Re: System Conversion - An Overview
- From: Ranger <tarr@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sun, 04 Nov 2007 14:26:58 -0800
On Oct 30, 4:38 am, docdw...@xxxxxxxxx () wrote:
As an extension of an earlier thread regarding a COBOL-to-Java
conversion... some meanderings.
I did want to provide a summary of a response that I provided to DD
privately, but maybe the group could benefit as well.
I own a technology company that provides an automated migraton for
COBOL based applications. Most of our clients have IDMS, Datacom, IMS,
VSAM and Adabas and are looking to migrate to DB2, Oracle or SQL
Server.
I am hearing from our clients that they need to migrate for
predominately two reasons - we getting off of the mainframe or we feel
at risk running some of the older databases/files. For those looking
to stay on the mainframe we have been migrating them to DB2 and rarely
do we hear a request for JAVA. Regarding clients that are migrating
off of the mainframe we are hearing an increased amount of requests to
convert part or all of the COBOL application to JAVA. We have one
client that said "I want to get off the mainframe, convert to JAVA and
outsource to India". Other client comments are "I had to sell JAVA to
ge the project funded".
What we are finding when clients actually migrate, they begin to see
the value in the COBOL based applications. They have years of
experience, and a temendous amount of business logic that no longer
has a subject matter expert.
Several of our projects started out with the intention to migrate the
COBOL applicatons to JAVA, and then they realize the cost and risk,
and usually determine the "customer facing, high value" functions will
be written in JAVA. At the end of the day, the application remains 95%
COBOL.
I am responding to a client RFP this month, the original conversation
was "We have to get off the maniframe, its a CIO directive. We thought
that this would be a good time to go to the board one time and ask for
the funding to get off the mainframe and convert to JAVA". My original
comment to them was to migrate the COBOL mainframe application to
COBOL distributed platform and take inventory. SOA and web services
can be initiated through COBOL and you can leverage your business
logic embedded in your existing programs. The training requirements
for coming off of the mainframe will be limited to environmental
issues, you can protect the productivity and experience of your staff
as well. At first they did not like that thought, and now, 60 days
later, they are asking for three approaches. The first is COBOL to
COBOL, the second is a hybrid, with all the heavy lifting being done
by COBOL, and the online/high-value programs being JAVA, and the third
option is all JAVA.
I hope this group benefits by some of the feedback that I have been
hearing. We have migrated over 50M lines of COBOL code the past few
years, with less than 2% going to JAVA. It is however, being requested
as an option on almost all of our "getting off the mainframe" RFP's.
Ranger
.
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