Broadcom Easytrieve

Product Name and Branding Today

Official Broadcom materials use CA Easytrieve Report Generator as the product title and Easytrieve Plus Report Generator when distinguishing the Plus language line. Marketing pages may say "Broadcom Easytrieve" or "CA Easytrieve from Broadcom." All refer to the same supported product—not a fork, not an emulator.

License screens, SMP/E FMIDs, and support tickets may still show CA product codes from pre-acquisition catalogs. Operations teams map those codes during renewal; developers should follow TechDocs version 11.6 unless their shop standardizes on an earlier maintenance level.

Broadcom TechDocs Structure

TechDocs organize 11.6 content similarly to other Broadcom mainframe products:

Notable 11.x Enhancements

Release notes for Easytrieve Plus Report Generator highlight features that matter to modern maintenance projects:

SQL and data access

• Simplified SQL FILE definitions with automated column and INTO list handling reduce boilerplate when reading Db2 tables.
• COMMIT statement and activity options give explicit control of SQL units of work.
• 8-character entity names support ANSI standard SQL naming where required.

Language and reliability

• Boundary checking on subscripts and indexes during execution catches array errors earlier.
• PROGRAM statement exposes execution parameters directly to application logic.
• SEARCH against indexed table files performs keyed reads instead of binary search when appropriate—performance win on large tables.
• Logical file names longer than eight characters improve readability in source.

Performance

• Report work files can store intermediate reporting data on disk instead of virtual files, improving large report throughput.
• BLOCK size zero on FILE or DCB allows dynamic block size control from JCL.
• CALL (AMODE24) on PARM supports 24-bit processing when installation requires it.

Developer experience

• Graphical User Interface (Workbench) for developers preferring GUI over green-screen editing.
• Visual Studio Code extension integrates Easytrieve editing with modern desktops.
• Enhanced compilation listings aid code review and audit.

z/OS 11.x Options Table Change

A major operational difference from CA 6.x batch releases: on z/OS 11.x the options table exists as a file optionally identified by EZOPTBL DD in compile and execute JCL. If EZOPTBL is omitted at compile time and EZTINI was not built with 6EOP, the compiler generates default option values. At execute time, missing EZTINI and EZOPTBL causes an error—the program cannot run.

Broadcom supplies a utility to convert 6.x options tables. Some 6.x option keywords are not supported in 11.x; review utility output before mass migration. This is the kind of detail systems programmers need during a Broadcom upgrade project even when application source is unchanged.

Cross-Platform Easytrieve Plus

Broadcom documents Easytrieve Plus on UNIX, Linux, and Windows alongside z/OS. Environment-independent FILE statements help the same logical program structure work across access methods and operating systems, though JCL becomes shell scripts or Windows batch on distributed platforms. Enterprises use distributed Plus for:

• Report jobs offloaded from the mainframe when data is already replicated.
• Development and test on PCs with VS Code before promoting source to z/OS.
• Hybrid architectures where Linux servers produce PDF or email reports from nightly extracts.

Support and Licensing Under Broadcom

Support flows through Broadcom support portals with entitlement tied to mainframe agreements. Developers typically do not handle licensing directly, but you should know:

• Compiler and runtime FMIDs must be installed on each LPAR that compiles or executes.
• Maintenance level (PTF cumulative) affects compiler fixes and security apars.
• Release notes document deprecated statements—plan upgrades before statements disappear.

How Broadcom Easytrieve Fits Enterprise DevOps

Broadcom positions Easytrieve within a broader mainframe devops story: code stored in Git, edited in VS Code, compiled in CI pipelines invoking standard JCL or CLI interfaces, and promoted through change control. The language is legacy; the toolchain around it can be modern. Teams succeed when they treat Easytrieve source like any other production asset—peer review, automated compile checks, and documented rollback.

Explain It Like I'm Five

Broadcom is the company that now takes care of Easytrieve—like when a new owner takes care of a playground everyone still uses. They added new swings (VS Code tools) and safety rules (better error checking) but the slide everyone loves (making reports from files) still works the same way.

Exercises

1. Open Broadcom TechDocs for Easytrieve 11.6 and list three manual categories.
2. Summarize one SQL FILE enhancement from release notes in your own words.
3. Explain EZOPTBL to a junior developer migrating from CA 6.x.
4. Name two reasons a shop might run Easytrieve Plus on Linux instead of z/OS.
5. Find the Messages and Codes section and look up one compiler message starting with EZT.