In a typical mainframe assembler modernization project, MicroAPL consultants will work closely with you and with other partners to ensure the best possible quality of the converted code. Our approach is always to be flexible, but usually our contribution to the overall sucesss of the project involves:
- An initial outline assessment of the project, including examining the assembler source code, discussions with the client, and running code through our Relogix translator to see what issues emerge and the assess the scope of the translation project. As part of this initial phase, we will usually carry out a proof-of-concept translation of some representative modules in the assembler codebase so that you can see how well the code translates and gain familiarity with the translation process. We will usually do this free of charge or for a small fee, depending on how much code we have to look at.
- If you decide to go ahead with the next stage of the project, we will work with you to do a more detailed assessment of the project to identify which parts are appropriate for automated translation and which parts, if any, will require custom development (for example, to replace an in-house database with an industry-standard relational database).
- We will then work closely with you on the main iterative phase of the code-analysis and translation, using our Relogix tool to translate the whole of the relevant codebase to C, examine the results and any Relogix warnings/errors, and tune the translation to get the best quality translation. In some cases we will customize Relogix to handle any client-specific idioms where the code quality can be improved with extra analysis.
- We may if appropriate help you with unit testing of the translated code, or alternatively you can do this entirely in-house.
- We will then typically hand over the translated code for your staff, or one of our partner companies, to work on refactoring to Java or C#, using AI and/or one of the proprietary high-level-language translation tools available from mainframe modernization specialists.
Usually we work remotely on your code, but this would be discussed with you before the start of the project.