SmartBPM Suite

High-Performance Interactive and Batch Capabilities on the Mainframe

Version 5.5 of the SmartBPM Suite is tested and supported on IBM’s z10 series hardware/software stack. Many Pegasystems customers use SmartBPM on the mainframe, and support for z10 gives them options for improved performance and expansion.

The System z mainframe environment supports application workloads through IBM's specialty engine strategy. Pegasystems can use both CPs (general purpose processors) and specialty engines for Linux (IFLs) and Java (zAAPs). System administrators can easily add SmartBPM to their mainframe mix for lower costs and higher performance. Features and benefits include:

• Enterprise Scalability: Native support for multiple nodes and multiple JVMs with specialized support in for high-throughput batch operations means enterprises can easily manage all their staff, work, and data for their process- and rules-based applications.
• Distributed Deployment Options: Organizations run implementations of SmartBPM across multiple platforms simultaneously, so individual applications can use the resources and rules needed to meet specific service levels.
• Situational Rule-Based Repository: With an enterprise asset repository at the heart of the system, procedures and policies are treated as reusable corporate assets, empowering the enterprise to seamlessly differentiate and offer high-value and repeatable services.

Pegasystems recently benchmarked SmartBPM with its award-wining Customer Process Manager CRM framework. Testing was done on both z/OS and Linux for System z, and results are available in downloadable white papers.

• PegaRULES Process Commander using Linux on System z
• PegaRULES Process Commander on z/OS

Workloads were selected to provide a comparison of SmartBPM under a low-complexity transaction mix and a complex contact management scenario. Two thousand simulated call center users were supported with sub-second response time in a single Java Virtual Machine in a four-processor configuration, and, based on this benchmark, a single z10 system should support over 20,000 concurrent active users.

Pegasystems’ Mainframe Batch Capabilities

Pegasystems has two product configurations in the SmartBPM family for batch processing of rules and process: PRPC for z/OS COBOL and PRPC for z/OS Batch. These two configurations offer outstanding price performance by using System z’s Java specialty engines –  zAAP processors – while maintaining the scalability and flexibility of SmartBPM®.

Mainframe developers who want to use the power of SmartBPM® to define and manage enterprise rules for mainframe applications while maintaining their legacy investments now have two easy options: PRPC for z/OS COBOL and PRPC for z/OS Batch.  Benefits include:

• Directly invoke from COBOL and JCL – no Java needed
• Take advantage of System z price, performance, and management capabilities
• Share data with other batch programs and with SmartBPM nodes for end-to-end applications
• Simple and cost-effective rules and process management in the mainframe batch environment

The business processes and business rules implemented in PRPC for z/OS batch environments can be shared with other SmartBPM environments, such as online web-based SmartBPM applications. This means precisely the same business logic can be executed by Web users and batch jobs without duplicate coding. It also allows work and case data to be shared between batch jobs and other SmartBPM-based applications, so front-office and web-based applications can be fully integrated with mainframe back-office applications.

As with other SmartBPM products, rules, processes, and other elements in PRPC for z/OS can be specialized for specific applications and still run from a single enterprise repository. These products bring the promise of Build for Change® to COBOL and JCL batch programs on the mainframe.