APAR - Authorized Program Analysis Report

Enhanced Definition

An APAR (Authorized Program Analysis Report) is a formal report submitted by an IBM customer to IBM to document a suspected defect in an IBM licensed program product. It describes a problem that is believed to be caused by an error in IBM's code, rather than a user error or environmental issue. If validated by IBM, an APAR typically leads to the development of a Program Temporary Fix (PTF) to resolve the reported issue.

Key Characteristics

- Problem Identification: An APAR is created when a customer identifies an error, bug, or unexpected behavior in an IBM licensed software product (e.g., z/OS, CICS, DB2, COBOL compiler).
- Formal Reporting: It's a structured document that includes a detailed description of the problem, symptoms, diagnostic data, and steps to reproduce the issue.
- IBM Validation: IBM's support team investigates the reported problem. If confirmed to be a product defect, an APAR number is assigned, and development begins on a fix.
- Precursor to PTF: Each APAR that describes a genuine program defect will eventually have one or more associated PTFs that provide the actual code changes to correct the problem.
- Temporary Fixes: In critical situations, IBM may provide a temporary fix (often referred to as an APAR fix or a "HIPER" fix for High Impact PERvasive problems) that can be applied before the official PTF is generally available.

Use Cases

- Reporting Software Defects: A z/OS system programmer discovers a bug in a system utility that causes an ABEND, leading them to open a Problem Management Record (PMR) which may escalate to an APAR.
- Correcting Data Integrity Issues: A DB2 database administrator finds that a specific SQL query, when run under certain conditions, corrupts data, prompting the submission of an APAR.
- Resolving Performance Problems: A CICS application experiences severe performance degradation that is traced back to an inefficient routine within the CICS transaction server, requiring an APAR for a fix.
- Addressing Security Vulnerabilities: A security analyst identifies a potential vulnerability in a z/OS component that could be exploited, necessitating an APAR to get a security patch.

Related Concepts

An APAR is intrinsically linked to PTFs (Program Temporary Fixes); an APAR describes the problem, and a PTF delivers the solution. Customers typically open a PMR (Problem Management Record) with IBM support, which, if validated as a product defect, can then be converted into an APAR by IBM. The application of PTFs (which resolve APARs) is managed by SMP/E (System Modification Program/Extended), the standard IBM tool for installing and maintaining software on z/OS.

Best Practices:

Search Existing APARs/PTFs: Before reporting a new problem, always search IBM's support databases for existing APARs or PTFs that might already address the issue.
Provide Comprehensive Diagnostics: When reporting an APAR, include all relevant diagnostic information such as system logs, dumps, traces, job output, and steps to reproduce the problem to expedite IBM's analysis.
Verify Fixes Thoroughly: Once a PTF for an APAR is received, test it thoroughly in a non-production environment before applying it to production systems.
Stay Current with Maintenance: Regularly apply recommended PTFs and cumulative maintenance packages to prevent encountering known issues that have already been fixed via APARs.