Difference between BMP and DLI.

[Girish Rangwani]

HI,

What is the difference between BMP and DLI? Please explain me as a programmer. I search and read about it and got soem pints such as, DL/I corresponds to batch IMS database. And if I need to access online IMS database in batch process, then you have to use BMP. Is this fine and are the only difference? Please help.

[Anuj Dhawan]

From programming point of view, there is no difference in programming the application. Your shop may have an application program running as BMP at one time and as a DLI job at another.

By definition -- a BMP program is batch processing program, in IMS, that has access to online databases and message queues. BMPs run online, but like programs in a batch environment, they are started with a JCL. BMPs are dependent on the IMS master region to be running. If DL/1 online databases are used they need not be allocated to the job, they are accessed through the IMS region, and they need to be online.

A DLI program runs only when the databases are NOT available online. At most of the shops, IMS databases are "offline" in the evening to allow batch DLI programs to run. The databases are then brought back "online" in the morning. DLI jobs establishes the IMS environment locally, so they are not dependent on the master region running.

Hope this helps.