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IBM COBOL Migration Challenges
IBM dialect of COBOL sticks fairly closely to COBOL 74/85 Standards.
However, IBM COBOL applications often utilise IBM Libraries for data and screen access.
SoftwareMining Translation Toolkit supports the most widely elements of these libraries.
(SoftwareMining services will endevour to provide support for the missing libraries when undertaking translation Services).
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IMS, IDMS and DL1
IMS is the IBMS's Hierarchical database. IDMS is the netwoked database.
DL1 is the Database Access API for
Migration of application involves translation of IMS database can be migrated to SQL.
The DL/1 Statements are translated to SQL Queries.
A set of SoftwareMining Libraries are provided to replace the DL1 libaries.
This approach helps to simplify the Translated program by hiding the SQL queries, and move into distributed architecture
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CICS
CICS is a set of libraries for control of Transaction Processing. CICS provides libraries for reading and writing of records and posting screens.
CICS applications tend to adapt an event-driven architecture - where screens "sent" to and "received" from terminals.
this differs from typical COBOL application where screen communication is synchronous - and application pauses in midst
processing - waiting for the 'RETURN' key to be pressed. Thus CICS Applications tend to be easily re-acrhitectured into JAVA or C#.
A set of SoftwareMining Libraries are provided to replace the CICS libaries.
This approach helps to simplify the Translated program by hiding the SQL queries.
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Embedded SQL
Some COBOL program use DB2 instead of VSAM files. Access to DB2 is provided via
DB2 SQL queries.
Migration of EMBEDDED SQL Programs involves the translation of DB2 SQL to ANSI, and
replacement of COBOL/EMBEDDED SQL Integration features with standard Java/C# practices.
SoftwareMining CORECT can produce 2 architectures: SQLJ or standard SQL queries.
Latter option - the SQL statements are removed from program in order to provide easier migration to
other databases (e.g. Oracle). Verified SQL statements are then loaded into program at run time.
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BMS
BMS is used for Screen Definitions in IBM CICS applications.
BMS Files contain an "ASCI" command set to define position of elements.
BMS Screens can easily be translated to XML, JSP/ASP model.
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3270 Screens
The set of control characters required to display a screens on a Terminal is encoded in variables within the Programs.
The control characters are typically not human-legible, and their inclusion in
COBOL programs can make the application less maintainable.
SoftwareMining tools can translate the Control Characters to a more human readable
XML , JSP or ASP files.
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Translation Process and Deliverables
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The translation of to Java or C# applications involve
- MANUAL Data Analysis: REDFINES, DATES, Migration Policy
- AUTOMATIC: Remove dead code.
- AUTOMATIC: Translation to target language
- SOFTWAREMINING and/or CLIENT: Optional: Business Rule Extraction.
- SOFTWAERMINING: Provision of Screen, Database and Transaction handling Framework in Java or C#
- SOFTWAREMINING and/or CLIENT: Creation and Population of Test Database
- SOFTWAREMINING and/or CLIENT: System acceptance testing
- SOFTWAREMINING and/or CLIENT: User Acceptance Testing
- SOFTWAREMINING and/or CLIENT: DataBase Migration .
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