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migration-pattern

RPG to Java

RPG to Java Background

Limits of RPG
 ・Low development efficiency and long development duration.
 ・Few software and hardware (printer, etc.) available.
 ・Not web system. It’s hard to use with multi-devices.
 ・Unable to take advantage of the benefits of cloud services.
 ・The character code is EBCDIC, so it is not suitable for data analysis.
  …
Hopeless Sustainability
 ・Fewer specialized technicians.
 ・Hard to improve in-house IT technology and individual’s IT skills.

Migrate from RPG to Java before it’s too late.

RPG to Java Kinds of Conversion Methods

  1. Straight conversion: Convert RPG commands one by one with Java grammar or functions.
               ※Migration method that has been used for a long time.
  2. LLM (Generative AI model) : Convert with LLM, modify and Test manually
                   LLM (Generative AI model)
  3. AI-powered migration with tool: Understand the programming language and convert it to the
                     correct pure Java according to its meaning with
                     AI conversion tool.
                     AI-powered migration tool

Problem with Straight Conversion -Conversion

If directly convert RPG commands, the conversion effect won’t be good in some respects.

Examples of performance problems:
RPG programs directly access DB. Java programs access DB through I/F. So performance problems will happen when a lot of users access DB.

AS400 to java

Problem in testing -Vendor test/User test

Most Vendors lack analyzing capability, business knowledge.
The test becomes a difficult job and responsibility of customer.

Straight conversion or line-by-line conversion vendors tend to test only 1/3 or less of the migrated code rather than 100% coverage on testing of migrated code.
Straight conversion or line-by-line conversion vendors only test as much as the data provided by customer covers.
Comprehensive test is left with customer or 3rd party vendors.
Customers have to deal with hard to fix performance problems.

LLM (Popular general-purpose generative AI model) and issues

LLM Application

 Use generative AI tools like ChatGPT to convert RPG to pure Java systems, C/S systems to WEB, etc.

LLM Limitation

 1. It requires learning. No direct injection of knowledge.
  ・Extremely large amount of high-quality training data v.s. insufficient amount of RPG and
   Java available for free.
  ・LLM evaluation requires extremely fast processing v.s. CPUs are too slow to meet the demand.
   Difficult to evaluate by RPG/Java comparison tests.
 2. Additional learning for each round of bug fixes changes conversion rules.
  System test must be done all over again.

Low quality conversion that requires huge manual workload of debugging, adjustment and retesting.

System Reform Conversion: Language Conversion Using Knowledge-injected AI

SoftRoad has big Knowledge DB (it is like a big dictionary) which is built upon our 20+ years of experience. Our tool use the legacy code (COBOL, RPG, etc.) dictionary to read source code of legacy system and understand the underlying logic. Then, our tool uses Java dictionary to create native Java code as if it was written by human programmer.
In this process, we can change data structure to RDB and CSV file, we can even convert to customer’s own framework. We use open style SQL to process data, to solve performance problems. We can expand ID digits, etc.
We are the only company using AI powered tool to do 100% automatic conversion with high quality & maintainability.

QA of System Reform

Complete verification of all technical elements

100% coverage of Technical Points.
Test is automated as well. We use our test tools to input data, run the programs step by step, compare the output, and find the places where the discrepancies happen.
We are the only company who can identify every detail grammars as technical points and find out where and how many times a particular grammar is tested. That is how we achieve 100% test coverage, instead of leaving that responsibility to customers.

Test with actual business data

We run the migrated system using data from real business day. Then we compare the output, until they are the same.
This serves as a cross check to make sure no particular data or program problems are left untreated. This gives customer peace of mind.

Source Code Converted with System Reform Technology (Examples)

Example source code from RPG to Java conversion

GUI/CUI migration (WEB)

GUI/CUI migration to WEB system

Achieve High Value-Added with System Reform Technology (Cases)

Case study: Adding value while migrating legacy system

Customer Testimonial (Presentations)

Customer Testimonial (Presentations)

System Reform Schedule

Migration/modernization project process and timelines. Steps included in the process are:
general quotation, inventory/slimming, define required specification, detailedd quotation, migration design,summary of existingfunctionalities, development, migration test, functional design, development, integration test, system test.

Migration Cases

Business System

Development process
Inventory, migration design, UI design – migration test, system test & user acceptance test support
System reform information
RPG & RPGLE to VB.NET2013
RPG & RPGLE to PL/SQL
PRTF to PDF
DB2 for i to Oracle11g
OS400 to WindowsServer2012
Current system scale
RPG:1,500KL, Form:221
Development period
15 months

Production & Sales Management System

Development process
Inventory, migration design, specification documentation, source code migration – migration test, system test & user acceptance test support
System reform information
RPG to Java(online)
RPG to T-SQL(batch)
CL to PowerShell
DB2 to SQL Server
AS/400 to WindowsServer2008
Current system scale
RPG:155KL, CL:15.1KL
Development period
9 months

Sales Management System

Development process
Inventory, migration design, specification documentation, source code migration – system test, user acceptance test support, go-live
System reform information
RPG & CLP to Java
CL to Java & PowerShell
DB2 to Oracle11g
OS/400(V5R3M0) to WindowsServer2008
Current system scale
RPG:110KL
Development period
8 months

Sales System

Development process
Inventory, migration design, specification documentation, source code migration – migration test, system test & user acceptance test support
System reform information
RPG & CL to Java
DB2 to SQL Server 2008
OS/400(V5R3M0) to WindowsServer2008
Current system scale
RPG:69.2KL, CL:14.7KL
Development period
7 months

Production Management System

Development process
Inventory & slimming, migration design, UI design – system test, user acceptance test support
System reform information
RPG, RPGLE to Java
CL to Java/Shell
DB2/400 to PostgreSQL v10.0
IBM V7R2 to Linux7.2
Current system scale
RPG:46.4KL
Development period
10 months

CONTACT

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