Insurer Makes Important Core Application Fit for the Future

Insurer Makes Important Core Application Fit for the Future

A large insurer has renovated a key component of his core application with the solutions from Delta Software Technology (Delta). Delta's AMELIO-Tools for automated analyses, code clean-up and re-documentation ensure a future-proof application infrastructure and an easy know-how transfer to the application heirs.

In the 1980s the insurer's IT developed a COBOL application for the screen control. Until now this forms an important part of the application infrastructure. Since its initial development this part of the application and the entire application have evolved: Extensions have been added over and over again. The screen control has been maintained by several generations of developers. Different programming styles and COBOL versions have been used for the further development. Moreover, the screen control has been optimized according to former criteria. These criteria are no longer applicable. However, over time all of these measures have greatly affected understandability and maintainability.

The screen control has proven itself over the years. For this reason, it was decided to make this part of the established and reliable application fit for the future to preserve the proven application logic and to ensure the investments effected. The improvement of the application should be carried out safely and with as less effort as possible.

Fit for the future

For making the application fit, the following measures should be implemented:

• Clean-up and upgrade (refactoring) of the source code, so that it will be understandable and maintainable again and that changes and extensions can be implemented efficiently.
• Creating a technical documentation to better understand what the application does and how it works.
• Knowledge transfer about the application and its functionality to new developers.

A manual implementation of the measures would have been risky and inefficient:

• Efforts and risks could not be estimated.
• The daily business would have been disturbed due to a strong resource commitment.
• Massive testing efforts, to ensure the correctness of the changes.

The insurer has chosen the automated solution with Delta’s tools and was able to avoid the problems of a manual approach.

Usage of the Delta AMELIO family

To solve the task, Delta suggested a multi-level approach with the following elements:

• Code clean-up
• Replacement of VORELLE
• In-depth source analyses
• Refactoring
• Re-documentation
• Workshops for the knowledge transfer

Analysis and clean-up of the sources

During the first step, the AMELIO toolset was configured regarding the customer-specific programming styles, name conventions, etc. General clean-ups, like the removal of redundant code and the standardisation of syntax variants, were implemented by using the AMELIO CleanUp-Factory.

The analysis with AMELIO Logic Discovery identified what the application does and how it works. From these analysis results Delta derived suggestions for a tailor-made refactoring. These suggestions, as well as other requirements of the customer, were evaluated and coordinated in close cooperation to build the customer-specific factory.
With this tailor-made solution the refactoring was performed in an audit-proof way.

Workshop for the knowledge transfer

The results of the analyses and the refactoring were presented in a workshop and thus new employees were trained to work with the implementation of the screen control. Further possible improvements of the application were defined. The employees benefitted from the functionality of AMELIO Logic Discovery when implementing these improvements. They gained deep insight in the sources and were able to build their know-how about the application.

Final analysis and re-documentation

Finally, these sources were analysed again by AMELIO Logic Discovery and a documentation of the entire application was created automatically. With the help of this documentation and the interactive presentation in AMELIO Logic Discovery, first maintenance cases have been implemented quick and efficiently.

Highlights and benefits of the Delta solution

The clean-up and refactoring were performed by a factory specifically configured for this purpose:

• Automated - The changes were implemented automatically and without manual interventions. The strict process ensured that the results are always comprehensible and reproducible. In this way, efforts and risks of the project have been minimized.
• Audit-proof - All changes to the code have been documented automatically. The complete automation and the change log provide security for internal and external auditors.
• Tailor-made - The necessary code changes were agreed with the customer and adapted to his requirements and company policies.
• Documented - A documentation of the application was created automatically.
• Knowledge Building - The knowledge about the application and its functioning was regained.
• Without footprints, without vendor lock-in - No additional runtime components or new products have to be installed or licensed. In addition, third-party tools, such as the decision table generator VORELLE, could been removed.
• Short freeze phase - The development and maintenance of the application could be continued in parallel without hindrance.
• Minimal test effort - Using Meta-level testing, not all changed programs had to be tested, but only the change rules using a small test set.

Goal achieved …

The customer has managed to make his application fit for the future with little effort and low risk. With the gained experience it is now possible to decide how to make further (complex) applications fit for the future, while reusing the factory.

When will you make this step?

You have COBOL, PL/I or Delta ADS applications that have proven themselves and you want to make sure they are fit for the future?

Get in touch with us and find out what is possible with an automated approach.

Bedag met le cap sur Delta ADS sur Visual Studio

Bedag Relies on Delta ADS on Visual Studio

Environnement de développement unifié pour différents langages de programmation

Bedag Informatique SA modernise son environnement de développement et réuni le développement de C# et de Delta ADS dans un framework .NET sous Microsoft Visual Studio.

Un environnement de contrôle et de développement uniforme pour les différents langages de programmation est l’objectif de nombreuses entreprises. Bedag Informatik AG (Bedag) a maîtrisé cette étape en standardisant ses processus de développement et en assurant ainsi un développement d’application efficace et pérenne.

Développement (continuel) de Viacar

Depuis de nombreuses années, Bedag développe et maintient l’application Viacar avec les solutions de Delta Software Technology GmbH (Delta). De nombreuses études de cas à l’échelle de Viacar ainsi que diverses exigences spécifiques aux cantons ont été développées et générées avec Delta ADS.

De nouvelles parties de l’application sont développées en C# pour .NET en utilisant Microsoft Visual Studio. Afin de ne pas devoir utiliser inutilement des processus et des environnements de développement différents, Bedag avait l’exigence de standardiser le développement de C# et du Delta COBOL dans un seul environnement de développement.

Utilisation de Delta ADS on Visual Studio

Delta a fourni pour cela le plugin « Delta ADS on Visual Studio ». Après un test réussi, Bedag a décidé d’utiliser le plugin Delta ADS on Visual Studio. Les programmes Delta peuvent maintenant être maintenus directement sous Visual Studio et le code COBOL approprié est généré. Cela a permis de normaliser et de coordonner les processus de contrôle.

En utilisant un environnement de développement ainsi que l’intégration transparente du plugin Delta ADS, les développeurs de Bedag n’ont plus besoin de passer d'un environnement de développement à un autre. La mise à disposition de cette interface utilisateur uniforme et moderne permet le développement efficace et pérenne de l’application.

A propos de Bedag Informatique SA

Affichant un chiffre d’affaires dépassant les 100 millions de francs, Bedag est une entreprise de prestations informatiques leader en Suisse. Avec ses 400 collaboratrices et collaborateurs – dont 27 apprenants, elle dispose d’un vaste savoir-faire spécialisé dans le domaine de l’informatique. Ses activités-clés portent sur le développement, la maintenance et l’exploitation de solutions informatiques toujours cruciales pour le bon fonctionnement d’une entreprise. Bedag permet à ses clients de bénéficier d’une informatique économique et conviviale. Le réseau de ses centres de calcul hautement sécurisés et de ses différents sites à Berne, Aarau, Delémont, Genève, Lausanne et Wettingen lui assure une présence régionale forte. Ses clients sont principalement des administrations publiques et des organismes parapublics, des entreprises du secteur de la santé et des assurances, ainsi que des organisations des Nations Unies. Bedag a été fondée en 1990 et appartient au canton de Berne.

Viacar : l’application pour les services des automobiles Suisses.

Viacar est un logiciel pour les services des automobiles actuellement utilisé par les six cantons d’Argovie,
Lucerne, Schaffhouse, Vaud, Zoug et Zurich. Les cantons gèrent ainsi environ 900 utilisateurs et environ 2,5 millions de véhicules et bateaux. Sur le site d’Aarau, Bedag et son équipe assurent la maintenance et le développement futur de Viacar.

Empruntez vous aussi ce chemin

Si vous souhaitez également standardiser votre environnement de développement et vos processus sous Visual Studio, nous vous proposons une version d’essai du plug-in Delta ADS.
Si vous n’utilisez pas Visual Studio, nous proposons également des plug-ins pour Eclipse, IBM RDz, Micro Focus EDz, Compuware Topaz et autres environnements de développement basés sur Eclipse.

Nous serions heureux de vous montrer les possibilités d'optimiser votre développement avec Delta ADS. Veuillez nous contacter directement.

Computerwoche: IT Legacy – Dusty but Valuable

Computerwoche: IT Legacy – Dusty but Valuable

Legacy Modernisation Challenges IT Managers

Start-ups are lucky: They can build new systems without taking account of existing ones. But, some day a successful start-up will become a company with a grown IT structure. On invitation of the COMPUTERWOCHE, IDG’s weekly IT magazine in Germany, modernisation experts from seven companies discussed which problems can be solved and how.

The Roundtable

Dr. Daniela Schilling (CEO, Delta Software Technology) discussed in this round with representatives of Software AG, Deloitte Consulting, CA Germany, innoQ Germany, Capgemini and ConSol Software.

Read the complete online article from Karin Quack published in COMPUTERWOCHE from April 11, 2018:
https://www.computerwoche.de/a/legacy-modernisierung-fordert-it-manager-heraus,3544668

Go the Way With Delta Software Technology

We would be happy to discuss with you the different possibilities for modernisation. Just get in touch with us. Together we make your software future-proof.

This article was published in German by Karin Quack in the COMPUTERWOCHE in Germany on April 11, 2018 under the title “IT-Legacy – angestaubt, aber wertvoll: Legacy-Modernisierung fordert IT-Manager heraus“ and translated into English by Delta Software Technology.

The original article, as well as further links, can be found here.

GI-Workshop: Software-Reengineering & Evolution

GI-Workshop: Software-Reengineering & Evolution

The 20th workshop “Software Reengineering & Evolution” of the GI section Software Reengineering (SRE) took place this year from 02 - 04 May 2018. (GI – Gesellschaft für Informatik e.V. is a German Society for Computer Science).

GI: 20th Workshop Software Reengineering & Evolution
02 - 04 May 2018, Bad Honnef, Germany

Delta Software Technology was represented there with two contributions:

• Live Demo: AMELIO Logic Discovery - "Do You Understand Your Software?"
  • Here you will find the presentation ...

• Presentation: Modernising Legacy Applications - "Everything New in Spring?"
  • Here you will find the presentation ...

Our speaker

Dr. Daniela Schilling
Dr. Daniela Schilling is Managing Director of Delta Software Technology.

Further Information

Further information on the event can be found here:
http://fg-sre.gi.de/wsre2018

You couldn't attend? Then contact us, we would be happy to meet you for a personal discussion.

New ADS Training Courses

New ADS Training Courses

Anyone using tools to automate software development needs in-depth knowledge of the methods, modes of operation, and capabilities of the tools. And not just "in principle", but in relation to the concrete environment and task.

Our training courses and workshops help you to use Delta tools efficiently and to optimise the development of your applications: practice-oriented, taking into account your main focus.

ADS Basics - ADS for Administrators - ADS Refresher - ADS on Eclipse - ADS What's new

Here are the new training schedules for the first half of 2018:

• 15.-17.05.2018 - ADS Basics
• 05.-07.06.2018 - ADS for Administrators
• 12.-13.06.2018 - ADS Refresher
• 19.-20.06.2018 - ADS on Eclipse
• 26.06.2018 - ADS What’s new

Learn more about our trainings and workshops ...