when you want to incorporate changes made in test but never promoted to production, and want to play catch-up.

dneufarth · Posted: Wed Jul 14, 2010 7:56 pm

I found Version Merger quite helpful during Y2k and parallel development that was unavoidable both from programer's perspective and QA review.

Still the burden in going thru and double checking the taken action required a good attentive programmer especially as mentioned in the case when the changed code overlaps.

Didn't use it much after that as prarallel development for release mgt was not that close together. Some did use it for emergency fix remediation when releases were in progress though.