Switched Platforms & Web Enablement
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Business Challenge Paul Arpin Van Lines (PAVL), is one of the top 10 household goods carriers in the US, with revenues over $150 million. PAVL needed to replace its existing systems due to age and capacity constraints and simultaneously improve customer service by web enabling. PAVL's applications were written in COBOL and a 4GL. The application suite was one million plus lines of code, and over 1300 screens. The platform was early Texas Instruments and the screens were all old “green screen” technology.
Solution PAVL's conversion project involved 500,000 lines (850+ programs) of COBOL and 450,000+ lines (750+ programs) of Z code, 1300+ screens and associated job control script files.
The customer's objectives for the conversion project were:
- Migrate current applications to a stable open platform
- Deploy applications via a modern, cost effective communications infrastructure
- Normalize application source language to a platform independent single source spec with high maintenance and enhancement productivity and application portability
- Replicate screens in a user interface environment that allows customization and restructuring for screen modernization using Internet Browser based screens
- To convert the Z code and COBOL 74, 85 to program specification source code for Progeni's 1Spec and implement Internet browser based screens under Microsoft Windows
The purpose was to support the generation of target platform source code for compilation under Micro Focus COBOL on a Unix platform and replace current screens with equivalent HTML screens.
Progeni's in-house Software Factory undertook the following:
- Automated code scanning
- Platform specific syntax conversion
- Source code conversion for generation in 1Spec and compilation in Micro Focus COBOL on a Unix platform
- Conversion of PAVL screens to the equivalent HTML screens, with screens converted for Windows based Internet browser entry using standard Progeni mapping
- Delivery of Program Specification Source Code to PAVL’s PC compatible electronic files which generate under 1Spec and compile under Micro Focus COBOL on the target platform
Because the ultimate product of 1Spec is compiled code, it can insert new COBOL routines into an existing application. This is extremely important for application maintenance and extension. 1Spec programmers can quickly and reliably generate programs for multiple platforms from a single specification without having to learn the networks platforms and systems. Progeni, transformed the PAVL code within the projects time period and budget.
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