BMC AMI DevX vs CA IDMS comparison

BMC and Broadcom are both solutions in the Database Development and Management category. BMC is ranked #17 with an average rating of 7.7, while Broadcom is ranked #28. BMC holds a 2.1% mindshare in DDM, compared to Broadcom’s 1.3% 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

4,427 Views
443 Comparison Views

90% willing to recommend

CA IDMS

Read 5 CA IDMS reviews

584 Views
269 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

BMC AMI DevX

CA IDMS

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Dec 14, 2025

CA IDMS and BMC AMI DevX are competing in the database management domain. BMC AMI DevX typically has the upper hand due to its modern functionalities and robust feature set, despite CA IDMS performing well in support and pricing.

Features: CA IDMS is recognized for its data management capabilities, network database model, and efficient transaction processing. BMC AMI DevX provides advanced data handling, comprehensive monitoring, and enhanced automation features, offering a broader solution for evolving business needs.

Room for Improvement: CA IDMS could improve its modernization and integration with newer technologies to enhance adaptability to current IT environments. It might also benefit from more flexible deployment options and expanding its automation capabilities. BMC AMI DevX could improve by offering more cost-effective pricing options, enhancing user community support, and streamlining its deployment processes.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: CA IDMS offers straightforward deployment and reliable customer service. In contrast, BMC AMI DevX provides a cloud-focused deployment model with proactive support services, giving it an edge due to its modern approach and flexibility in support.

Pricing and ROI: CA IDMS is known for its cost-effective solutions with attractive pricing models and consistent ROI. On the other hand, BMC AMI DevX, though involving a higher initial cost, offers a faster ROI through its advanced capabilities, making it a justifiable investment for long-term benefits.

To learn more, read our detailed BMC AMI DevX vs. CA IDMS Report (Updated: December 2025).

Buyer's Guide

BMC AMI DevX vs. CA IDMS

December 2025

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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

17th

Average Rating

8.0

Reviews Sentiment

7.2

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Software Configuration Management (1st), Debugging (6th), Mainframe Application Development (1st), Test Data Management (6th), Mainframe Testing Tools (1st), Data Masking (7th)

CA IDMS

Ranking in Database Development and Management

28th

Average Rating

9.0

Reviews Sentiment

7.8

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of January 2026, in the Database Development and Management category, the mindshare of BMC AMI DevX is 2.1%, up from 0.6% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of CA IDMS is 1.3%, up from 0.8% 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	2.1%
CA IDMS	1.3%
Other	96.6%

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.

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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.

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Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"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."

"BMC Data Management improved our data recovery process by simplifying it."

"It does our CICS NEWCOPYs and our Db2 binds for us, whereas before, that was a manual process. It takes a lot of the workload off of the operations folks and off the DBAs."

"The most valuable feature of Topaz is Xpediter. It's more flexible than Xpediter through MVS."

"I like the ability to flow through the source and see what happens to the data as the statements are executed. If there is a fault, it will track the event, and we can then look back to see why it may have caused the fault. You can also reverse engineer your test. You can set it so that you can go backward as well as forward in your test. This is something that I haven't done here at my company. Compuware Xpediter is one of the best debugging tools for mainframe software development. We have currently licensed only the COBOL language for Xpediter, but I know they have other languages, including Assembler, PL/I."

"Once we got the configurations and deployment rolled out, it was very stable. I haven't had any major issues with Eclipse or the Topaz Workbench plugins."

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

"One of the features that the developers like is that they can retrieve what they need with the tool. They don't have to go through some process or request something be done by another team. They can get the programs they need, compile them, retrieve the JCL and alter the JCL if they need to, and put these programs wherever they need to go for their testing."

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

"It would be nice to have an audit trail to see what mainframe developers are using what."

"It's not as intuitive as it should be. In terms of navigation, there is a large training curve for using it. For a millennial it might be better, if they're used to Eclipse. But coming from a non-Eclipse environment and using Eclipse, though I have experience with Eclipse, it might be cumbersome."

"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."

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

"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."

"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."

"One area for improvement with this product could be in providing clearer guidance and tools for disaster recovery planning and execution."

"There are some features that are not well documented, so documentation could use a little help, on things like setting up deployment and which structures in the database correspond to which tables."

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."

"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."

"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."

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

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

34%

Insurance Company

12%

Manufacturing Company

Government

Financial Services Firm

18%

Manufacturing Company

11%

Government

10%

University

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.

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Comparisons

Endevor vs BMC AMI DevX

Compared 19% of the time

IBM File Manager vs BMC AMI DevX

Compared 11% of the time

InterTest vs BMC AMI DevX

Compared 7% of the time

IBM Debug for z/OS vs BMC AMI DevX

Compared 6% of the time

Broadcom Test Data Manager vs BMC AMI DevX

Compared 5% of the time

More BMC AMI DevX Competitors

IBM IMS vs CA IDMS

Compared 61% of the time

CA Datacom vs CA IDMS

Compared 18% of the time

Spotlight vs CA IDMS

Compared 13% of the time

More CA IDMS Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

BMC AMI DevX

January 2026

Download BMC AMI DevX product report

Buyer's Guide

Database Development and Management

December 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

BMC AMI DevX vs. CA IDMS

December 2025

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Find out what your peers are saying about BMC AMI DevX vs. CA IDMS and other solutions. Updated: December 2025.

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