Create and update assessments

This page describes how to upload your mainframe application files to Mainframe Assessment Tool and create an assessment.

You can perform an asset discovery on your own, or request assistance from a Google Customer Engineer.

Before you begin

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

  1. Configure your Google Cloud project for Mainframe Assessment Tool.
  2. Set up and access Mainframe Assessment Tool.
  3. 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, consider splitting the file into smaller zip files based on business domains and uploading 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. For the list of supported languages, databases, transaction monitors, and scheduler configurations, see Supported languages.
    • Don't include binaries and other non-source files in the zip file.

Create an assessment

To upload the zip file and create an assessment in Mainframe Assessment Tool, follow these steps:

Assessment details

  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 Mainframe Assessment Tool.

  2. On the Home page, click Create assessment.

  3. For Name, enter a name for the assessment.

  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.

AI insights

  1. Optional: To enable AI insights for the assessment, select Enable AI insights.
  2. To generate paragraph-level summaries for COBOL code, select Detailed summaries. By default, this option is selected.
  3. To generate test cases for the assessment specifications generated by Gemini, select Test cases. By default, this option isn't selected.

  4. To extract information about databases and files accessed by the application, select Data sources.

  5. Optional: For Additional generation guidance, enter free-text guidance to add to the Gemini prompts during AI generation.

  6. Click Next.

Model & quality

Configure the Gemini models for the assessment. These settings apply only to this assessment.

  1. Select how Mainframe Assessment Tool routes assessment steps to Gemini models:

    • Fast: returns the quickest results by using lighter models.
    • Balanced (recommended): balances speed and depth for most assessments by routing complex reasoning steps to heavier models and simpler steps to lighter models. This is the default option.

    • Extended: maximizes analysis depth by using heavier models.

    • Use a specific model instead: runs all assessment steps on a single model rather than optimizing by level. Select a model from the list. Each model is labeled either General Availability or Preview.

    Each quality level lists the Gemini models used for each step. Mainframe Assessment Tool supports all zones within the available Agent Platform regions.

  2. Optional: To restrict model calls to the assessment region and its associated multi-region, enable Keep data in my region.

    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. When this setting is enabled, Mainframe Assessment Tool performs the following actions:

    • Disables quality levels that require a Gemini model that isn't available in the assessment region. These levels are labeled Not available in this region.
    • Hides models from the specific-model list that aren't available in the assessment region.

    If no supported model is available in the assessment region, the assessment can't 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.

    If your Mainframe Assessment Tool instance doesn't have an external IP address and you enable Keep data in my region, models served only on a multi-region endpoint might be unavailable. This happens because Private Google Access can't reach multi-region endpoints. To make these models available while adhering to data residency requirements, set up private connectivity to the multi-region endpoint. For instructions, see Configure private connectivity for data residency.

  3. Click Next.

Optional: Domains

  1. 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.

  2. Click Next.

Create assessment

  1. 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.

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:

  1. Open Mainframe Assessment Tool in a web browser.
  2. In the navigation menu, click Assessments.
  3. On the Assessments page, find the assessment that you want to modify, and click Open assessment.
  4. Click Add a file.
  5. Click Select file, and select a zip file that you want to upload. You can upload only one file at a time.
  6. 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:

  1. Open Mainframe Assessment Tool in a web browser.
  2. In the navigation menu, click Assessments.
  3. On the Assessments page, find the assessment that you want to modify, and click Open assessment.
  4. Click settings Edit assessment settings.
  5. Optional: On the Assessment details step, edit the name and description and then click Next.
  6. Optional: On the AI insights step, modify AI settings as needed, and then click Next.
  7. Optional: On the Model & quality step, configure the models or quality level, and then click Next.
  8. On the Domains (optional) step, click Next. You can't edit domains after you create an assessment.
  9. Click Update assessment.

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

What's next