Idea Integration not only offers great tools to manage the application infrastructure, they have a great deal of expertise in dealing with multiple platforms, packages and legacy systems. Idea never fails to keep up with our rapidly changing needs. It’s that flexibility that has allowed them to be successful working with our organization.
-Harry Fratzke
Idea Integration offered us a low risk legacy strategy that was tailored to meet the needs of our organization. They have a solid team, with extensive experience. Their technology toolkit is first class and helped us transition our IT operations to a modernized platform without putting any of our business activities at risk.
-Don Hirsch
Home > Case Studies > Modernization Platform Migration
ASCE’s previous computing environment was based on a Unisys A-12 mainframe with applications written in LINC and COBOL. The proprietary features of this architecture kept operating costs high and complicated the Society’s efforts to serve its membership. By 1993, however, three challenges forced the ASCE to investigate an open systems migration solution. First, a newly adopted strategy called for lower maintenance costs and increased service to its membership. Second, the ASCE faced a 2.3 million-dollar upgrade for the A-Series mainframe. Third, the Unisys mainframe would have kept costs high and denied access to the latest software and application development tools.
These challenges led ASCE to seek an open systems migration. One of the most significant questions ASCE faced after this decision was how to migrate mission-critical applications such as PROMAPS. This large, LINC-based membership and publication system was written for Unisys A-Series and used mainframe conventions such as DMSII and COMS. ASCE knew what it wanted to do, but was not sure how to achieve it without rewriting applications.
When ASCE turned to Idea Modernization, it found a professional group of consultants that could provide an automated solution for its open systems migration requirements. For example, the solution included tools for converting A-Series LINC and COBOL to open-system standards such as Micro Focus COBOL or XGEN. The Idea Modernization solution also let ASCE pay for the migration and buy all new hardware at a lower cost than upgrading the mainframe.
During the seven-month project that followed, Idea Modernization formed a partnership with ASCE to deploy two Unix Digital Alpha 8200 servers. The plan that evolved from this partnership included four phases: database conversion, code conversion, testing, and interface conversion.
Table 1 outlines these phases and activities that accompanied them
| Phase | Description | Activity |
| 1 | Database Conversion | The team converted the DMSII database to an Oracle design and created a test database. |
| 2 | Code Conversion | The team ran the LINC code through an automated conversion filter that made the program database interfaces compatible with Unix. This change also involved a conversion from DMSII to Oracle and the rerouting of calls from COMS to OpenMCS. |
| 3 | Testing | The team tested the code to ensure the faithful reproduction of legacy user interface. |
| 4 | Interface Conversion | The team used Clientview Builder to create the PROMAPS block mode screens as graphic user interface (GUI) screens in the new platform. This strategy provided a modern Windows appearance without the need to relearn the applications or the sacrifice of functionality. |
This migration project gave ASCE a new system with lower IT costs, greater flexibility, and improved system performance while retaining all of their mission-critical applications. With the new platform, users gained access to point-and-click reporting tools and greater flexibility through thousands of commercial software packages. IT personnel gained the ability to use the latest client-server tools for building new applications. The best part is that all of this new capability and flexibility came at a significantly lower cost than the original upgrade estimate.
Founded in 1852, The American Society of Civil Engineer’s mission is to advance professional knowledge and improve the practice of civil engineering. Since then, ASCE has provided career-advancement opportunities through education, recognition, and networking. In 2002, the ranks of this international organization included over 123,000 members. At the same time, its outreach spanned the entire United States and over 200 nations.
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