Case Studies

TRANSACT/4GL, COBOL and VPLUS to .NET

Project Overview

Migrating HP e3000, TRANSACT/4GL, COBOL, VPLUS , INFORMIX to .NET Web Architecture on INFORMIX

A large Fortune 500 Financial Management Group based in the Eastern USA relies heavily on a financial accounting system written in VPLUS, TRANSACT/4GL and COBOL running against an IMAGE database to manage all aspects of its Financial System. Built in the early 1980’s, this system is a character-based application that runs on HP e3000 servers. The system supports thousands of users across the USA. After looking at four alternatives for its application migration – buy, build and two variants of migrate – the organization selected CORE to manage the migration process from start to finish.

The organization chose CORE Migration automated TRANSACT/4GL to .NET solution because of CORE’s expertise with TRANSACT/4GL, VPLUS and its proven technology in migrating TRANSACT/4GL and VPLUS forms to a modern .NET platform. In addition, CORE’s Renaissance Architect™ Framework guaranteed the organization that 100% of the Financial system’s existing functionality would be preserved while providing flexibility for future enhancements and customizations. CORE Migration’s automated migration process and training provided the organization with a low risk and cost-effective alternative to buy or build.

Why CORE Migration™

The organization looked at four alternatives for its application migration – buy, build and two variants of migrate.

Buy: The organization looked for an off-the-shelf solution that would meet their business requirements, but none were available that fit their budget and retained their custom functionality. Cost and preservation of functionality were key requirements for the organization.
Build: The organization considered building a new system in-house to duplicate their custom functionality, but limited resources for a project of this size and complexity were key considerations.
Migration to COBOL: Migrating the VPLUS and TRANCACT/4GL to COBOL was the third option considered.
Migration to .NET: Migrating the VPLUS and TRANSACT/4GL application to a modern Windows platform – Microsoft .NET- was the fourth option considered.

CORE Migration's Process

The organization needed CORE to manage the migration process from start to finish so they choose the CORE Directed Migration Method.

The CORE Directed Migration Method comprises of three logical components. The CORE team performed the procedures, operated the technology and carried out the bulk of the migration tasks for the organization’s Retirements Financial system migration project. Once CORE ensured the source code was through the Forward Engineering stage, CORE executed the Unit Test plans against the newly migrated application. The CORE team then worked with the client to build a Quality Assurance project plan which included test cases, screen shots, execution times and test data. CORE used the outputs and statistics as “anticipated results” for testing and verification of the migrated code during the Unit and Functional Test stages. To ensure 100% preservation of the functionality within the legacy TRANSACT/VPLUS application, the Functional test phase undertaken by the CORE team was rigorous and multi-faceted. Upon completion of this phase, the CORE team delivered the completed modules to the organization. The organization was then able to initiate their formal Acceptance Testing.

CORE ensured the organization’s IT staff who are responsible for the maintenance and enhancements of the migrated application were fully trained and confident with CORE’s Renaissance Architect development tools.

CORE Migration’s Solution

The organization chose CORE Migration automated TRANSACT/4GL to .NET solution because of CORE’s expertise with TRANSACT/4GL, VPLUS and its proven technology in migrating TRANSACT/4GL and VPLUS forms to a modern .NET platform. In addition, CORE’s Renaissance Architect™ Framework guaranteed the organization that 100% of the Retirement Financial system’s existing functionality would be preserved while providing flexibility for future enhancements and customizations. CORE Migration’s automated migration process and training provided the organization with a low risk and cost-effective alternative to buy or build.

Results

The organization went live with their new Financial System. Feedback to date has been very positive from the end users. CORE Migration’s training, technology and tools were instrumental in ensuring a successful migration and preparing the organization to successfully support, maintain and enhance the application.

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