Migrating from PH to Java / RDBMS

[Richard Witkopp]

All I can say is: Oh My Gawd!

It's difficult enough to migrate to a packaged solution like
SAP that's been fully developed, security-checked, and all that.
I can't imagine how large a job that would be to develop it from
scratch. Especially multi-tier!

> Was: In Support of PowerHouse
>
> Our company are facing a migration of a 15 old, rather large
> application
> from PH/IMAGE to Java/RDBMS plattform, and I would like to
> hear from others
> 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 served 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, new
> 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 to
> the Javaworld. (I regret to say that I do not think Axiant is
> a very good
> move to client/server either.) Therefore we have chosen tools
> from other
> 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
> objectoriented
> 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 give
> our project a very high risk factor, and that the migration
> process must be
> done in steps, with intermediate technology shifts and
> product deliveries.
>
> 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 for
> relational database in Oracle8i on NT/UNIX. Maybe move PH
> application from
> 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 næringssenter
> Postboks 4, 3833 Bø i Telemark
> tlf: 35 06 15 71
> fax: 35 06 15 01
> e-post: jon.kvisli@lindorffapplications.com
> www.lindorffapplications.com
> ----------------------------------------------
>
>
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