BMC AMI DevX vs IBM Rational Synergy [EOL] comparison

Why PeerSpot?

BMC and IBM are both solutions in the Software Configuration Management category. Additionally, 94% of BMC users are willing to recommend the solution.

BMC AMI DevX

Read 30 BMC AMI DevX reviews

9,203 Views
1,196 Comparison Views

94% willing to recommend

IBM Rational Synergy [EOL]

Read 1 IBM Rational Synergy [EOL] review

0% willing to recommend

BMC AMI DevX

IBM Rational Synergy [EOL]

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Executive Summary

We performed a comparison between BMC AMI DevX and IBM Rational Synergy [EOL] based on real PeerSpot user reviews.

Find out what your peers are saying about BMC, Microsoft, Broadcom and others in Software Configuration Management.

To learn more, read our detailed Software Configuration Management Report (Updated: September 2026).

Buyer's Guide

Software Configuration Management

September 2026

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Helped 916,212 peers since 2012

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

Average Rating

8.0

Reviews Sentiment

6.5

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Software Configuration Management (1st), Debugging (2nd), Database Development and Management (11th), Mainframe Application Development (1st), Test Data Management (4th), Mainframe Testing Tools (1st), Data Masking (3rd), AI Software Development (30th)

IBM Rational Synergy [EOL]

Average Rating

3.0

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Featured Reviews

Mitanshu Shrimali

System Engineer at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees

Modern workflows have accelerated mainframe delivery and simplify understanding legacy code

BMC AMI DevX can be improved primarily by streamlining initial configuration and installation, simplifying advanced documentation, and enhancing UI/UX feature discoverability. While the platform successfully bridges modern IDEs such as VS Code with z/OS, user feedback highlights the need for simplifying setup and onboarding configuration. The initial installation and login process can be simplified. Although it feels complex initially, once completed, there is nothing to do with installation repeatedly since it is a one-time process. However, it is still somewhat complex. Basic tutorials are available that address teams implementing the configuration of multi-vendor tools and integration, but documentation gaps exist that frequently force heavy reliance on vendor support. Additionally, certain components across the workspace and diagnostic tools retain a legacy feel or hide powerful features behind deep menus, so UI/UX features can be simplified. Integrating with non-BMC enterprise testing or new CI/CD orchestrators can require custom engineering rather than native plug-and-play connectors. Optimizing large-scale performance is also important, as heavy resource consumption during deep runtime analysis for large-scale code mapping can impact performance over slower network connections for extremely dense application modules.

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Olivier Appere

Software Methodology Engineer at a transportation company with 10,001+ employees

Users must go through a lot of steps to properly manipulate this solution, which can interrupt workflows and cause unnecessary downtime

We are required to use this tool by DO-178 guidance. We have to use a configuration management tool and this is the one we have been using. People see this tool more like a constraint than a benefit. Users really have to know how to use this tool and how to set the baseline functionalities for their case. The user must go through a lot of steps to properly manipulate this solution, which can interrupt workflows and cause unnecessary downtime. Synergy requires user training and development. It's not user-friendly. You have to perform a lot of manipulations; it's a bit archaic. Some people are reluctant to use this tool because they are familiar with and proficient in using Windows Explorer to navigate through directories and use WinZip to archive data. It is not a very good tool for document management. I would rate this solution a three out of ten because it's an old tool. It was a good tool 15 years ago. To get a ten out of ten I would need to see a more integrated user-friendly tool and it should be competitively priced as it is it's too expensive. I don't recommend using it because it's obsolete.

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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 like that Compuware File-AID can actually map out control sections within load modules, or, as they're now known, program objects."

"I like the ability that it has to format copy books in a presentable manner. So, you will be able to see the starting offset in length of each field within the layout."

"ISPW is an excellent product; it does everything the developers need it to do, we were able to build it and customize it very simply as we became more familiar with how the system works during installation, and it doesn't need a lot of care and feeding once it's up and running."

"The debugging is really the most important feature, enabling us to be able to step through."

"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."

"Otherwise, it works fabulously, and I think everyone should adopt it."

"We can develop in parallel today on ISPF, but it's giving us the advantage of the newer interface into the mainframe programming languages that younger programmers can use and are familiar with, rather than using the ISPF green screen."

"Our intention is to use Topaz for the next generation of mainframe developers to maintain mainframe applications."

More BMC AMI DevX pros

"Managing source code, tracking modifications, and being able to analyze evolutions of source code are the most valuable features."

Cons

"The solution could be improved by being better integrated with the open world. In the next release, I would like to have the ability to work in an open environment whilst remaining integrated with the legacy environment."

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

"BMC AMI DevX's logging in feature is not so great. Furthermore, the startup of BMC AMI DevX takes a long time to start up before it loads."

"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."

"BMC AMI DevX can be improved primarily by streamlining initial configuration and installation, simplifying advanced documentation, and enhancing UI/UX feature discoverability."

"An area for improvement in BMC AMI DevX would be the user interface and overall usability, which can feel a little complex for new users coming from modern development tools."

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

"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."

More BMC AMI DevX cons

"I'd like to see more integration with respect to requirement management, though this is not possible with this Synergy solution. I know that PTC enables this feature as well as Polarion. We need to have full trustworthiness and accountability in knowing that the tool will track every modification from specification through to the source code, with Synergy this isn't possible. The solution requires additional tools like rectify, desktop system solutions, to enable trustability between requirements, from one specification to another."

"I don't recommend using it because it's obsolete."

Pricing and Cost Advice

"In general, Compuware tools are very competitive."

"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."

"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."

"I like the seat-based licensing much more than MSU-based licensing, and that the cost has been competitive."

"The price point is great."

Information not available

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

28%

Outsourcing Company

Insurance Company

Manufacturing Company

No data available

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	9
Midsize Enterprise	2
Large Enterprise	29

No data available

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for BMC Compuware Topaz Enterprise Data?

My understanding is that BMC AMI DevX is an enterprise product with custom licensing, so pricing is typically negotiated based on factors such as the modules purchased, organization size, and usage...

See all answers

What needs improvement with BMC AMI DevX?

BMC AMI DevX is a strong platform, but there are a few areas where it could improve, such as simplifying the initial installation and configuration, especially for first-time users. It could also i...

See all answers

What is your primary use case for BMC AMI DevX?

My main use case for BMC AMI DevX is to work with COBOL and JCL development on IBM. I mainly use it for editing, browsing data sets, submitting jobs, and debugging applications. I appreciate the Ec...

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Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

BMC AMI DevX

October 2026

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Buyer's Guide

Software Configuration Management

September 2026

Download IBM Rational Synergy [EOL] product report

Also Known As

File-AID, Data for Db2, Code Debug, Data Studio, Workbench for Eclipse, Code Pipeline

IBM Synergy, Rational Synergy

Overview

BMC AMI DevX is a mainframe DevOps platform for IBM Z environments that helps development and platform engineering teams increase release velocity, reduce change risk, and build a sustainable mainframe developer workforce.

Whether the priority is attracting the next generation of mainframe talent, safely evolving decades of business-critical code, accelerating release velocity, or demonstrating development ROI to leadership — BMC AMI DevX is designed to address all on a single platform. Teams can connect existing tools and adopt capabilities incrementally using an open-borders integration approach.

A 2025 Forrester Total Economic Impact study found that customers using BMC AMI DevX onboarded developers 50% faster, completed code changes 33% faster, increased release frequency by 50%, and reduced change failure rate by 33%.

Key capabilities:

Modern IDE integration (VS Code, Eclipse) with a unified development environment that reduces context switching
AI-powered code analysis including dependency mapping, impact analysis, and runtime execution path visualization
Automated unit, functional, integration, and performance testing with code coverage analysis
Git-compatible CI/CD integration with event-driven webhooks and an open plug-in library
DORA metrics and DevOps KPI tracking with AI/ML anomaly detection across the mainframe SDLC

BMC

At IBM, work is more than a job - it's a calling: To build. To design. To code. To consult. To think along with clients and sell. To make markets. To invent. To collaborate. Not just to do something better, but to attempt things you've never thought possible. To lead in this new era of technology and solve some of the world's most challenging problems. IBM is a leading cloud platform and cognitive solutions company. Restlessly reinventing since 1911, we are the largest technology and consulting employer in the world, with more than 380,000 employees serving clients in 170 countries. With Watson, the AI platform for business, powered by data, we are building industry-based solutions to real-world problems. For more than seven decades, IBM Research has defined the future of information technology with more than 3,000 researchers in 12 labs located across six continents.

IBM

Sample Customers

NRB, Iberdrola, Consorzio Servizi Bancari

Information Not Available

Buyer's Guide

Software Configuration Management

September 2026

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