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The Process
For any software project, including a manual rewrite of legacy applications, there are typically 3 stages:
- Analysis and Specification of requirement,
- Coding and Integration
- Testing.
Automatic transformations will also involve these stages. However, SoftwareMining's tools substantially reduce the time and hence the cost of each stage through a combination of unique automation and professional services.
Analysis and Specification
In an automated migration process the need for re-specification of the software diminishes. However, a certain amount of expert manual analysis of the code must always be carried out prior to the code generation stage. This expert analysis will allow SoftwareMining's specialist transformation consultants to identify areas of dead code and devise an overall migration strategy. Furthermore, one part of Software Mining's toolset produces documentation based on detail automatic analysis of the system, what it does and how it does it. At this stage there is therefore also an opportunity to specify alterations to the finished code that the business may have been considering for some time or was previously unrealistic with legacy COBOL applications.
Coding and Integration
The pure coding phase is fully automated using SoftwareMining's unique CORECT transformation toolset. The system will parse through the existing legacy code, and translate it into the target language. The generated code will have a good structure and utilise a solid object oriented framework which is freely distributed to the client. This framework allows the client multiple deployment options such as java application/applet or JSPs and servlet. Since the same coding style and standards will be utilised throughout the generated code, the system will be easier to understand, maintain and expand.
Integration is the process of joining the different components to produce the final application. These include programs and databases, and may also include web servers and Application servers (J2EE). Again, the generated code is based on a component framework which eases the integration process.
Testing
The final stage in the project life cycle is Functional Testing. This process usually requires a testing team consisting of business users and testing professionals to identify both the business deficiencies and bugs within the application.
The automatic migration helps at this stage as well. Since the generated application should behave in the same way as the original application then the systems can be run side by side and the results of their use compared to identify any problems.
This provides a much more quantitative and formal measure for the test stage, as well as providing some reduction in the testing effort.
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