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Software modernisation

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What is software modernisation?

Modernisation is a technical process in which we transfer the logic of an existing application into a modern, state-of-the-art environment.

Modernisation always has the goal of reducing costs. One of the major problems of today's legacy software is complexity. Any plan to reduce the complexity of legacy systems and legacy software by using modern components (e.g. by using web interfaces) tends to increase it.

Why are we modernising?

We modernise because systems work inefficiently. Systems that work inefficiently equal high costs.

Modernisation is not software development.

Modernisation is not maintenance and further development of existing systems. Modernisation requires a different approach and paradigm than traditional software development. It is a niche that can only be carried out with an enormous amount of effort and risk without highly specialised and well-trained professionals.

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Our experts support you and are here to help you with any questions you may have.

What methods are there to successfully modernise legacy software?

There are three approaches to software modernisation:

Rewrite an application

Transfer the functionalities into a standard software

Technology-based transformation

Digital Creek Software Services' unique Application Understanding method can be used for any of these three concepts. The results of the Application Understanding process can be applied to all three concepts.

With the help of the Business Flow Suite, a technology-based transformation of old legacy software applications can be carried out. We advocate, from our experience, only this procedure as well.

Converting a legacy system and application involves the following steps:

Database (file system) transformation
Environment transformation including operation
Data transformation
Code transformation

We offer you a unique process. Our principles are simple: After abstracting the existing overall system, the new system, with its consistent and coherent properties, is created through a transformation process and enriched with the abstracted business logic.
The starting point is always the same: the source code.

It is important to know that the source code alone is not sufficient to describe the entire system. For the abstraction, we need the technical information and the business logic from the code, as well as the meta information from the departments.
Business logic and technical information are stored in a central repository. This process is done by one or more parsers and by different engines. The repository is enriched by the meta-information.

After the transformation emerges:
Maintainable code
New and modern environment standards
Compliant structures that correspond to the structures of a modern architecture
Smooth interaction between the legacy data and the application (keyword: character set, sort)
An application and infrastructure that becomes modern and thus maintainable
A technological environment with far fewer resource demands than the legacy system

You get a system that is modern and therefore easy to maintain, both from the point of view of the architecture and the technological basis.

Your software will be faster due to the new structure.

The old infrastructure components can be exchanged for new ones.

Resource requirements and maintenance efforts decrease. Your computing capacities are reduced, the resource requirements on your hardware become less.

You have a modern code without having limited your applications in their business functions.

Your system becomes easily maintainable

Hardware resource requirements decrease

Your software becomes faster

Technical but also human capacities are released

Our software modernisation project procedure

1. assessment

We familiarise ourselves with your systems and analyse them. The assessment is the basis of every successful project. This step must be carried out with the utmost care.

A
Checking the application and system documentation, if available
B
Interviews with the application users and the application owners
C
Importing the source code into our analysis tool Application Understanding (for critical applications and secure source code also possible on site)
D
The analysis of the source code. Analysis of the data access layer and the DB schema.
E
The creation of reports

2. concept

In the following step, a concept is created. Here, individual elements are already transformed. The adaptation and final elaboration of the planning takes place in this phase. The following elements are elaborated in a concept:

A
Target architecture
B
Transformation method (Bing Bang or Step by Step)
C
Data transformation
D
Application Transformation
E
Interfaces (interfaces /API - concepts for interfaces and for interface communication)
F
Test concept

3. proof of concept

Risks and showstoppers are searched for and localised in the POC. We create a prototype based on the application and the programs, with which further individual fragments of the application are converted. After successful implementation and approval of the POC by the customer, the further transformation steps follow.

4. data transformation (iterative cycle)

During data transformation, the database elements are transformed. The following elements or steps are taken into account and carried out:

A
The DB schemas are created
B
Tables, views, indexes, constraints, partitions, procedures and triggers are transformed
C
CTL files are created
D
Data loading/transfer/verifying transformation is performed
E
Function tests are performed
F
On- and off-site support are defined (in case of problems we are available off and also on-site)

5. application transformation (iterative cycle) with the Business Flow Suite

The application transformation consists of the following steps:

A
The completeness of the source codes is checked
B
Parsing
C
Analysis of the results
D
Conversion/transformation of the source code
E
Carrying out functional tests

6. tests (iterative cycle)

In addition to the separate tests in the individual project phases, extensive application and programme tests are carried out before the project is completed.

7. handover/takeover

The customer accepts the project on the basis of the required specifications.

You have questions?

Our experts support you and are here to help you with any questions you may have.

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