Why has it been such a long time since the last release of CA PDSMAN®?

Products

• PDSMAN

Issue/Introduction

The last full release of CA PDSMAN® PDS Library Management (PDSMAN), r7.7, was made generally available in 2010. While this may seem like a long time, from a technical standpoint there simply hasn’t been a need to create a new release of the product. However, this does not mean that there haven’t been significant functional, usability and technical enhancements made to PDSMAN during this time.
 

Why has it been such a long time since the last release of CA PDSMAN®?

Environment

PDSMAN 7.7

Resolution

PDSMAN Releases

PDSMAN is maintained using SMP/E PTFs that are published periodically and become part of the ongoing product maintenance stream. With this method, just about any code module or other product element can be easily changed or added. There are very few technical situations that require a new release of the product.

New releases increase overhead. For CA, there are technical, procedural and support considerations; for clients, a new release usually involves significantly more work than simply applying maintenance.

However, there are good reasons for occasional new releases. A new release is an opportunity to showcase new product features and functionality. It is also a convenient way to consolidate maintenance and allows updates  that require a new release to be addressed.

PDSMAN Enhancements Since Release 7.7

Often there is a perception that a product is no longer being actively developed because it has not recently had a new release. PDSMAN is an excellent example of how this way of thinking is often incorrect. In addition to ongoing maintenance, since the PDSMAN base r7.7 was released there have been:

• Two completely new facilities added
• Six enhancements to make PDSMAN easier to install, use, and administer
• Eight functional enhancements to existing product facilities
• Four enhancements to ensure that PDSMAN lives up to its reputation for technical excellence

Additional Information

You can find detailed descriptions of these enhancements in the attached article CA PDSMAN Enhancements Since 7.7 or in the product Release Notes Enhancements Available since Release 7.7 Base .