Enterprise Developer Build Tools for Windows is a separately-installable component of Enterprise Developer that has been designed to be used in environments where you want to work with your COBOL and PL/I projects but you don't want the overheads associated with the Visual Studio IDE. Examples of such environments are Docker containers and continuous integration (CI) or continuous delivery (CD) systems.
When using Enterprise Developer in a traditional development environment you would access most, if not all, of its functionality through the IDE.
When working with COBOL projects in a containerized environment or a CI system you will want to carry out your tasks by running commands from scripts, batch files or Dockerfiles rather than from the IDE. You still need to be able to build, run, and debug your COBOL projects, but you want to do these things using commands rather than an IDE.
Enterprise Developer Build Tools for Windows includes all of the functionality that is available in Enterprise Developer for building and running COBOL and PL/I projects but it does not include an IDE, giving the following advantages when you use Enterprise Developer Build Tools for Windows rather than Enterprise Developer:
The amount of space required to install Enterprise Developer Build Tools for Windows is much less than the space required for Enterprise Developer because Enterprise Developer Build Tools for Windows doesn't include an IDE (or the support for one) and other components such as online help.
Installing Enterprise Developer Build Tools for Windows is quick and straightforward due to its smaller footprint, fewer prerequisites and dependencies, and lack of installation options when compared to Enterprise Developer.