Modernization is once again a hot topic. But what does it really mean? Is it using TR8 and the latest version of DB2? Or does it relate to other things too?

The focus seems to be on modernization again with the pre-release of the new IBM modernization Redbook. True, it's in a draft status, but I dare them—no, I double-dog dare them—to completely rewrite it at this point. I don't think it will happen, so you're probably safe to look at it.

Steve Pitcher, who I have to respect both for being Canadian (they are so much more civilized than Americans) and for living in such a rigorous climate on the edge of North America, wrote an excellent article on modernization and the new book. And about polar bears. I have no comment on that, although bears are one of my favorite animals.

The thing about modernization is it's a broad term and may mean many things to many people. I tend to define it, as I do most things, in my own way.

GUI Interface

For most people, modernization means one thing: going from green-screen to GUI. I mean that's the way to modernize, right?

And I'm not going to dispute that, although I'm not going to agree either. I just don't feel like getting in a fight. There are a lot of nice things you can do with GUI screens, and that's overwhelmingly the direction of the future and what people expect. I must admit, however, that I have used numerous GUI screens that were just a plain pain in the posterior to use. The truth of the matter is that just using GUI alone does not guarantee that you will create a superior user experience or one that impacts the bottom line.

SQL Replacing RPG IO

The second thing that people jump all over is using SQL instead of the "normal" RPG IO database interface.

I don't blame them. SQL is the worldwide database standard. And if you're going to do any web work, you will run into it. Plus, it can do all sorts of things that you can't do with the RPG IO. So what's not to love?

And I do love SQL. But, to be honest, 95% of the time all you need for the business world can be provided by RPG IO. And I don't see too many people connecting to the RPG forums indicating they have a problem with RPG IO that they can't figure out, although there are a fair amount of people who get in over their heads trying to do 70 lines of code in a 10 line SQL procedure. And in the end, many times you end up just where you started. You get the result you want but with a different method.

What Is Modernization?

So forgive me if I don't wonder from time to time what modernization is really about. The problem for me is that it seems that we look at modernization from a strictly technical point of view. Want to modernize? Then use a different language to display the screen and use a different database to access the information. And maybe it is that simple, although "simple" is probably not the best word to use. But technology isn't the only way to look at things, and it's not the only path to "modernization."

My background is not really technical. My background is not really user. It's somewhere in between. My background is in terms of what the system does for you. That is, more from the design side. And in my opinion, design and what the system does for you should be more or less independent of the language and the database. Know what I mean, Vern?

So let's start from scratch and see what we get.

Quicker Data Entry

I know that in a way it sounds silly, but a quick way to modernize is to reduce the amount of data entry required, either by reducing the number of fields that have to be keyed or reducing the number of key movements required.

Key movements? This is something that tends to show up in GUI environments rather than green-screen. We switch to GUI because it is by nature more user-friendly, but what often happens is that, with a GUI screen, you key a few fields and then use the mouse to open a combo box, select a field, go back to keying, repeat, and rinse.

But is that modernization? I disagree with the common conception that GUI screens are by definition more efficient than green-screen. I know they're cooler and people expect you to have them, but do we build our business systems to make people happy or to be efficient? If you go into any company in America (maybe Canada too), the thing that most people want is to minimize or speed up data entry. True, barcode is one great option, but there's a lot of data that barcode can't do. So, for me, the first step in modernizing is reviewing the screens to see how we can streamline to reduce the number of not just keystrokes, but keystrokes and interrupts and switches from one entry format to another.

Is redoing the screens more work than standard modernization? Well, it's not trivial, but certainly it's easier than replacing your database or learning a new language. And it's the kind of thing that helps users on a daily basis. What's important is to make it easy for people to do their part.

Multiple Screens

But the biggest complaint that people have about their business systems is that they have to go to too many screens to get the info they need. Much of that is because we tend to build one-size-fits-all ERP systems and every company, despite their similarities, does things slightly differently.

What makes a system good or bad for users is how easy it is to gather information. So take a particular type of information that we need to find. Not a field on a screen, but an end result that users actually need. How many fields or screens do users need to look at to get that information? And how many key strokes/switches are involved? Suppose you had to do four strokes/switches in order to get that info. And suppose you had to get that info all the time. Would there be a benefit to redesigning that so you could get it in two?

Both of these items, of course, are oriented around screen design. Back in the olden days, when men wore handlebar mustaches and drank beer by the bucket, a lot of attention was paid to screen design. And the reason was that it was not easy to code screens (a lot of trial and error was required). And a lot of people were not really familiar with doing screens.

But today we don't give as much thought to it. It's not sexy enough. But in the end, the fields that we need to enter data into, the way that data is entered (key entries or stopping to do a combo box), and the number of screens we have to go to in order to enter the data we need are critically important.

The Point?

The point here is that modernization is about more than just new technologies. And it's about more than just redoing your screens. It's about both.

Modernization is not about "modernizing." I don't even know what that means. It's about improving. It's about reducing wasted time, increasing what the system can do for you, and making the application more of a strategic weapon than it was before. And many times, that has less to do with the technology we use than the way we look at the application.