After many years, the advantages become clear.
Thousands of active Synon, or CA-2E, applications are still under maintenance around the world. The 4GL had a surge in the late '80s and early '90s, but like so many such tools on all platforms, it had its detractors.
Long-Term Payoff
Most owners of legacy RPG applications on the IBM i struggle with how to comprehend their sprawling code and create a strategy for what, if anything, can be done to migrate it. These applications are full of proven business logic representing sizable investments for their owners, and it's a shame to not get the maximum return from that.
Synon, however, enforced a structured, model-driven approach from its inception. The result today is that Synon application logic is completely recoverable and reusable.
Viewing the Model
Fulfilling the vision of reusability is Databorough's X-2E product, which presents a modern face for an old-school programming tool. With interactive graphics and drill-down for the data model, developers can easily point and click their way through all the data relationships in the Synon model.
It's in the business logic that X-2E really comes through and puts a modern face on Synon applications. With a complete, cross-referenced inventory of business rules, X-2E gives developers a modern view of the application through the perspective of business processes and business rules.
Also boosting business logic visibility is the graphical display of Action Diagrams, again with cross-reference and drill-down capabilities.
Reusing Years of Code: Big-Time Value Recovery
With complete, graphical, hyperlinked access to the data model, business rules, action diagrams, internal routines, functions, and all the components of a typical Synon application, X-2E users have options that other IBM i application owners can only dream about.
Legacy application owners typically have three paths when the time comes to move on:
- Rewrite the application
- Migrate the application
- Purchase a package
In all cases, recovering the existing data model and business rules of the legacy application plays a pivotal role in the success of the project. Reusing that information adds and preserves large chunks of IT value. Let's look at each in more detail.
Rewriting or Regenerating Applications
The data model and business rules in your application are, in the largest sense, independent of your application. They are mostly the same whether your business runs on RPG, COBOL, Java, or C#.
When you decide to move to a new application, those business rules and data relationships don't go away; they mostly remain the same and you mostly recode them in the new language.
What better way to inventory the rules and relationships you need than to simply query your existing application? This will save you thousands of hours and mistakes. Using a tool such as X-2E takes you there in one quick and easy step.
Migrating Applications
Here's another key advantage that Synon users have: because their applications are already architected in a modern paradigm, they can be readily converted directly to other languages and platforms. Using the X-2E Migrate module, developers can easily migrate Synon applications to a variety of mix-and-match languages:
Rather than converting the Synon-generated RPG code, the X-2E Migrate module accomplishes these migrations by directly reusing the model, thus preserving the core intelligence and design that has been built into your application over many years.
Purchasing a Package
By using X-2E, Synon users have an important advantage when purchasing off-the-shelf software. The crucial challenge of purchasing a package is to evaluate its suitability. A large part of this evaluation is a "gap analysis," which is intended to reveal gaps in functionality and data between what is required by the business and what the new package offers.
Executing a gap analysis is premised on understanding the requirements of the business, and many of those requirements are embodied in the existing application used by the business. Extracting the functionality and data model of legacy software is challenging, and X-2E again delivers the business rules and data model quickly and easily, thereby expediting the gap analysis process and creating confidence in the thoroughness and accuracy of the process.
For more information about Databorough's X-2E product line, visit the X-2E product page.
as/400, os/400, iseries, system i, i5/os, ibm i, power systems, 6.1, 7.1, V7, V6R1
More than ever, there is a demand for IT to deliver innovation. Your IBM i has been an essential part of your business operations for years. However, your organization may struggle to maintain the current system and implement new projects. The thousands of customers we've worked with and surveyed state that expectations regarding the digital footprint and vision of the company are not aligned with the current IT environment.
TRY the one package that solves all your document design and printing challenges on all your platforms. Produce bar code labels, electronic forms, ad hoc reports, and RFID tags – without programming! MarkMagic is the only document design and print solution that combines report writing, WYSIWYG label and forms design, and conditional printing in one integrated product. Make sure your data survives when catastrophe hits. Request your trial now! Request Now.
Forms of ransomware has been around for over 30 years, and with more and more organizations suffering attacks each year, it continues to endure. What has made ransomware such a durable threat and what is the best way to combat it? In order to prevent ransomware, organizations must first understand how it works.
Disaster protection is vital to every business. Yet, it often consists of patched together procedures that are prone to error. From automatic backups to data encryption to media management, Robot automates the routine (yet often complex) tasks of iSeries backup and recovery, saving you time and money and making the process safer and more reliable. Automate your backups with the Robot Backup and Recovery Solution. Key features include:
Business users want new applications now. Market and regulatory pressures require faster application updates and delivery into production. Your IBM i developers may be approaching retirement, and you see no sure way to fill their positions with experienced developers. In addition, you may be caught between maintaining your existing applications and the uncertainty of moving to something new.
IT managers hoping to find new IBM i talent are discovering that the pool of experienced RPG programmers and operators or administrators with intimate knowledge of the operating system and the applications that run on it is small. This begs the question: How will you manage the platform that supports such a big part of your business? This guide offers strategies and software suggestions to help you plan IT staffing and resources and smooth the transition after your AS/400 talent retires. Read on to learn:
LATEST COMMENTS
MC Press Online