Watch video here:
Dr. Daniela Schilling (CEO, Delta Software Technology) presented you with a reliable solution with which you can replace your IBM/IMS databases securely and automatically. In addition, questions were answered by experts: We were able to win Gothaer and Provinzial for the interview. Who have successfully replaced their IMS databases with our AMELIO.
Thank you for your Interest
If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.
Many thanks also to Gothaer Solutions GmbH and Provinzial Versicherung AG for their active participation and for helping to organize the discussion.
"Software Reengineering and Evolution" is an evergreen in software development. However, new technologies and possibilities in the area of development lead to ever new challenges in dealing with the existing software.
The expert group Software Reengineering and Evolution (SRE) within the Gesellschaft für Informatik (GI) – the German-speaking professional society for computer science – deals with all aspects of software reengineering, software maintenance and software evolution. In principle, this includes all activities whose goal is analysis, visualisation, evaluation, improvement, migration and further development.
Workshop Software Reengineering & Evolution (WSRE)
With the conference series Workshop "Software Reengineering and Evolution" (WSRE), the SRE expert group aims to bring together practice and research and to promote professional exchange with a variety of current topics.
Practitioners and researchers are cordially invited to report on experiences, projects, research results, methods, tools and "war stories" in this field at the WSRE, to present their current work and to discuss it constructively in an open environment.
WSRE 2024
We are pleased to announce the next workshop on Software Reengineering and Evolution (WSRE): WSRE 2024 took place on 29-30 April 2024 in Bad Honnef, Germany!
Call4Papers
Would you like to present your challenges or solutions and tools on the topic and exchange ideas with other interested parties? Anyone and everyone can participate - even if you are not a member of the GI.
- Papers can be submitted until 23.02.2024.
Take the opportunity for direct exchange and networking. Participation is open to all. All information about the workshop and the submission of contributions can be found here.
You probably know all the good reasons to replace your IMS databases:
- Reduction of cost and maintaining multiple database technologies
- Lack of flexibility of IMS databases
- Diminishing know-how and specialists
- No successors available
- Difficult connection with new technologies like Mobile Cloud etc.
The hurdles for replacing IMS-databases are huge and the applications are running smoothly. These, often mission critical, applications are big, complex and the documentation is in most cases not sufficient for the task ahead.
From hierarchical to relational - 100% automated
The aim is to convert the application to clean SQL, i.e. not to "translate" the IMS accesses to SQL at runtime using a proprietary intermediate layer. The customised, fully automated transformation with AMELIO Modernization Platform guarantees the consistent and audit-proof migration of your COBOL and PL/I applications.
How can you replace your IMS system safely and efficiently?
Delta Software Technology presented a reliable solution that gives you the following advantages:
- You are supported in defining the new relational data model.
- The transformation is carried out securely and completely automatically - with automatic integration of the changes from the parallel ongoing development.
- The testing effort is drastically reduced thanks to the complete automation of all changes.
- There is no footprint and no vendor lock-in.
Review of the Webinar
We were able to win Gothaer Solutions GmbH and Provinzial Versicherung AG for this webinar. The participants took the opportunity to ask their questions directly to the companies' experts who have already successfully replaced their IMS databases.
Dr. Daniela Schilling (CEO, Delta Software Technology GmbH) presented the Delta solution AMELIO:
"Automated and Secure Migration from IBM IMS/DB to Db2 with AMELIO Modernisation Platform"
In the subsequent discussion, experts from Gothaer and Provinzial were on hand to answer questions from the audience. They reported that production and development continued undisturbed and that the migration project ensures the maintainability and future viability of the systems. Processes have been standardised and, thanks to targeted and, of course, automatically implemented optimisation of the access logic, individual applications now run even more efficiently than with the hierarchical database system.
When asked what they would do differently next time, both customers agreed: less testing and no more manual migration! This would save them even more time, money and nerves, because Delta's automated solution simply works.
Slides and Recording of the Webinar
You couldn't attend?
No problem: you can request the presentation slides and recording here.
(it will be in german - If you would like the presentation in english, please contact us by
We would be happy to show you the possibilities that AMELIO Modernisation Platform offers you for your projects. We look forward to hearing from you.
Are you looking for further information?
Then you will find the relevant reports here:
Gothaer migrates its IBM IMS Databases to IBM Db2 together with Delta Software Technology
Gothaer Systems migriert zusammen mit Delta mehr als 400 IMS-Datenbanken zu Db2. Durch den Aufbau einer passgenauen Factory konnten notwendige Schritte zur Transformation automatisiert, gut kalkuliert und risikoarm durchgeführt werden.
„By migrating from IBM IMS/DB to IBM Db2 together with Delta, we have successfully mastered the next big step in the ‘Smarter Mainframe’ project.“
Burkhard Oppenberg, CIO, Gothaer
Read here the success story:
https://delta-software.com/link.php?en=0314
From IBM IMS/DB to Db2 - Provinzial realizes complete Migration
With the tools and services from Delta Software Technology, Provinzial Rheinland finished the complete application and data migration from IBM IMS/DB to IBM Db2, automated and securely, of over 75 IBM IMS databases and over 36,000 artefacts.
"The guaranteed operational “smoothness” in the project, despite the complex modernization, is certainly a unique feature of the solution.“
Stephan Kaiser, Program ‘sponsor’ Provinzial
Read here the success story:
https://delta-software.com/link.php?en=0329
The independent IT consulting company itemis AG hosted the webinar "Legacy Systems in Flux - Automatic Migration?" on 27 July. Our managing director Dr. Daniela Schilling was invited as a speaker.
How can legacy applications be made fit for the future and is an automatic migration from COBOL to Java effective?
The experts presented their solutions, approaches and experiences in short presentations. This was followed by perspectives and opinions on challenges and best practices. The automatic language transformation from COBOL to Java was discussed in a particularly lively and controversial manner.
The answers to the following questions were considered crucial for the success of such projects:
- Are the migrated sources still maintainable or does the automated migration inevitably lead to a "Jabol" disaster?
- How do you test the migrated applications? And what hurdles have to be overcome?
As an alternative to an automatic language transformation, Dr. Daniela Schilling presented an automated modernisation in manageable steps and with a suitable solution for each sub-application and explained specifically why a 1:1 language transformation leads to additional problems.
Please also have a look at our slides with detailed information on our solution and proceeding:
Download itemis-Webinar: „Digital Finance and Insurance: Legacy-Systeme im Wandel – automatische Migration?"
You can watch the recording of the webinar here: https://info.itemis.com/de/webinar/systeme-im-wandel/
Contact us! We would be happy to present our approach for the transformation and modernisation of your applications.
COBOL and PL/I applications do their job reliably every day. However, the longer the applications live, the more impurities and technical debt accumulate in the applications, making maintenance and further development increasingly difficult and error-prone. It also makes sense to clean up the applications in the run-up to modernization projects in order to avoid errors and reduce costs.
At the following event we will report on how you can use a software washing machine to clean up your applications in an agile way:
- GSE Mainframe Modernization
20.-21.03.2023, Kassel (Germany)
Delta Software is represented there with a lecture on March 21, 2023 at 11:30 a.m.:
Agile Application Clean-up – A Washing Machine for Software
COBOL- and PL/I-applications are still performing their tasks reliably. But the longer these applications live, the more imperfections and technical debts are collected, that inhibit efficient maintenance. In the preparation of modernization projects, the clean-up of applications is important to prevent errors and reduce the effort.
Traditionally the clean-up of (legacy) software is done manually. During this process, the complete kaleidoscope of possible clean-ups is performed for each program after program. But very often, not all possible and necessary clean-ups are known at the beginning. Many only come in sight when other clean-ups are done. A much better strategy would be to perform the first clean-ups for all programs before, using the knowledge acquired, the next clean-up is performed. This would require an approach where each program might be changed more than once. The risk and effort of such an approach can be minimized when using an automated solution, that can be repeated for as many new clean-ups as are needed.
The AMELIO software washing machine enables such an agile approach in which:
- new clean-ups can be added continuously,
- the application is divided in manageable packages for which each clean-up can be defined separately,
- each of these packages can be processed by the washing machine as many times as needed.
How such a washing machine enables an agile clean-up, will be demonstrated based on a customer example.
Our speakers
Manuel Dolle
Senior Consultant
Delta Software Technology
Reg Mulder
Senior Consultant
Delta Software Technology
You can not attend?
We would be happy to present the AMELIO software washing machine to you in a personal meeting. Please contact us directly.
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