IBM® Open Enterprise SDK for Python is a Python compiler and interpreter for IBM z/OS®. It helps support your z/OS applications written in Python. Use it to modernize your critical applications by developing APIs, plug-ins and wrappers to extend business-critical applications for faster delivery.

The Python programming language provides a robust framework for building fast and scalable applications for z/OS using a rich ecosystem of modules, just as you would on any other platform.

Features

• **Native Python compiler and interpreter for z/OS: **Bring the modern Python programming language to the z/OS platform. Python is an easy-to-learn, high-level, interpreted and general-purpose dynamic programming language that focuses on code readability, enabling you to build fast and scalable applications. Take advantage of the colocation of your data and existing applications on IBM Z® to increase throughput and reduce response time. You can control which data will be exposed externally, while keeping your confidential data secure on the IBM Z platform.
• **Python Standard Library: **Access to the Python Standard Library provides you with an extensive set of functions that can save development resources and reduce costs when creating applications. The library includes highly used programming tasks in areas like string operations, cryptology, threading, networking, internet and web service tools, operating system interfaces and protocols. Developers can use these modules to fulfill common application tasks, allowing them to concentrate on implementing business functions while writing fewer lines of code.
• **Access to Python AI Toolkit for z/OS and Python Package Index packages (PyPI): **Get pre-built Python AI packages from Access to Python AI Toolkit for IBM z/OS and Python Package Index packages (PyPI) and gain access to a growing collection of several thousand freely available Python community modules and frameworks (from individual programs and components to packages and even entire application development frameworks). These modules are available from the Python Package Index. 
• **Ability to convert code sets: **Using Python's codecs package—the standard Python encoding facilities—you can produce and consume data in EBCDIC, UTF and several other encodings.
• **Optional access to IBM Subscription and Support: **World-class IBM Subscription and Support is available with the SMP/E edition for no cost.
• **zIIP eligibility: **Leverage zIIP specialty processors to offload Python workloads that normally run on general processors. This enables flexible deployment of Python applications to reduce cost, accelerate digital transformation and free up CPU resources.

Benefits

• **Run Python on z/OS: **Use one of the most popular and fastest-growing programming languages on z/OS. The included Python codecs package allows you to interoperate with EBCDIC and Unicode Transformation Format (UTF) encodings.
• **Integrate AI/ML for advanced data analysis: **Use the most popular Python packages on the mainframe to perform advanced data analysis with the Python AI Toolkit for IBM z/OS.
• **Streamline automation: **Automate applications and IT infrastructure using Python and Ansible® to manage your z/OS resources the same way you would on any other platform.
• **Interact with z/OS: **Use IBM Z Open Automation Utilities and other open source packages, for example, pyzfile and pyracf, to leverage existing infrastructure and interact with datasets, submit JCL and more.
• **Develop new applications: **Take advantage of Python’s rich ecosystem of modules and packages to develop and run new applications faster with fewer lines of code.
• **Save development effort: **Use your existing Python skills to easily build end-to-end applications. 

Editions

• **PAX edition: **PAX archive installable format, which is consistent with distributed platforms.
• **SMP/E edition: **The SMP/E (CBPDO, ServerPac) installable format allows for easy update management. It is recommended for production deployments. Both licenses and S&S are available through Shopz.