AUTOMATED REFACTORING

Convert COBOL to Java

Our COBOL to Java Conversion solution delivers Cloud-enabled applications and databases that are functionally equivalent to their legacy counterparts, eliminating the hassle and expense of COBOL and the mainframe. This reduces cost, allows for deeper integration, and enables customisation to meet business requirements.

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Discussing the 2022 Mainframe Modernisation Report

60 minutes

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Why modernise?

CHALLENGES

Scarcity of domain expertise

Developers who understand COBOL and mainframe technology are reaching retirement age and no one is trained to replace them, resulting in a steadily diminishing talent pool. As this shortage grows, the costs and risk of relying on COBOL will continue to rise.

Limited flexibility

Companies are rapidly moving to modern environments and practices such as DevOps and the Cloud. COBOL and the underlying systems that support it were not designed for modern IT, resulting in difficult integrations and limited flexibility.

 

Exorbitant costs

Mainframes running COBOL cost as much as 4,500 per cent more to operate than equivalent Cloud counterparts. This figure is compounded by rising licensing and maintenance fees for ancillary mainframe applications and databases. 

Automated COBOL Refactoring

OUR SOLUTION

Our Automated COBOL Refactoring solution preserves the benefits of legacy systems while empowering organisations to leverage the advantages of newer platforms, especially the Cloud. This unlocks a whole new world of quality and scalability from automated testing to quality assurance, and the ability to leverage containerised deployments and orchestration with Docker and Kubernetes.

Many COBOL transformation solutions create structurally similar programs in the target language but require additional re-engineering efforts to yield desired results. Our Automated COBOL Refactoring solution, harnessing a powerful combination of proprietary software and an iterative transformation methodology, delivers a modern Java application based on fully maintainable open systems.

Our COBOL to Java Conversion solution was designed with the following requirements in mind:

  • Refactored applications must remain functionally equivalent to their original counterparts
  • Refactored applications must be easily maintainable, attain SonarQube A ratings, and follow object-oriented concepts and paradigms
  • Refactored applications should perform as well as, or better than, the original applications
  • Refactored applications should be Cloud-ready and delivered using a standard DevOps toolchain and best practices

Our Automated Refactoring software deconstructs the legacy codebase to isolate source code and classify down to the field level. It then refactors the assets using customised rules based on customer requirements and standards. Remarkably, this turnkey solution retains your valuable business logic without requiring code freezes or additional licensing.

The refactoring process includes flow normalisation, code restructuring, data layer extraction, data remodeling, and packaging for reconstruction. Cloned code is identified and common replacement objects created – simplifying maintenance and manageability, while complex data and control dependency analysis is used to locate and remove dead code. Upon reconstruction, new object-oriented code structures are generated and deployed into the target environment and enabled by our Java framework.

Once the COBOL applications and associated databases are refactored, Java developers can extend application functionality for Cloud optimisation using standard DevOps tools and CI/CD concepts that simply aren’t available for mainframe applications. Precious business logic from the legacy system is preserved, while levels of optimisation can be applied to deliver efficiencies and business benefits such as elasticity, granular service definition, and easy integration with Cloud-native services.

Automated Refactoring is available for most COBOL dialects and platforms, including z/OS, OpenVMS, and VME.

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Over 35 years of COBOL and mainframe modernisation experience

More than 500 successful modernisation projects completed

Over 2.5 billion lines of code refactored through automation

Intelligent modernisation, unparalleled experience

OUR PROCESS

Additional resources to help you modernise

 
 

CASE STUDY

The New York Times: COBOL to Java

Advanced's Automated Refactoring solution enabled The New York Times to completely migrate their core IT system to an AWS platform.

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WHITEPAPER

Don’t kick the COBOL can down the road

This whitepaper looks at the challenges of maintaining legacy applications, and the various COBOL modernisation options available.

Read whitepaper

 

 

 
 

REPORT

2022 Mainframe Modernisation Report

Exploring the impact of the new era of digitalisation and change on the current state of legacy systems and organisations' modernisation plans.

Read report

 

 

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31 Aug 2022 by Rob Anderson, Vice President of Marketing and Product, Advanced

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10 Mar 2022 by Rob Anderson, Vice President of Marketing and Product, Advanced

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6 Apr 2021 by Rob Anderson, Vice President of Marketing and Product, Advanced

News & Opinions

BLOG // 13-02-2024

How DevOps is influencing mainframe modernisation strategies

by Tim Jones, Managing Director - Application Modernisation

How DevOps is influencing mainframe modernisation strategies