The Process
"Occasionally""Issues with Cognos and other IBM software can arise from configuration errors, problems in third-party hardware or software, and occasionally, because of a bug in the IBM product itself." IBM software has a bug. Once it has been ascertained that the situation has not been caused by problems in third-party hardware or software or the user's configuration errors, IBM support staff, if they suspect that a defect in a current release of an IBM program is the cause, will file a formal report confirming the existence of an issue. In addition to confirming the existence of an issue, APARs include information on known workarounds, information on whether a formal fix is scheduled to be included in future releases, and whether or not a Program Temporary Fix (PTF) is planned.Documenting the problem
IBM has a program to facilitate documenting the problem. "An authorized program analysis report (APAR) is an IBM-supplied program that allows you to create a diskette file or a tape file. The file contains information from your system to help software service representatives to correct programming problems."Solution levels
There are at least 2 levels of fix: * The APAR may result in "an APAR fix." * a permanent correction called a PTF. whereas the PTF "is a tested APAR... The PTF 'closes' the APAR." Prior to that, an APAR is "a problem with an IBM program that is formally tracked until a solution is provided.” A PTF is a permanent correction with respect to the VRM (Version, Release, Modification) level of the product to which it is applicable, and is a temporary fix in the sense that the problem correction will temporarily be available as a permanent fix, and later will be incorporated into the product base code, and will thereby no longer be a fix, although the associated PTF and/or APAR numbers will, as a rule, be included in the source documentation associated with the ensuing base code update.System Improvement/Difficulty Report
SIDR wasSystem Improvement Request
SIR (''System Improvement Request'') is a terminology thatSee also
*References
{{reflist IBM software Software maintenance IBM mainframe operating systems