Compuware automates performance testing on the mainframe

A new Jenkins plugin, along with a new REST API for Compuware Strobe, the leading mainframe application performance management solution, makes it easy for developers to take performance measurements early and automatically as part of a Jenkins CI/CD pipeline. For customers not leveraging Jenkins, the Strobe REST API can also be integrated with other DevOps CI/CD tools. 

“Delivering superior application performance to our end users is of utmost importance. Strobe enables us to ensure performance problems are detected early and resolved before they negatively impact customer experience,” said Carlos Ordonez, Systems Specialist at Macy’s, Inc.

Automated and Earlier Feedback Leads to Higher Quality Applications, Better Customer Experiences

In today’s Agile environment, modern developers need fast feedback on all aspects of their code. In particular, identifying performance problems early in the development phase reduces the time and costs spent on re-working code, speeds application delivery and leads to better customer experiences.

These new integration points enable Strobe performance measurements to be triggered automatically in CI/CD pipelines as code is promoted towards production, ensuring accurate and repeatable performance testing.  Automated tests can be run within the code delivery pipeline using Compuware Topaz for Total Test, the Topaz Utilities plugin or Compuware Hiperstation. Development teams can be notified when performance measurements are taken via tools such as Slack and Microsoft Teams and then view before and after results in Strobe to determine if a quality gate has been met or missed.

According to Forrester Research¹, “Automating performance tests earlier in the software delivery life cycle is a step in development transformation; it enables teams to be more Agile and implement faster continuous delivery…Shift-left performance testing should become an in-sprint practice, reducing later end-to-end testing because it can catch many issues and fix them earlier in the process.”

The Changing Role of the Developer

As customers accelerate their delivery life cycles, performance testing can no longer be seen as a separate activity from development only handled by QA and Operations teams. The Strobe integration with Jenkins supports this shift by making it easy for teams to automate and integrate the execution of performance measurements into their daily development practices. The integration also ensures applications have been thoroughly performance-tested before being handed off as production ready, improving collaboration and reducing interruptions to both Development and Operations teams.

Pairing Strobe with zAdviser—Metrics for Continuous Improvement

zAdviser, an innovative and free service for Compuware’s maintenance-current customers, gives mainframe modernization leaders the actionable metrics they need to continuously measure and improve development velocity, quality and efficiency. Strobe customers leveraging zAdviser can pinpoint trends and behaviors relative to their development processes that may be helping or hindering their mainframe software delivery and application performance. 

“DevOps teams simply must accelerate mainframe software development and delivery and drive more innovation—it’s a competitive mandate,” said Chris O’Malley, CEO of Compuware. “Compuware is uniquely positioned to help modern developers gained fast feedback to nail their number one job, which is write good code. We are obsessed with delivering innovation that helps organizations continuously deliver the high quality, high performing products and services their customers expect.”