Case Study

Quest Central® for DB2 Provides a Single Solution for

AgriBank’s Database Needs
Overview
AgriBank, FCB is the wholesale lender and provider of business services for Farm Credit Services. Owned by
“We didn’t bother looking at any other
its farmer members, AgriBank is made up of approximately 17 co-operative midwestern banks and does
solutions after we saw Quest Central for
not offer checking or savings accounts. Their primary function is mortgage, operating and machinery. In DB2. The stored procedure testing has made
terms of systems, data access and Application Interfaces (APIs) are most important, as many of the separate a dramatic improvement on our process.
banks under the AgriBank umbrella have their own IS shops. AgriBank has a single loan servicing system It provided everything we needed in one
package, and I was looking for something
and a single general ledger system that all of the co-op banks use. Therefore, they needed a solution that
that was a little easier for my developers
provided the ability to effectively test stored procedures related to the development of data access APIs, to use.”
consolidate variable solutions into one, and help increase productivity.
- Paul Runquist,
Development Manager,
The Challenge AgriBank, FCB

AgriBank is a relatively small shop that supports a large DB2 data warehouse. There are various applications
that utilize their data access APIs, ranging from Java and .Net, to CICS and ASP.

AgriBank’s database environment had limitations and was unable to handle a multitude of result sets. Paul Headquarters
Runquist, development manager, AgriBank, FCB explained, “Frankly, we were pushed with how to test stored
St. Paul, Minnesota
procedures in the DB2 environment. You can certainly write a COBOL program, but that really doesn’t test
how a stored procedure is going to be used. You’re not really testing a remote application accessing a Services
stored procedure through an ODBC call with a COBOL program.” Wholesale lender and provider of
business services for Farm Credit Services
Runquist continued, “For the first couple of years, we struggled with using MS Access—basically just
Critical Needs
building a call string and calling that stored procedure. However, MS Access is very limited and it can’t
A z/OS DB2 solution that could effectively
handle multiple result sets. As time went on, that became more and more of an issue for us because most
test stored procedures that relate to
of our stored procedures are multiple result sets, and that made testing a challenge.” the development of data access APIs,
consolidate variable solutions into one
and increase productivity
The Quest Solution
While attending a tech conference, Runquist stopped by the Quest booth and found a solution that he
Solution
couldn’t turn down—Quest Central® for DB2. The decision was easy, and Runquist was impressed by several Quest Central for DB2 (Database
Administration and SQL Tuning
things: the solution provided the ability to test stored procedures, it offered everything he needed in just components)
one package, and the GUI interface was superior to an outdated green screen. “We didn’t bother looking at Results
any other solutions after we saw Quest Central for DB2. The stored procedure testing has made a dramatic
• Consolidated several solutions into one
improvement on our process. It provided everything we needed in one package, and I was looking for
• Increased productivity
something that was a little easier for my developers to use. Also, we are in the new millennium here—and • Automated stored procedure testing to
having a GUI interface is a lot better than a green screen. Plus, the price fit our needs,” Runquist commented. replace manual processes
• Provided a user-friendly GUI interface
instead of a green screen
• Handled multiple result sets
The Bottom Line
While often considered a database administration solution, Quest Central for DB2 served as the best
solution for AgriBank’s application development needs as the solution could consolidate variable solutions
into one. Quest’s intuitive interface provided AgriBank’s development team and business analysts with
a tool that simplified and automated the data retrieval and required testing, which in turn, increased
efficiency and productivity.

“The Quest solution did what we expected it to do—the product was accurately represented. I would
have no problem recommending Quest Central to anyone in a similar environment, as far as doing heavy
development work in DB2,” Runquist stated.

About AgriBank, FCB

AgriBank, FCB is the wholesale lender and provider of business services for Farm Credit Services. AgriBank
was formed in 1992 through the merger of the former Farm Credit Banks of St. Louis and St. Paul. In 1994,
AgriBank was expanded through a merger with the Farm Credit Bank of Louisville. AgriBank expanded again
in 2003 through a merger with AgAmerica Farm Credit Bank. The Seventh District Farm Credit Services
Associations own AgriBank. AgriBank has over $35 billion in assets and over $2 billion in equity.

About Quest Software, Inc.

Quest Software, Inc. delivers innovative products that help organizations get more performance and
productivity from their applications, databases and Windows infrastructure. Through a deep expertise
in IT operations and a continued focus on what works best, Quest helps more than 18,000 customers
worldwide meet higher expectations for enterprise IT. Quest Software can be found in offices around
the globe and at www.quest.com

Quest Software Incorporated • 5 Polaris Way, Aliso Viejo, CA 92656 • www.quest.com • e-mail: info@quest.com
© 2006 Quest Software Incorporated. All rights reserved. Printed in the USA

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