BMC AMI DevX vs CA IDMS comparison

BMC and Broadcom are both solutions in the Database Development and Management category. BMC is ranked #20 with an average rating of 7.7, while Broadcom is ranked #34. BMC holds a 1.3% mindshare in DDM, compared to Broadcom’s 1.1% mindshare. Additionally, 90% of BMC users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 100% of Broadcom users who would recommend it.

BMC AMI DevX

Read 19 BMC AMI DevX reviews

4,026 Views
201 Comparison Views

90% willing to recommend

CA IDMS

Read 5 CA IDMS reviews

496 Views
144 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

BMC AMI DevX

CA IDMS

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Download the report

Executive SummaryUpdated on Sep 11, 2025

CA IDMS and BMC AMI DevX are both prominent products in the enterprise IT space, competing in the realm of database management and development. BMC AMI DevX appears to have an upper hand due to its advanced feature set and modern capabilities, outweighing CA IDMS in dynamic and complex environments.

Features: CA IDMS delivers efficient transaction processing, excellent data management for legacy systems, and seamless mainframe integration, ideal for organizations with established infrastructures. BMC AMI DevX provides enhanced automation, cutting-edge development tools, and superior cloud deployment capabilities that offer a rich toolset.

Room for Improvement: CA IDMS could benefit from enhanced modern development features, more flexible deployment options, and improved cloud integration. BMC AMI DevX might improve by offering more cost-effective solutions, streamlining the initial setup process, and expanding its support for legacy systems.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: BMC AMI DevX features a streamlined deployment model and robust support, facilitating transitions to hybrid environments. In contrast, CA IDMS offers a traditional setup process but compensates with strong support for integrating with existing systems.

Pricing and ROI: CA IDMS is associated with lower setup costs, appealing to those seeking to maintain legacy systems cost-effectively. Conversely, BMC AMI DevX, with higher upfront fees, promises better long-term ROI through advanced features and reduced operational costs.

To learn more, read our detailed Database Development and Management Report (Updated: September 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Database Development and Management

September 2025

Download the complete report

Helped 868,706 peers since 2012

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Categories and Ranking

BMC AMI DevX

Ranking in Database Development and Management

20th

Average Rating

8.0

Reviews Sentiment

7.2

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Software Configuration Management (1st), Debugging (8th), Mainframe Application Development (1st), Test Data Management (7th), Mainframe Testing Tools (1st), Data Masking (8th)

CA IDMS

Ranking in Database Development and Management

34th

Average Rating

9.0

Reviews Sentiment

7.8

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of October 2025, in the Database Development and Management category, the mindshare of BMC AMI DevX is 1.3%, up from 0.5% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of CA IDMS is 1.1%, up from 0.7% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Database Development and Management Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
BMC AMI DevX	1.3%
CA IDMS	1.1%
Other	97.6%

Database Development and Management

Featured Reviews

Brian Westerman

Director of R&D at Syzygy Inc.

Helps to make mainframe data management process easier and saves manhours

We plan to replace BMC Compuware File-AID due to its price. Two years back, we paid 11,000 dollars. However, the current price is 27,900 dollars. The price has increased to at least eight times its initial cost. We would need to pay around 60,000 dollars to have all three products together. We also encountered issues during version updates.

Read full review

Alfredo Silva

ALiBS Solutions at ALiBS Solutions

Helps us to manage user profiles very quickly and in an assertive way

I would rate this solution 9 out of 10. I would advise that they should evaluate other possibilities because this is a very quickly changing environment and there are other possible providers that have good solutions. I would do some kind of test. I would test other possible solutions too and compare them.

Read full review

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Pros

"I have worked with DB2's great features in the last five years. The IDAA feature transformed the vision of warehousing, business analytics, and big data at my bank. Besides the mainframe, I saw that this solution was evolutionary. It gives real-time information."

"It's a modernized development portal and helps reduce the learning curve for younger people coming in to work on the platform,"

"From a user perspective, the GUIs make it easier for people to see and interact with files on the mainframe."

"I think the most valuable features are code management, code deployment, and code generation. The fact that those three features are included makes BMC Compuware ISPW a robust product. If one of those features was missing, it would be less robust and less interesting. But because it has those three features, it is a very good solution for code development and management."

"The visual ability to see potential downstream impacts to changes being made assists our developers in understanding the impact associated with their change."

"We had parallel development before, but the way ISPW implements it is better. It has more control and oversight of the process, whereas before, it was like the Wild West. Everybody could have their own package with their own version of the component in it... ISPW is constantly aware of it. It notifies when someone else is using or has a different version of that component."

"The smart editor helps because it will code-complete for me. I can see code working a lot faster and I'm able to get things coded in less time."

"We can develop in parallel today on ISPF, but it's giving us the advantage of the newer interface into the mainframe programming languages that younger programmers can use and are familiar with, rather than using the ISPF green screen."

More BMC AMI DevX pros

"Technical support is very good. They are very knowledgeable, very quick to respond, and very nice people, too."

"The most useful feature is the governance feature, because it can show us and help us to manage user profiles very quickly and using it in assertive way."

"It is a really stable platform. It has been around for many years. We trust it implicitly. "

Cons

"I'm always looking for improvement in things like the documentation, to make things a little bit easier and simpler to understand, a place where people can go to troubleshoot issues."

"Technical support has gotten better over the years, though there's always room for improvement."

"Better discussions to identify inventory prior to the start of any migration would be helpful for potential clients that have applications with code that is not modified often."

"When you're setting up the parameters for how ISPW will work in your shop, there are a lot of questions that have to be answered... BMC Compuware should have more in-depth explanations about what the choices in each question mean. If you pick A, what does that mean has to happen? What does that impact? If you pick B, what does that mean? What does that impact?"

"The ability to edit source code that has special characters is limited. The ability to incorporate or convert REXX into macros that are usable under the Topaz software is not there. And the REXX macros that I have developed over 40 years of work are useless, so I have a toolbox I can't use or deploy using the Topaz technology, while I can use it under MVS."

"The area for improvement is related to the testing tools that are available for unit testing or acceptance testing. I know they have some out there that we are not licensed for at this time, but it seems like some of the Eclipse tools that are used for other programming languages, they're all just built-in and they're a little more intuitive to the developers. Making those testing tools as intuitive as possible, and as integrated as possible into the workbench, would be really beneficial."

"It's a very complicated tool."

"Their technical support could be better. There were times where, when we reported bugs, they would fix one bug but add another one. That's probably because of their support model. A lot of organizations are developing software using Agile rather than the Waterfall method, so things are happening all over the place. You get things quicker, but sometimes one fix will break another one or add other bugs."

More BMC AMI DevX cons

"I would like to see it made simpler to operate and maintain."

"Right now, it's not easy to start using this solution. You have to take long course and train people. It's not an easy path."

Pricing and Cost Advice

"I like the seat-based licensing much more than MSU-based licensing, and that the cost has been competitive."

"The price point is great."

"In terms of pricing, there isn't an extra charge for the parts of it we use. It comes with the licenses we purchased for other products, so no complaints there. The licensing is built in with the other products that you purchase from Compuware."

"It has saved our developers time and effort when working on documentation, which is now more readable and fluent."

"In general, Compuware tools are very competitive."

"The only thing I would mention related to the licensing and/or the pricing, is that they have some visualization features in there that are licensed by concurrent users. We're starting to trip up on that. We're looking to probably increase the number of concurrent licenses that we have. But those types of licensing strategies, where they license by concurrent users or the number of seats is confusing for some people. They don't understand why it works sometimes and doesn't work other times."

"Do not hold back on asking questions about the maintenance and continued support of the product."

See which vendors are best for you

Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Database Development and Management solutions are best for your needs.

See recommendations

868,706 professionals have used our research since 2012.

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

37%

Insurance Company

12%

Computer Software Company

Manufacturing Company

Financial Services Firm

21%

Manufacturing Company

10%

Government

10%

Computer Software Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	6
Large Enterprise	16

No data available

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Compuware File-AID?

The product has made our mainframe data management process easier. It has helped us save manhours. The tool's most valuable feature is the ability to edit tape files. Its ability to clone files is ...

See all answers

What needs improvement with Compuware File-AID?

See all answers

What is your primary use case for Compuware File-AID?

We use the solution clone test files.

See all answers

Ask a question

Earn 20 points

Comparisons

Endevor vs BMC AMI DevX

Compared 31% of the time

IBM File Manager vs BMC AMI DevX

Compared 16% of the time

IBM Debug for z/OS vs BMC AMI DevX

Compared 10% of the time

InterTest vs BMC AMI DevX

Compared 9% of the time

IBM Developer for z/OS Enterprise Edition (IDzEE) vs BMC AMI DevX

Compared 6% of the time

More BMC AMI DevX Competitors

IBM IMS vs CA IDMS

Compared 82% of the time

CA Datacom vs CA IDMS

Compared 18% of the time

More CA IDMS Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Test Data Management

September 2025

Download BMC AMI DevX product report

Buyer's Guide

Database Development and Management

September 2025

Download CA IDMS product report

Also Known As

File-AID, Data for Db2, Code Debug, Data Studio, Workbench for Eclipse, Code Pipeline

IDMS

Overview

BMC AMI DevX is a comprehensive solution enhancing code management and testing efficiency. It offers debugging capabilities within financial applications and integrates data management seamlessly, serving major banking sectors with reliable performance.

AMI DevX is tailored for banking industries, optimizing application debugging in COBOL and enhancing data handling in robust financial systems. It simplifies mainframe data management with real-time insights, improving efficiency through editing and cloning functionalities. The tool's integration with Compuware File-AID for IMS and DB2 ensures streamlined development processes. Challenges include a steep DB2 learning curve and initial setup complexities, with technical support inconsistencies and steep pricing impacting affordability. Despite this, its valuable features significantly support large banking operations.

What features make BMC AMI DevX valuable?

Line-by-Line Code Debugging: Allows precise identification and rectification of issues.
Variable Change & Line Skipping: Flexibility in testing without recompiling.
Database-Independent Testing: No need for loading databases during testing.
Real-Time Data Insights: Enhances decision-making with immediate information.
Data Warehousing & Analytics: Facilitates comprehensive data analysis.
Integration & Formatting: Streamlines development by simplifying data processes.

What benefits should users look for in reviews?

Improved Efficiency: Streamline data management and editing capabilities.
Robust Debugging: Effective in both online and batch COBOL program debugging.
Enhanced Financial Application Support: Superior handling in grants and loans applications.
Comprehensive Testing: Enables creation of clone test files for thorough testing.

In large banking sectors, BMC AMI DevX is integral for grants and loans-related applications. Its robust nature supports financial systems, offering debugging for COBOL, updating data in Compuware File-AID for IMS, and integrating DB2. Users implement this for exceptional data management and application reliability.

BMC

CA IDMS is a reliable, high-performance, web-enabled Database Management system (DBMS) for IBM z Systems that provides business value for hundreds of enterprises and government organizations. CA IDMS provides high-performance database management and transaction processing performance for existing and new workloads, helping you consolidate business functions on a central data repository, as needed.

Broadcom

Sample Customers

Helvetia, The IMT Group, Hapag-Lloyd, Royal Bank of Canada, Chunghwa Telecom

Blue Hill Data Services Inc.

Buyer's Guide

Database Development and Management

September 2025

Download Free Report

Find out what your peers are saying about Nutanix, Oracle, Quest Software and others in Database Development and Management. Updated: September 2025.

DOWNLOAD NOW

868,706 professionals have used our research since 2012.

See our list of best Database Development and Management vendors.

We monitor all Database Development and Management reviews to prevent fraudulent reviews and keep review quality high. We do not post reviews by company employees or direct competitors. We validate each review for authenticity via cross-reference with LinkedIn, and personal follow-up with the reviewer when necessary.