Virtual IMS User Groups

Upcoming Virtual IMS Session

IMS Managed ACB Mandate After 6 Months
–Adapting to the New Normal

November 11, 2025

Six months after the IMS Managed ACB mandate, the landscape for IMS administrators and DBAs has fundamentally changed. What began as a modernization requirement has evolved into a catalyst for greater automation, consistency, and agility across IMS environments. This session revisits the history of the IMS Catalog, exploring its evolution and the rationale behind the “why now” moment for Managed ACBs.

We’ll discuss how environmental changes—ranging from compliance needs to DevOps integration—have reshaped traditional IMS operations. You’ll gain clarity on Shared vs. Non-Shared Catalog configurations and the key considerations for each, along with best practices for maintaining the IMS Catalog in production.

With DDL—the next generation of schema management— taking center stage, we’ll show how defining and deploying IMS databases has become more dynamic and less error-prone. Vendor utilities have evolved in lockstep to provide full support, enabling smoother transitions and day-to-day operations.

Finally, we’ll reflect on how life has changed post-Managed ACBs—from reduced manual maintenance and ACBLIB management to improved governance and CI/CD readiness—transforming how IMS teams build, test, and deploy database changes. The session will conclude with a list of webinars and learning resources to help you continue mastering this new IMS era.