Business Rules in pseudo text and flowchart formats
Additionally it generates:
Statistical reports on programs processed, including physical lines and statements processed, executable lines processed and commented lines found. This information is generated for every sub-routine of each program.
Finally the user is able to dynamically generate from the extracted information:
As extracted, the business rules are in English pseudo text format. However, they may be annotated i.e. notes may be attached to each business rule in plain English and the pseudo text can be markedly improved by dynamically replacing cryptic variable names with analyst friendly verbiage.
As a default business rules are control logic, entity operations and related statements derived from the program logic. However, the product provides the user with an option to include all program logic statements in the business rules. This allows the user to decide for themselves what statements should or should not be included in the business rules. The statements they do not want included can be deactivated using the product's console.
The extracted business rules may be exported into MS Word as well as into a Graph Modeling Language (GML) editor like yEd to be saved as pdf or image files. Legacy Modernizer generates a zip file of the exported rules along with an index file that provides links to both the text and flowchart representations of each business rule.
Legacy Modernizer will process and extract information from both JCL and Procedure files. However, it currently does not transform JCL files to any target environment.
At any given time the extraction engine will process code written in one language only. Hence applications written in multiple languages require processing in multiple sub-modules, with each sub-module being written in the same language. The extracted information from each sub-module is then transferred to the console where a single repository can be created of all the information sets transferred. This allows multiple language applications to be reviewed, optimized and modernized using a single repository with the target application being generated in one language.
The console is web-based and is accessible by multiple users via Microsoft's Internet Explorer. However, the number of users that can access the console at the same time i.e. concurrently will depend upon the number of concurrent users that have been licensed to use the console.
The extracted data model may be normalized and new names may be given to data entities and attributes. These changes may be uploaded to the Legacy Modernizer and used when generating target code.
When Legacy Modernizer extracts business rules from the source, it allows them to be modified through the replacement of unconverted statements and call statements. A user may upload multiple sub-routines/functions in the desired target language to the Legacy Modernizer, thus creating a library of replacement sub-routines/functions. While reviewing, optimizing and modernizing the business rules, a user may selectively replace unconverted statements and call statements in each rule with an appropriate function from the library. This process has the advantage of not only allowing the user to insert their coding standards into the target, but also providing them with an ability to generate 100% target code through the product's transformer.
Legacy Modernizer allows the user to pick and choose business rules across programs and group them into services. The product then allows these services to be combined together to create service components and thereafter a service model.
Legacy Modernizer provides both options in its console. A user may generate target for the optimized source programs or for the service components created during the modernization phase.
Legacy Modernizer maintains all information in standard XML format. This XML meta-data can be adapted to adapt to any product's API that can accept XML input. This includes BRE products, BPM tools and Modeling tools.
Legacy Modernizer has two components - the extraction engine and the modernization console. Both components are included when Legacy Modernizer is licensed, whether it is for documentation, modernization or transformation/migration. The features available in the console will depend upon what the product is licensed for.
Legacy Modernizer is licensed based on executable lines of source code that has to be processed. This typically turns out to be between 40-80% of the physical lines of code. Executable lines do not include commented lines and if multiple physical lines are used to execute one statement then these physical lines will be considered as one line for licensing purposes.
Licensing fees to process the same number of lines of executable code will differ based on whether the product is being licensed for documentation, modernization (includes documentation) or transformation/migration (includes documentation and modernization)
The Legacy Modernizer includes a utility that is available for use even without the product being licensed. This utility provides an estimate of the number of executable lines of code in the files that are provided as "input" to the product. Note this number is an estimate only and it is possible that the final count may be less or more, which can only be known after the code is processed by the product. However, the product will process the code set based on estimated LOC even if the final count is greater than the estimate.
EvolveWare partners with service companies to offer complete solutions using its Legacy Modernizer product. The automation provided by the product results in rapid completion of the legacy modernization initiative, resulting in substantial savings in time and money.
