Create and update assessments

This page describes how to upload your applications to Mainframe Assessment Tool and perform an assessment of the assets that Mainframe Assessment Tool discovers in the uploaded codebase.

You can perform an asset discovery on your own, or request for assistance from a Google customer engineer.

Before you begin

To prepare for your assessment, make sure that you have completed the following prerequisites:

Upload your mainframe application files to Mainframe Assessment Tool

To upload the application files to Mainframe Assessment Tool, follow these steps:

Create a zip file containing all the applications that you want to migrate.

Mainframe Assessment Tool supports only zip files with a maximum size of 400 MB. If your application zip file is larger than 400 MB, then consider splitting the file into smaller zip files based on business domains and upload a zip file for each domain.

If the applications contain references to external artifacts such as programs or tables, we recommend that you include these dependencies as well. If available, provide the source code of the following types:
- COBOL programs (cob and cbl)
- COBOL copybooks (inc and cpy)
- Easytrieve programs (ezt)
- HLASM programs (asm)
- JCL jobs (jcl)
- JCL procedures (proc)
- JCL includes
- JCL card data (ctl)
- PL/I programs (pli and pl1)
- RPG/RPGLE programs (rpg and rpgle)
- RPG/RPGLE include files (rpginc and rpgleinc)
- Scheduler configurations for BMC Control-M
Don't include binaries and other non-source files in the zip file.
To upload the zip file to Mainframe Assessment Tool, follow these steps:
1. To open Mainframe Assessment Tool on your local machine, open a web browser window and go to http://localhost:PORT.
  
  Replace PORT with the port number you used on your local machine for the tunneled connection to the Mainframe Assessment Tool.
2. On the Home page, click Create assessment.
3. For name, enter a name.
4. Optional: For Description, enter a description for the assessment.
5. To upload a zip file, click Select file. The file browser opens. Select a zip file that you want to upload. You can upload only one file at a time.
6. Click Next.
To configure AI-generated insights, follow these steps:
1. To generate paragraph-level summaries for COBOL code, select Detailed summaries. By default, this option is selected.
2. To generate test cases for the assessment specifications generated by Gemini, select Test cases. By default, this option is not selected.
3. To generate code samples that translate mainframe languages to Python, Java, C#, and SQL, select Code suggestions. By default, this option is not selected.
4. For Tech stack hints, enter text that helps Gemini generate code for a specific tech stack. For example, enter Spring Boot and MySQL.
5. Click Next.
To configure the Gemini models and quality level for the assessment, configure the Model & quality step, and then click Next.

By default, Mainframe Assessment Tool uses the recommended Balanced quality level. For more information about quality levels, choosing a specific model, and keeping data in your region, see Choose models and quality.
Optional: To add one or more domains that represent a distinct area of functionality, click Add domain.

Domains let you filter and review results based on specific contexts after the assessment is complete.
Click Next.
Click Create assessment.

After you upload the zip file, Mainframe Assessment Tool unpacks and processes the source code. The Assessments page displays a new entry in the table for each discovered asset, showing its assessment status.

Pending: assessment is waiting its turn.
In Progress: analysis is in progress.
Analyzed: assessment has been completed.
Failed: the assessment didn't complete.

If you see errors after importing your file, you can review the error message directly in Mainframe Assessment Tool.

To view more details about the assessment progress for an item, click the reference ID next to it in the table. This opens a page that shows all the steps together with the status.

Choose models and quality

Configure Gemini models for an assessment during create or edit an assessment. These settings apply only to that assessment.

By default, Mainframe Assessment Tool optimizes models for each assessment step based on the selected quality level. The tool routes complex reasoning steps to heavier models and simpler steps to lighter models.

Select a quality level

For Optimize for, select one of the following quality levels:

Balanced (recommended): balances speed and depth for most assessments. This is the default level.
Fast: returns the quickest results by using lighter models.
Extended: maximizes analysis depth by using heavier models.

Each quality level lists the Gemini models used for each step.

Specify a single model

To run all assessment steps on a single model rather than optimizing by level, select Use a specific model instead and choose a model from the list. Each model is labeled either General Availability or Preview.

Mainframe Assessment Tool supports all zones within the available Agent Platform regions.

Enforce data residency

By default, Mainframe Assessment Tool routes model calls to the optimal location for the selected models, including the assessment region, a multi-region, or the global Agent Platform endpoint.

To restrict model calls to the assessment region and its associated multi-region, enable Keep data in my region. When this setting is enabled, Mainframe Assessment Tool performs the following actions:

Disables quality levels that require a Gemini model that is not available in the assessment region. These levels are labeled Not available in this region.
Hides models from the specific-model list that are not available in the assessment region.

If no supported model is available in the assessment region, the assessment cannot run with Keep data in my region enabled. To proceed with the assessment, disable Keep data in my region to allow model calls outside the region.

Add files to an existing assessment

After you create an assessment, you can add additional zip files to it. The files from the new zip file are merged with the existing files in the assessment. If you want to replace existing files, the new zip file must include the files that you're replacing with the exact same path structure.

To add files to an existing assessment, follow these steps:

Open Mainframe Assessment Tool in a web browser.
In the navigation menu, click Assessments.
On the Assessments page, find the assessment that you want to modify, and click Open assessment.
Click Add a file.
Click Select file, and select a zip file that you want to upload. You can upload only one file at a time.
Click Add.

After you upload the files, Mainframe Assessment Tool starts the analysis again. If you replace files, they are fully reassessed, and any existing analysis for these files might change. During reprocessing, a Stale indicator appears next to the files that are being reprocessed.

Update assessment details and settings

After you create an assessment, you can update its name and description, and modify AI-generated insights settings.

To update assessment details or settings, follow these steps:

Open Mainframe Assessment Tool in a web browser.
In the navigation menu, click Assessments.
On the Assessments page, find the assessment that you want to modify, and click Open assessment.
Click settingsEdit assessment settings.
Optional: On the Assessment details step, edit the name and description and then click Next.
Optional: On the AI settings step, modify AI settings as needed, and then click Next.
Optional: On the Model & quality step, configure the models or quality level, and then click Next. For more information, see Choose models and quality.
On the Domains step, click Next. You cannot edit domains after you create an assessment.
Click Update assessment.

After you update the settings, Mainframe Assessment Tool starts the analysis again.

What's next

Learn how to Review and understand assessment results.