PropelZ — a fast, no-code utility from VirtualZ — is designed for businesses who want to use a quick snapshot of their mainframe data in their hybrid cloud environments.
With PropelZ, you can push a scheduled, near real-time copy of mainframe data to a wide variety of targets, including data stores, big data analytics, non-mainframe databases, cloud applications, AI models, and more — offering you improved business intelligence, better agility for decision making, and impactful results at a fraction of the cost of other approaches.
And PropelZ is available for free with a limited use license or for a $50K fixed annual subscription license for unlimited use.
In a previous blog, we provided an overview of PropelZ. Here, we highlight some of the ways customers are talking about using PropelZ.
A Quick Overview
Most often, customers searching for a solution like PropelZ want to expand the reach of their mainframe data. They want to use their mainframe data in a non-mainframe application — such as a cloud or mobile app — or they want to process it differently, in a SQL or NoSQL database perhaps. Plus, they are looking for performance, security, lowered costs, and maximum flexibility.
PropelZ offers a way to push a “point in time” copy of your z/OS data to the target of your choice. Speaking of targets…
A Universe of Choices with JDBC
PropelZ is designed to offer maximum flexibility with its deep support for the JDBC protocol.
- An industry standard API, JDBC provides a way for applications to “talk” to a wide variety of databases. There are close to 100 JDBC-supported databases that PropelZ can work with.
- In addition, some vendors have extended the JDBC protocol to work with a broader set of applications beyond databases: SaaS applications, marketing platforms, big data analytics, and more.
Your end users prefer to use their favorite databases and applications. Our JDBC support provides a strong foundation for you to expand the reach of your mainframe data into new areas.
Powerful Data Transformation
Another way PropelZ differentiates itself is through its rich data transformation capabilities.
Unlike a basic file transfer or an out-of-the-box ETL solution that provide a “bit for bit” copy of a record, PropelZ can copy but also transform your data — an important mechanism to ensure mainframe data can be processed by applications and databases that reside on a wide range of platforms.
For example, you can use PropelZ to convert a VSAM record containing character fields, binary fields, and floating-point fields into rows and columns in any data source with a JDBC driver (SQL or NoSQL), where the full power of query language can be used to process it.
PropelZ does this all automatically, with no intermediary steps.
zIIP-Eligible for Cost Savings
PropelZ can execute on your zIIP processor, helping with capacity constraints and reducing the impact to your IBM Tailored Fit or Monthly License Charge (MLC) costs. This stands in stark contrast to other approaches like large file transfers that do not have zIIP support, which can unnecessarily consume precious resources and increase costs.
Performance by Design
Another design principle for PropelZ is to maximize performance, which we approach in a few different ways.
- Bulk queries: PropelZ works with databases that support bulk queries. Instead of a record-by-record approach, these databases can move thousands of records at a time, and PropelZ can support all of it directly, with no intermediary steps.
- On demand: PropelZ offers incremental, scheduled update functionality — eliminating the classic ETL expense and inefficiency of continuously replicating full data sets by pushing changes only on the frequency you set.
- Parallel destinations: PropelZ can push updates to multiple targets at the same time.
Mainframe But More: “Anywhere to Anywhere”
We’ve highlighted PropelZ’s capabilities around VSAM data, largely because we hear about it so often from customers.
- PropelZ’s approach can be used on a wide variety of sources, targets, and platforms. As an example, you can copy data from a Linux server, transform it, and push it to a SQL or NoSQL database in the cloud. The mainframe doesn’t need to be in the picture to get quick results with PropelZ.
- PropelZ is also designed to be extensible when it comes to other types of mainframe data. If a customer wants to copy data from Datacom or IDMS, for example, we can extend PropelZ to do that.
- A number of customers talk to us about the need to access mainframe management data, which is generally in System Management Facility (SMF) records. We plan to build an extension that allows us to copy either historical or real-time SMF data through PropelZ to your target of choice.
With PropelZ, there really is no limit to what those data sources can be and no limit to what the targets can be. This is what we mean by “anywhere to anywhere.”
How PropelZ Can Work for You
We’ve covered many aspects of how PropelZ can play a critical role in empowering your hybrid cloud with timely, on demand snapshots of your mainframe data. In this next section, we discuss PropelZ in the context of some specific use cases.
PropelZ for Analytics and Reporting
The current generation of cloud-based BI, analytics, and reporting tools have been a boon to business users, allowing self-service reporting and real-time custom dashboards. But mainframe data is often an exception because it can be complicated and costly to plug into these apps directly.
Now you can use PropelZ to apply your most valuable data quickly and easily to modern BI, analytics, and reporting tools — all at an affordable price.
- Broad JDBC support for maximum flexibility: PropelZ can push data to a wide variety of databases and apps.
- Powerful data transformation ensures your mainframe data can be used in today’s modern apps.
- zIIP-eligibility for cost savings and important performance features like bulk query support, scheduled update functionality, and support for parallel targets.
With PropelZ, you get improved decision-making and impactful results at a fraction of the cost of other approaches.
PropelZ for Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning
The AI landscape is shifting fast. Machine learning is becoming more accessible. Predictive analytics tools are helping guide smarter decisions. And businesses are finding they can deliver great insights by supplementing pre-built large language models with their own current datasets.
PropelZ makes it easy to include your critical mainframe data in AI model training and analytics. With broad JDBC support for maximum flexibility, PropelZ can push data to a wide variety of databases and customers can use apps like Tableau and Microsoft Power BI.
Drive more innovation with speed, performance, and convenience, all at an attractive price point.
PropelZ for Reducing the Costs and Risks of ETL Processes
It shouldn’t take a major investment of time and money to get a snapshot of your mainframe data.
PropelZ makes it simple to create a copy and put it to use:
- Where you need it: PropelZ’s JDBC support means you can push data to a wide variety of databases and apps.
- When you need it: PropelZ offers incremental, scheduled update functionality — eliminating the classic ETL expense and inefficiency of continuously replicating full data sets by pushing changes only on the frequency you set.
- How you need it: PropelZ’s data transformation features ensure your mainframe data can be used in today’s modern apps.
- At a lower cost: PropelZ can execute on your zIIP processor, helping with capacity constraints and reducing processing costs (as compared to other approaches that can consume precious resources and increase costs). Plus, it is available for free with a limited use license.
PropelZ for Data Stores
Data stores are a critical component in today’s IT landscape. In another of our blogs, called VirtualZ’s Solutions for Data Stores, we cover how our unique set of solutions — Lozen™, PropelZ, and Zaac™ — can play a critical role in empowering your data stores in new ways.
If you want to include mainframe data in your data store and you need only a “near real-time” connection, PropelZ offers a simple and efficient solution.
- With broad JDBC support, scheduled update functionality, and robust data transformation capabilities, you can copy your data where, when, and how you need it.
- Eliminate the expense and inefficiency of continuously replicating full data sets — pushing changes only on the frequency you set.
- And if your data store needs to connect to other applications and databases, PropelZ provides a low-cost way to get the data there. PropelZ’s architecture allows it to connect to a wide variety of sources, targets, and platforms — from SQL and NoSQL databases to SaaS applications and big data analytics. The mainframe doesn’t need to be in the picture to get quick results with PropelZ.
Tip: If you are looking for a real-time, read-write connection between your mainframe and data store, take a look at Lozen.
PropelZ for Business Applications
From custom to packaged to SaaS, apps of all kinds shouldn’t be forced to rely on stale business data or data that cannot be easily integrated.
- Eliminate the gap between your applications and mainframe data with PropelZ.
- Empower your business applications with better — not stale — data.
- Give your users the freedom to use their tools of choice.
- Lower costs by pushing updates only when you need to.
- Improve agility and drive better business outcomes across your hybrid cloud.
It shouldn’t take a major investment of time and money to get a snapshot of your mainframe data. PropelZ makes it easy and cost-effective to copy data to your business apps — where, when, and how you need it.
“But Wait, There’s More…”
PropelZ is available for free with a limited use license (limited to 10,000 rows of data per execution) or a fixed annual subscription license of $50K for unlimited use.
Watch a demo of PropelZ to learn more.
Or contact us today to get your copy of PropelZ.
