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BMC AMI DevX Reviews & Insights

Score9.4 out of 10

18 Reviews and Ratings

Top industries

Based on 12 HG Insights installations.

Community Insights for BMC AMI DevX

Synthesised from 5 verified reviews.


Synthesised from 5 reviews


This product assessment analyzes 10 recent reviews of BMC AMI DevX across two dimensions: overall satisfaction/ROI and impact on the mainframe developer experience. BMC AMI DevX is designed to improve the mainframe developer experience and deliver a return on investment by streamlining development processes. The reviews indicate that the tool is generally well-received, particularly for its positive impact on developer productivity. A key strength consistently highlighted is its ability to increase developer productivity, cited by 60% of reviewers, attributed to features like code insight and analyzers that simplify code understanding and debugging. Furthermore, 40% of reviewers noted a reduction in development time, including faster deployment windows and more efficient handling of large deployments. All reviewers mentioned positive impacts on the developer experience, citing faster problem-solving and enablement of DevOps practices. While adoption speed varies across organizations, the developer experience appears to be consistently positive among those actively using the tools. Overall, BMC AMI DevX offers a strong value proposition for organizations seeking to enhance mainframe developer productivity and efficiency.


  • Increased developer productivity through code insight and analysis tools.
  • Reduced development time and faster deployment windows.
  • Improved mainframe developer experience through faster problem solving.
  • Enables DevOps practices within mainframe development.
  • Efficient handling of large deployments.
  • Adoption rates may vary across different organizations.
BMC AMI DevX was designed to provide developers with a quality development experience. How has BMC AMI DevX improved the mainframe developer experience, if at all? How has this impacted your organization?

From 5 reviews

This report synthesizes 5 recent reviews to assess how BMC AMI DevX impacts the mainframe developer experience. Reviewers highlight improvements to the developer experience, with all 5 reviewers mentioning positive impacts. These improvements are attributed to faster problem solving and enabling DevOps practices. While adoption may be slow in some organizations, developers using the tools report positive experiences.

Improved developer experience

BMC AMI DevX in general, and Code Pipeline in particular, provides me with a high quality development experience that builds on the foundation of my decades of experience and adds features and functions that I have often wished for.

Faster problem solving

Adoption has been slow at my organization, but I hear nothing but praise from the developers who are using the tools. Specifically, Code Debug has reduced problem-solving by at least 50%.

What positive or negative impact (i.e. Return on Investment or ROI) has BMC AMI DevX had on your overall business objectives?

From 5 reviews

This report analyzes 5 recent reviews to assess the return on investment (ROI) of BMC AMI DevX. Reviewers most frequently cited improvements in developer productivity. Specifically, 3 of 5 reviewers mentioned increased developer productivity as a positive impact of using BMC AMI DevX, with some attributing this to tools like code insight and analyzer that simplify code understanding and debugging. Additionally, 2 of 5 reviewers noted a reduction in development time, which includes faster deployment windows and the ability to handle large deployments more efficiently. These factors appear to contribute to a perception of improved efficiency and time savings among users.

Increased developer productivity

I believe the time it takes to Deploy a code has reduced, using tools like code insight/analyzer has really made easy to understand my code which intern helps me to make correct code changes and usage of Code Debug to troubleshoot is easier as well

Reduced time on development

Reduced time spent on development

Reviews

17 Reviews

Good to Great

Rating: 10 out of 10
Incentivized

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

It is used by our COBOL Development for their Day-to-Day development, these could be bug fixes, feature changes or other changes like compliance changes.
Also, when there is a need to do some analysis on the code so that you can input onto a requirement Document or simply for knowledge sharing.
The whole of the development lifecycle is achieved via AMI DevX (Analysis, Code changes, Debug, Test and Deloy via Code pipeline.

Pros

  • Code Deploy
  • Making Code changes, using Code insights to understand the change)
  • Code Debug with runtime visualizer
  • creating test scenarios
  • Host Explorer to get all the Data files and Db2 tables

Cons

  • JCL syntax checker

Likelihood to Recommend

As a Developer this is a tool to use for my Day-to-day basic development activities (Code, Debug , Test , Deploy)

BMC AMI DevX

Rating: 9 out of 10
Incentivized

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

The BMC AMI DevX products are used in our company for

- Mainframe Abend Analysis (Abend-AID, Abend-AID for CICS),
- Mainframe Debugging (Code Debug for TSO, Code Debug for CICS, Code Coverage)
- Mainframe Performance Analysis (Strobe)
- Mainframe Data Management (File-AID/MVS, File-AID/RDX, File-AID/DB2, File-AID/Data Solutions)

Pros

  • Deep insights in programs (Strobe)
  • Easy Abend Analysis (Abend-AID / Abend-AID for CICS)
  • Comfortable Debugging (Code Debug for TSO / Code Debug for CICS)

Cons

  • User interface of File-AID is mostly still built for green screen terminals (missing color support).
  • Installation documentation (all products) could be streamlined.
  • Product naming is too fancy...

Likelihood to Recommend

All products give the developers and system programmers excellent support in their daily work. They are saving a lot of time when analysing any kind of problems (abends and dumps) or trying to improve performance of home grown software.
Vetted Review
BMC AMI DevX
25 years of experience

A Mainframe Modernization Must-Have.

Rating: 10 out of 10
Incentivized

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

We are just starting our mainframe modernization effort. BMC AMI DevX is a fantastic toolbox to help with research, development, and improve our speed to market. Plus, it will be an advantage in attracting younger developers.

Pros

  • We love Code Insights and Runtime Visualizer for research.
  • Code Debug is so easy to set up and use. Speeds up debugging.
  • Host explorer display shows so much more than a green screen.
  • Host explorer outline makes navigation through code a breeze.
  • Love that I can copy from the mainframe to my C drive so easily.

Cons

  • I find Project Explorer confusing but that could be because I've not used it.
  • If I'm in Content for one dataset and want to switch to a different dataset, I still need to select "Show Content" for the second dataset.

Likelihood to Recommend

I love these tools! However, my company has not yet transitioned from SCLM to a modern repository, and this is causing most of our developers to remain within TSO for all their development. It's been a slow adoption up to this point, but we are moving toward more modernization this year and next, so with any luck, we'll see usage pick up. Success depends on the speed at which your management is willing to move.
Vetted Review
BMC AMI DevX
2 years of experience

Best in Show

Rating: 10 out of 10
Incentivized

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

We are both new and old users of BMC AMI DevX tools within our organization. We are in the midst of cutting over from IBM's Software Configuration and Library Manager (SCLM) to BMC AMI DevX Code Pipeline and Workbench for Eclipse (that's the new) and we recently reinstalled Code Debug (formerly known as Xpediter) as well as Abend-AID and File-AID, all three of which we have used previously under the Compuware umbrella (that's the old). Our goal is to modernize the mainframe developer experience while establishing a solid base from which we can implement a fully integrated DevOps lifecycle that encompasses both our mainframe and our distributed platforms.

Pros

  • Extensive functionality that is easily customized to shop standards and needs
  • Integration between tools across the BMC AMI DevX suite
  • Supports development and maintenance processes from start to finish
  • Improves programmer productivity

Cons

  • ISPF Help panels need to be kept up to date and fully synchronized with the panels and functions they are meant to support
  • The written documentation would certainly benefit from more diagrams

Likelihood to Recommend

The trick has always been to support "old school" mainframe developers in a cutting edge DevOps world. BMC AMI DevX manages to provide cross-platform interfaces and solutions that honor the past while serving the future. Change almost always involves a hit to productivity as developers unlearn old procedures and incorporate new ones. Eventually the new way of doing things should lead to higher productivity. Anyone introducing change seeks to have that "productivity dip" be as shallow as possible and last as short a time as possible. BMC AMI DevX accomplishes that well.

Excellent Developer Experiance

Rating: 10 out of 10
Incentivized

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

Mainframe development, source code management, as well as build, test and deployment automation.

Pros

  • Version Management
  • Building COBOL programs
  • Deploying changes to Development, Test and Production environments
  • Integrating with Azure DevOps
  • Debugging programs
  • Analyzing Programs

Cons

  • Download source code plug-in on Azure DevOps to allow downloading prod version even if it's not in the assignment.
  • Publishing Test Results on Azure DevOps from Total Test plugin
  • Integration with DevEnterprise in Workbench and GenAI capabilities for enhance code analysis (Accross multiple programs/applications)

Likelihood to Recommend

I have been very happy with the product and its features. The support on the product is also very good. Perhaps it's not appropriate for small scale operations due to the
Vetted Review
BMC AMI DevX
6 years of experience

BMC AMI DevX

Rating: 9 out of 10
Incentivized

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

connecting maifnrame onprem CICD pipelines to a hybrid cloud environment

Pros

  • cicd pipelines
  • dev enablement for mainframe moving beyond greenscreen

Cons

  • full end to end integration with mdernize agile tollchain
  • visible pricing

Likelihood to Recommend

enabler for hybrid cloud on leagcy systems that utilize mainframe tech
Vetted Review
BMC AMI DevX
2 years of experience

BMC AMI DevX Review

Rating: 10 out of 10
Incentivized

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

We as a business need a tool for newer developers to confidently interface with mainframe applications and tools. I use it for my primary development on all applications that i support. We also have an integration with our version control software that allows us to manage our changes through BMC AMI DevX.

Pros

  • Provides a modern development environment for mainframe.
  • Allows detailed logic flow of applications on the mainframe.
  • Great navigation of JES output and logs through the JES explorer

Cons

  • Better font/visual customization (nice dark mode, more accessible font sizing).
  • Better integration with Changeman, not sure if this is BMC AMI DevX specific but some issues do arise with interfacing with CMN.

Likelihood to Recommend

BMC AMI DevX is suitable for new developers to have a familiar environment to develop not-so-familiar applications.
Vetted Review
BMC AMI DevX
2 years of experience

Using BMC AMI DevX with Eclipse

Rating: 8 out of 10
Incentivized

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

We use BMC AMI DevX products on ZOS for mainframe developers, database administrators , SCM/ALM administrator and users , in order to provide help for the debug, access and administrate DB2 Databases, manage the life cycle (source version, build, delivery) of our applicaitons and component

Pros

  • Mainframe Product integration in IDE Eclipse
  • SCM/ALM product code pipeline

Cons

  • The setting of code pipeline is rather difficult to do when you have to modify the process of the delivery . it's not easy to have a general view of all the parameters and sources you have to manage.
  • Runtime visualizer in the Workbench for Eclipse could be high resource consuming (In Eclipse while building result views and on the Z OS mainframe tracking the activity for analyse). It could be improved maybe having the possibility to not track the whole job or CICS transaction.

Likelihood to Recommend

If the settings of your IT Site is OK (source listing available, dump trapped, etc.), using code debug or Abend-Aid is useful to understand the origin of an issue.

For newby programers who don't know mainframe emulator, it's easier to begin to work in an IDE like Eclipse.

BMC AMI DevX Code Insights can be hard to use with complex Cobol programs.
Vetted Review
BMC AMI DevX
20 years of experience

Work experience.

Rating: 9 out of 10
Incentivized

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

Using BMC AMI DevX is a central part of my job. All products being used are required for different functions in our mainframe.

Pros

  • Help us maximize our technology.
  • Automate our mainframe.
  • Modernizes mission-critical data operations.

Cons

  • Improve search of product information on the website.
  • Receive notifications for upcoming version updates or maintenance when mandatory.
  • Have access to a video chat to talk with a BMC technician.

Likelihood to Recommend

We have always had great assistance with all the products, but installation is still taking longer. We are still working on the installation of Fastcopy 6.1.0 on our mainframe. Since the product is now owned by a new company, we asked BMC if we required an additional license to move forward. They apparently know, but the installation instructions we used don't seem to be complete. We did not get extra help afterward.
Vetted Review
BMC AMI DevX
2 years of experience

Usage of DevX on our company (Code Pipeline, Workbench...)

Rating: 9 out of 10
Incentivized

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

We have been using the DevX product for a long time now. We have some problems to solve: young developers need to integrate, source code management needs to be done, production fallback needs to be met, release management needs to be met, and reporting on change needs to be done.

Pros

  • Code Pipeline: integration of MF and non-MF type of object (COBOL, Java, zosconnect...). Deployment of objects coming from inside and outside the mainframe in the same way.
  • Workbench for Eclipse: a must-have for working with Code Pipeline and the mainframe in the development context.
  • Workbench for VS Code: They started developing VSCode, and the plugin works very well. There are a lot of things to add, but it's still very good. Young developers like it!

Cons

  • Code Pipeline: Better integration of OMVS files. Some manual work still needs to be done.
  • Better support of IMS/DL1/PL1 on their tooling (Code Insight, Total Test...)

Likelihood to Recommend

Source Code Management/Deploy management for the mainframe. Integration with an inter-platform deployment process.