Informix 4GL

Informix 4GL (I4GL) to Java Migration / Modernization

If any of your IT applications are running on I4GL environment, you better hurry to migrate them to safer and stable environment.

Non-availability of qualified manpower, growing maintenance fees, proprietary technology with an uncertain long-term direction, and inadequate enhancements are some of the pressing challenges to warrant I4GL migration initiatives

Styrone Inc [Formerly known as Goldstone Info Systems] presents robust, cost-effective, and automated tools-based migration/ modernization solutions for I4GL applications. As a proven leader in legacy migration solutions, our approach combines retention of the business logic, efficiency of automated tools, and agility of re-architecture to be consistent with enterprise architecture standards.

Our migration solutions have known to provide upto 60% cost benefits, compared to manual re-write. With an unprecedented flexibility to re-architect (for example, thick-client to thin-client, or SOA based or restructuring the database code to reduce the load on the database server) or for straight migration (one-to-one), you are assured of best-in-class solution with least investments.

I4GL to Java/J2EE

Java/J2EE is now corporate standard for applications development. Legacy migration, and particularly I4GL migration, to Java technology can be expensive and risky, if not implemented with a sound methodology. Styrone Inc brings years of experience and scores of legacy migrations across the globe.

Styrone’ I4GL to Java migration solutions include:

• Automated conversion tools, for accuracy and efficiency
• I4GL has the specific features like GTK window framework, logging framework, transaction management, Exceptional Handling. Styrone has the equivalent frameworks in java to achieve the same functionality
• Providing recommendations / solutions for the issues that are there in the current application
• Reducing the load on the database server by moving the database code into respective coding layers based on the requirement
• Robust migration methodology
• Re-architecture for web-clients or SOA
• Adoption of industry-standard design patterns and frameworks
• Best practices of application management
• Global delivery model, where needed, for faster and cheaper implementations

Architecture mapping:

The below diagram represents the architectural mapping of I4GL batch program to the proposed architecture in J2EE environment (with the use of Spring framework)

Automated Tools

Styrone Inc uses a suite of proprietary tools for I4GL Migration. Our tools assist in every phase of the project - starting form assessment, to GUI design, to business logic conversion. Our tools work for all versions of I4GL. The migrated code can be deployed on any J2EE-compliant application servers such as Websphere, Weblogic, Jboss, Oracle iAS etc. to take the advantage of extensive capabilities of enterprise applications. These tools will help to improve the developer productivity which intern reduces the total migration time of the application. These automated tools will remove the human errors from the migration process

The following are brief features of the tools of Styrone for I4GL migration

• Analyzer
• Used for Sizing of the application and generate the metrics of the application [Total number of I4GL files and their names, LOC per I4GL and total LOC for the project, Total number of functions, Number of local variables, Number of global variables, Number of records, Total number of conditional statements, Total number of programming loops, Total number of stored procedures, LOC per SP and total LOC of all SP's, Number of Database tables, Number of Constraints, Number of Triggers, Number of Views] including the database code
• Helps in Estimation of effort
• GUI Converter
• Based on the technology chosen by the customer, the windows Generation will be carried out using [JGoodies / Flex / JSP, Struts, Ajax, HTML]
• Code Converter
• The 4gl code / database code (specific to business logic) like Program Units, LOV's, Record Groups will be converted to equivalent to standard Java code
• DAO Converter
• Generation of DAO Layer code.
• Traceability Generator [semi automation]
• Map I4GL code to Java code [to establish the proof that no code is missed out]

Methodology

I4GL applications usually provide critical business functionalities and are, therefore, often complex. Our migration approach recognizes and accommodates the need of businesses to continually evolve the application under migration.

While our automated migration tools guarantee significant savings in effort and costs, our proven and perfected 'I4GL2J Migration Process' is equally important for successful I4GL migration. Be it scoping the project, or selecting a suitable candidate for proof-of-concept (POC), or validating target architecture, or slicing the application for allowing the changes in the source application while the migration is under progress - our approach takes care of it all.

Our I4GL migration approach consists of -

• Assessment
• Architecture Migration using compatible J2EE architecture patterns and design patterns suitable for target environment.
• Architecture validation to validate the critical architectural parameters to study and understand in the existing system and to propose the equivalent in the migrated system
• Preparing the application specific reusable frameworks which will provide the extendibility and better maintainability of the application
• Source Code Migration using automated migration tools followed by manual re-factoring
• GUI Migration to equivalent in J2EE using automated tools
• Business logic Migration to equivalent in J2EE using automated tools
• Identification of reusable business components and expose them as services
• Code traceability of existing code to the migrated code to ensure all code migrated properly
• Identification of dead code and removing it
• Using standard open source frameworks for the application development
• Unit testing, Integration testing, system testing, user-acceptance testing for each vertical Slice
• Parallel co-existence of I4GL and J2EE systems during migration cycle
• System testing and user-acceptance testing for the entire migrated application
• Deployment of migrated system in production environment

The migrated code is completely independent of I4GL environment. It will not maintain any wrappers and directly runs on Java / J2EE environment.

Migration Goals and Objectives:

• End-to-end migration using tool-based approach
• AnalyzerT, GUI DesignerT, Code ConverterT & Traceability Generator
• Architecture
• Compatible with J2EE standards [flexible, extendable & maintainable]
• I4GL to Java thick client (Swing-JGoodies) or web client [JSP / HTML] or Flex
• Business functionality should remain same
• Should incorporate standard Java / GUI design patterns
• SOA compliance
• Provide a facility to expose re-usable business components as services
• Deployment Flexibility
• Client application using Java Web Start
• Server application under J2EE App Server, BEA Web Logic 9.x
• Code Quality [ease of maintenance]
• Coding standards: For ease of understanding / maintenance existing naming conventions will be followed for migrated code
• Newly developed code will be compliant with Sun Java standards
• Retaining of existing code comments
• Method descriptions will be moved to Java doc
• Code comments / description will be retained as is in the converted code
• Knowledge transfer
• Continuous basis thru reviews/walk-thru of Architecture / code /test cases
• External integrations
• Will be suitably migrated
• Provision to provide services interface [WS, JMS..]