Natural for z/OS^®

Designed for simplicity, reliability, and speed, Natural from Software AG is the environment of choice for enterprises operating large-scale online transaction processing (OLTP) applications on z/OS^®. Portable and able to access data and conduct transactions across z/OS, Linux^®, and cloud platforms, Natural provides the interoperability needed to keep your enterprise agile and scalable to efficiently meet changing business requirements. Natural’s great versatility enables z/OS applications to integrate with cloud solutions, unlocking data for extended use.

With more than 50 years of experience providing leading enterprises and governments worldwide with unmatched power for mainframe applications, Natural continues to adapt to anticipate the needs of today’s and tomorrow’s application developers.

Performance-focused

Natural offers a robust and efficient platform for the design, development, testing, debugging, and maintenance of enterprise-scale business applications. Its comprehensive toolset accelerates the entire application lifecycle, ensuring high performance and reliability. By streamlining complex processes, Natural empowers developers to build and maintain mission-critical applications with greater speed, precision, and confidence, enabling organizations to meet their evolving business needs efficiently.

Efficient and intuitive

Natural is simple and efficient, requiring fewer lines of code compared to other programming languages. Whether it’s database calls or interfacing to TP systems, all the complexity is ‘hidden’ from Natural programmers. Natural is so easy to learn that new developers can be trained and become productive in just weeks.

Cross-platform interoperability

Natural opens up key information to clients and partners using tools that enable Web services/REST API with full support of open-source environments. No major redevelopment isrequired.

Unmatched developer productivity

Agile development processes and automated tools enable rapid application creation, and automated test tasks increase code quality. Maintenance takes minimal effort, thanks to automated application inventory, documentation, code analysis, modification tools, and enhanced monitoring

Anywhere data connectivity

Seamlessly access data from any source you require, whether it resides on Linux, in the cloud, on Windows, or within z/OS environments. Natural provides the flexibility to integrate with diverse data repositories, enabling you to harness information from multiple platforms and systems. This cross-platform compatibility ensures that your applications remain adaptable and scalable, supporting your business needs regardless of where your data resides.

Operating system alignment

Natural’s efficient use of operating system resources helps avoid CPU upgrades and drives down machine usage charges. The Natural Optimizer Compiler enhances performance by compiling both simple and complex statements, along with statement sequences, into efficient machine code. Natural for zIIP® adds to overall efficiency and cost savings by offloading eligible online and/or batch workload from General Processor (GP) to IBM zIIP.

Security

Natural Security’s authentication and authorization capabilities help you build a strategy for users, applications/libraries, files, and utilities with the over-arching objective of protecting against unauthorized access and improper use. Natural SAF Security is designed to be used in conjunction with Natural Security and with an SAF-compliant external security system (RACF^®, CA-ACF2^®, or CA Top Secret^®).

Database/dataset connectivity

Enable Natural applications and new Web applications to access Adabas, Db2^®, or VSAM^®. Use either Natural’s own data manipulation language or standard SQL (with Natural for Db2, or Natural for VSAM, as appropriate).

Desktop transactions

Connect thousands of concurrent users to applications running on z/OS, Linux & Cloud platforms with highly scalable Web terminal emulation software (Natural for Ajax). For data exchange, leverage Natural with Entire Connection terminal emulation.

Operating system

Make operating system information (e.g. active jobs) and services (e.g. Submit jobs) available in a logical view inside Natural to all users with Entire System Server.

Intuitive IDE

Develop, modernize, and manage existing applications, new rich Web applications, and services with ease with the intuitive Eclipse™-based IDE, NaturalONE.

Central repository

Rely upon Predict to reduce application development and maintenance effort. Store all development artifacts in Predict’s central repository and benefit from automatic generation of database tables and program cross references.

Model-based application development

Cut new application development time in half by using Natural Construct, a powerful model-based application generator that requires no knowledge of Natural syntax.

DevOps

Easily integrate your Natural applications into DevOps toolchains and support your organizational Continuous Integration and Continuous Delivery process using NaturalONE and Natural Development Server.

Application versioning

Monitor, control, and secure Natural, COBOL, JCL, and Assembler applications throughout the software development lifecycle while complying with your organizational specific standards.

IBM^® zIIP support 

Take advantage of IBM’s processor innovation by moving Natural workload from IBM General Processor to the less expensive zIIP for execution with Software AG’s Natural full stack zIIP Enablers: Natural Batch, CICS, Com-plete and Db2^®.  

Machine code compiler

Reduce CPU usage and optimize performance by compiling Natural statements and sequences of statements into faster-to-process machine code with Natural Optimizer Compiler.  

Event tracing 

Analyze the logical flow of Natural applications to trace run-time resource utilization with Natural Profiler, now included in NaturalONE.  

Code restructuring 

Restructure source code, improving its quality and reducing maintenance costs and effort by leveraging NaturalONE’s automated code changes and pre-coded solutions.   

Direct printing 

Save developer time by printing directly from a Natural application in a CICS^® environment with Natural Advanced Facilities. 

User access

Ensure application security and compliance with minimal administrative effort. Deploy Natural SAF Security in conjunction with centralized, external security tools such as IBM RACF®, CA-ACF2®, or CA-Top Secret® to control individual user profiles and access.

Environment security

Secure Natural applications during development and run-time. Use Natural Security to define user roles and control access to applications/libraries, Natural utilities, individual programs, functions, and DDMs (files).

Authentication

Authenticate users on the Natural Server or application server with Java® Authentication and Authorization Service (JAAS) when developing with NaturalONE/Natural for Ajax.

Terminal sessions

Use Entire Connection terminal emulator to protect your application from unsanctioned desktop access by requiring a user ID and password to open a terminal session.

Single sign on (SSO)

Implement SSO by storing the host user credentials encrypted in the share file and using the Entire Connection script language to log onto the host.

Resource utilization tracing

Debug programs, resolve error messages, identify programs that use excessive resources, track historical resource utilization, and potentially defer upgrades. Natural Review Monitor lets you optimize Natural application performance (when running under CICS).

System resource management

Ensure application performance and availability for concurrent users by managing the system resources for online transaction processing environments with Com-plete (an alternative to CICS).

Ask your local Software AG representative which add-ons may give you the greatest value:

• Com-plete
• Entire Connection
• Entire Operations
• Entire Output Management
• Entire System Server
• Natural Advanced Facilities
• Natural Construct
• Natural for Ajax
• Natural for DB2
• Natural for VSAM
• Natural CICS Interface
• Natural Com-plete Interface
• Natural TSO Interface
• Natural for zIIP (Batch, CICS, Com-plete, and Db2)
• Natural ISPF
• Natural Optimizer Compiler
• Natural Review
• Natural SAF Security
• Natural Security
• Predict
• Predict Application Control

Operating Systems:

Natural for z/OS operates on IBM z/OS.
Natural is also available on Windows, Linux, and Cloud.

Transaction monitors:

Natural for z/OS easily processes transactions on CICS, Com-plete, and TSO

z/OS Databases/datasets:

Natural for z/OS works easily with these databases/datasets on z/OS:

• Adabas
• Db2
• VSAM