21
Thu, Nov
1 New Articles
  1. You are here:  
  2. Home
  3. Programming
  4. RPG
  5. RPG Academy—Modernization: Is Your Application Worth Modernizing?

RPG Academy—Modernization: Is Your Application Worth Modernizing?

RPG
Typography
  • Smaller Small Medium Big Bigger
  • Default Helvetica Segoe Georgia Times

This is the big question you should ask yourself before starting a modernization process, because sometimes it’s better (and cheaper) to quit and start over.

You probably never thought of it this way, but before investing a cent in a modernization initiative, you should take a good, hard look at your application and ask this question:

Is my application worth modernizing?

If you are considering any of the three modernization approaches I mentioned in the previous TechTip, you need to know if your application is of real value to the business. Consider whether it provides significant value, considering these elements:

  • The business success globally of companies using the platform
  • The competitive edge encapsulated in the legacy application
  • The total cost of ownership being delivered to clients, suppliers, and partners
  • The cost and risk of the viable alternatives

If not, well…it can be a hard decision, especially because of all the years of hard work you put into your app, but it does not make sense to modernize the application. You now have the simple choice of retire or redevelop.

Asking an Expert for Help

As I wrote in the first TechTip of this subseries, I’m not an expert in modernization, so I went looking for help from the people who do application modernization for a living. Let me add that I’m in no way endorsed by the company mentioned in this article, but I’ve benefited greatly from their experience and insights.

The information I gathered from the experts on database modernization at the Tembo Technology Lab, the makers of the fantastic Adsero Optima Foundation software, shows that many companies that have moved off the IBM i platform name “operational constraints” and “a lack of agility” as the main causes. However, organizations often regret replacing their IBM i applications, due to a critical loss of required functionality. In addition, companies soon realize a dramatic decrease in availability and reliability—not every platform is as stable and resilient as IBM i.

If there is a significant value in your applications that you have determined needs to be retained (more on how to do just that in a moment), you can start by modernizing those applications to a “modern” database environment such as DB2 SQL. This enables you to take advantage of the most recent database features, as I mentioned in the previous article of the series.

Ask Yourself (and Your Company) a Few Questions Before Going Any Further

Before you begin, however, there are a few more questions related to critical operational and strategic constraints that you need to answer:

  • Does the application provide a competitive advantage? For instance, a unique order entry process, special stock allocation, and stock management algorithms that are in total sync with the business and are hard to recode in a different platform make up a constraint of paramount importance.
  • Can your current business processes be improved? Maybe, just maybe, the problem is not in the application but in the business processes themselves.
  • Will the system allow this improvement? It’s simply not possible to get a jet engine under the hood of a Ford Model T and expect it to run. You need the right tools, in this case a reasonably up-to-date system, to support your modernization initiatives.
  • What is inhibiting service-delivery models for clients, suppliers, and partners? Try to identify the part or parts of the application environment as a whole, not just the IBM i application, that is causing the bottleneck in service delivery. You might need to redesign a business process or upgrade some other hardware component instead of changing your application.
  • What is the functional fit of your current application? As a rule of thumb, off-the-shelf applications will deliver between 60 percent and 75 percent of the required functionality. With years of customization and constant maintenance, it’s possible that your application is somewhere around 90 percent or higher. You’ll need the help of the application users to assess the functional fit. Keep in mind that you need to perform this assessment in a period in which the application has been running smoothly for a while. Otherwise, they’ll complain about performance and availability and won’t be able to provide an unbiased assessment.
  • Are the constraints you experience due to a lack of functionality or service delivery? This is also something you can include in the user assessment, but you need to help users distinguish between the two concepts.
  • Can you document the cost structure to deliver the applications? This is a big deal because managers are fond of cost savings. If you can convince them that an investment in a modernization initiative can save the company a considerable amount in the coming years, it might soften the blow they’ll feel when you show them the initial cost estimates for the modernization initiative.

If you can get answers to all of these questions, and they all point in the “it’s not worth it” direction, then you know what you should do. However, in most cases, you’ll see that it’s worthwhile modernizing your applications. Don’t modernize for the sake of modernizing, however! Get users and, most importantly, management on board with you, and chart your course carefully before setting sail on your modernization adventure.

To help you sway users and managers to your side, the next TechTip will discuss some of the possible benefits of modernizing an application.

Rafael Victoria-Pereira

Rafael Victória-Pereira has more than 20 years of IBM i experience as a programmer, analyst, and manager. Over that period, he has been an active voice in the IBM i community, encouraging and helping programmers transition to ILE and free-format RPG. Rafael has written more than 100 technical articles about topics ranging from interfaces (the topic for his first book, Flexible Input, Dazzling Output with IBM i) to modern RPG and SQL in his popular RPG Academy and SQL 101 series on mcpressonline.com and in his books Evolve Your RPG Coding and SQL for IBM i: A Database Modernization Guide. Rafael writes in an easy-to-read, practical style that is highly popular with his audience of IBM technology professionals.

Rafael is the Deputy IT Director - Infrastructures and Services at the Luis Simões Group in Portugal. His areas of expertise include programming in the IBM i native languages (RPG, CL, and DB2 SQL) and in "modern" programming languages, such as Java, C#, and Python, as well as project management and consultancy.

MC Press books written by Rafael Victória-Pereira available now on the MC Press Bookstore.

Evolve Your RPG Coding: Move from OPM to ILE...and Beyond Evolve Your RPG Coding: Move from OPM to ILE...and Beyond
Transition to modern RPG programming with this step-by-step guide through ILE and free-format RPG, SQL, and modernization techniques.
List Price $79.95

Now On Sale

Flexible Input, Dazzling Output with IBM i Flexible Input, Dazzling Output with IBM i
Uncover easier, more flexible ways to get data into your system, plus some methods for exporting and presenting the vital business data it contains.
List Price $79.95

Now On Sale
SQL for IBM i: A Database Modernization Guide SQL for IBM i: A Database Modernization Guide
Learn how to use SQL’s capabilities to modernize and enhance your IBM i database.
List Price $79.95

Now On Sale
BLOG COMMENTS POWERED BY DISQUS

LATEST COMMENTS

Support MC Press Online

$

Book Reviews

Resource Center

  • SB Profound WC 5536 Have you been wondering about Node.js? Our free Node.js Webinar Series takes you from total beginner to creating a fully-functional IBM i Node.js business application. You can find Part 1 here. In Part 2 of our free Node.js Webinar Series, Brian May teaches you the different tooling options available for writing code, debugging, and using Git for version control. Brian will briefly discuss the different tools available, and demonstrate his preferred setup for Node development on IBM i or any platform. Attend this webinar to learn:

  • SB Profound WP 5539More 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.

  • SB HelpSystems ROBOT Generic IBM announced the E1080 servers using the latest Power10 processor in September 2021. The most powerful processor from IBM to date, Power10 is designed to handle the demands of doing business in today’s high-tech atmosphere, including running cloud applications, supporting big data, and managing AI workloads. But what does Power10 mean for your data center? In this recorded webinar, IBMers Dan Sundt and Dylan Boday join IBM Power Champion Tom Huntington for a discussion on why Power10 technology is the right strategic investment if you run IBM i, AIX, or Linux. In this action-packed hour, Tom will share trends from the IBM i and AIX user communities while Dan and Dylan dive into the tech specs for key hardware, including:

  • Magic MarkTRY 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.

  • SB HelpSystems ROBOT GenericForms 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.

  • SB HelpSystems ROBOT GenericIT security is a top priority for businesses around the world, but most IBM i pros don’t know where to begin—and most cybersecurity experts don’t know IBM i. In this session, Robin Tatam explores the business impact of lax IBM i security, the top vulnerabilities putting IBM i at risk, and the steps you can take to protect your organization. If you’re looking to avoid unexpected downtime or corrupted data, you don’t want to miss this session.

  • SB HelpSystems ROBOT GenericCan you trust all of your users all of the time? A typical end user receives 16 malicious emails each month, but only 17 percent of these phishing campaigns are reported to IT. Once an attack is underway, most organizations won’t discover the breach until six months later. A staggering amount of damage can occur in that time. Despite these risks, 93 percent of organizations are leaving their IBM i systems vulnerable to cybercrime. In this on-demand webinar, IBM i security experts Robin Tatam and Sandi Moore will reveal:

  • FORTRA 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:

  • FORTRAManaging messages on your IBM i can be more than a full-time job if you have to do it manually. Messages need a response and resources must be monitored—often over multiple systems and across platforms. How can you be sure you won’t miss important system events? Automate your message center with the Robot Message Management Solution. Key features include:

  • FORTRAThe thought of printing, distributing, and storing iSeries reports manually may reduce you to tears. Paper and labor costs associated with report generation can spiral out of control. Mountains of paper threaten to swamp your files. Robot automates report bursting, distribution, bundling, and archiving, and offers secure, selective online report viewing. Manage your reports with the Robot Report Management Solution. Key features include:

  • FORTRAFor over 30 years, Robot has been a leader in systems management for IBM i. With batch job creation and scheduling at its core, the Robot Job Scheduling Solution reduces the opportunity for human error and helps you maintain service levels, automating even the biggest, most complex runbooks. Manage your job schedule with the Robot Job Scheduling Solution. Key features include:

  • LANSA 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.

  • LANSAWhen it comes to creating your business applications, there are hundreds of coding platforms and programming languages to choose from. These options range from very complex traditional programming languages to Low-Code platforms where sometimes no traditional coding experience is needed. Download our whitepaper, The Power of Writing Code in a Low-Code Solution, and:

  • LANSASupply Chain is becoming increasingly complex and unpredictable. From raw materials for manufacturing to food supply chains, the journey from source to production to delivery to consumers is marred with inefficiencies, manual processes, shortages, recalls, counterfeits, and scandals. In this webinar, we discuss how:

  • The MC Resource Centers bring you the widest selection of white papers, trial software, and on-demand webcasts for you to choose from. >> Review the list of White Papers, Trial Software or On-Demand Webcast at the MC Press Resource Center. >> Add the items to yru Cart and complet he checkout process and submit

  • Profound Logic Have you been wondering about Node.js? Our free Node.js Webinar Series takes you from total beginner to creating a fully-functional IBM i Node.js business application.

  • SB Profound WC 5536Join us for this hour-long webcast that will explore:

  • Fortra 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: