Authorized programming analysis report (APAR) is a report used by IBM documenting a programmer’s discovered possible program defects, along with possible solutions. An APAR is documentation for IBM’s customers. The report is created when a customer reports a defect (i.e. a bug) in a software program.
When the defect is solved by the IBM’s support department, a program temporary fix is created. Defects experienced by IBM customers are documented to facilitate future maintenance of the product.