Migrating from PH to Java / RDBMS

[Kevin Trotman]

--0__=q9qtAA8X7Yuu79JqrNtShrUPZiPzlqnm63MHf3UEarU14yCiAVfZkbp9
Content-type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
Content-Disposition: inline



I am impress to see that their companies willing to take that leap of faith.  I
have not participated in a move of this scale.
I will monitor the responses you get.

This is a very interesting project.




Jon.Kvisli@lindorffapplications.com on 2000/08/02 05:45:20 PM

To:   powerh-l@sphere.swau.edu
cc:    (bcc: Kevin Trotman/Adminsource/AGF/ca)

Subject:  Migrating from PH to Java / RDBMS



--0__=q9qtAA8X7Yuu79JqrNtShrUPZiPzlqnm63MHf3UEarU14yCiAVfZkbp9
Content-type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1
Content-Disposition: inline
Content-transfer-encoding: quoted-printable




Was: In Support of PowerHouse

Our company are facing a migration of a 15 old, rather large applicatio=
n
from PH/IMAGE to Java/RDBMS plattform, and I would like to hear from ot=
hers
who have done this or is in the process of doing it. There are many
questions to be asked when stating such a migration, and I would be
interested in discussing them with others.


First I would like to state that I fully support Neil Harvey's positive=

description of PowerHouse and recognize our own situation from his
description: Our company have also been using PH on HP3000 with MPE/ix =
and
TurboImage since 1985. Like Neil, I also feel that PoweHouse have serve=
d us
well, it gives us a very "high-level", "high-productivity" RAD, with a
relative low learning treshold. During these 15 year we have not met a
programming task that could not be solved using PH.

HOWEVER, times are changing: PowerHouse programmers are hard to find, n=
ew
programmers don't want to learn it, users wants GUI and
"Office-integration", customers wants Internet based access, and
managers&salespersonell wants faster development cycles. New technology=

provides new possibilities, and having used the same tecnology for 15
years, we are now facing the fact that we have a huge technologygap to
catch up with.

Our company have decided to skip client/server and move directly from
characterbased PH to n-tier Java based development, application servers=
 and
Oracle8i on NT/UNIX.. Sadly Cognos have not yet moved their 4GL tools t=
o
the Javaworld. (I regret to say that I do not think Axiant is a very go=
od
move to client/server either.) Therefore we have chosen tools from othe=
r
vendors for our future development.

Indepentant of developing tools, we have realized that a move like this=

introduces several new factors:

- Moving from proprietary HP3000/MPE/ix to "open" NT/UNIX.
- Moving from non-relational TurboIMAGE to Oracle RDBMS.
- Moving from character-based PowerHouse-managed user interface to GUI.=

- Moving from sentralized mainframe to 3-tier / n-tier architecture.
- Moving from data- and procedure oriented development to objectoriente=
d
development process.
- Moving from batchoriented production to 7x24 hour availability on
internet
- Completly redesigning the databasestructure and application structure=
 as
a consequence of 15 year "code-errosion".
- AND STILL keeping (or improving) our high-level, high-productivity
programming environment of today.

We have concluded that jumping on all these moves simultanously, will g=
ive
our project a very high risk factor, and that the migration process mus=
t be
done in steps, with intermediate technology shifts and product deliveri=
es.

One scenario is like this:

Phase 1: Developing Java and internet based access solution to current
IMAGE data using gateway technology from Oracle. Improving/normalizing
datastructure in current IMAGE database.

Phase 2: Move database from IMAGE to Oracle8i. Do rest of database
redesign. Keep current PowerHouse programs on HP-3000, but reprogram fo=
r
relational database in Oracle8i on NT/UNIX. Maybe move PH application f=
rom
MPE/ix to UNIX??

Phase 3: Rewrite application "chunck by chunck" using Java technology.
Moving to OO and GUI development.


I would be thankfull  for any serious comment / experiences related to =
this
topic.

Regards from

Jon Kvisli
----------------------------------------------
Principal consultant
Lindorff Applications as
Hellandtunet forsknings- og n=E6ringssenter
Postboks 4, 3833 B=F8 i Telemark
tlf: 35 06 15 71
fax: 35 06 15 01
e-post: jon.kvisli@lindorffapplications.com
www.lindorffapplications.com
----------------------------------------------


=3D =3D =3D =3D =3D =3D =3D =3D =3D =3D =3D =3D =3D =3D =3D =3D =3D =3D=
 =3D =3D =3D =3D =3D =3D =3D =3D =3D =3D =3D =3D =3D =3D =3D =3D =3D =3D=
 =3D =3D
Subscribe: "subscribe powerh-l" in message body to majordomo@lists.swau=
.edu
Unsubscribe: "unsubscribe powerh-l" in message to majordomo@lists.swau.=
edu
This list is closed, thus to post to the list, you must be a subscriber=