Let’s first take a look at P3/COBOL. P3/COBOL isn’t just a simple COBOL-Cross-Compiler. It is a complete solution for application modernisation and migration, offering maximum security with manageable and transparent effort. P3/COBOL does not only allow you to modernise and migrate your applications in whatever way suits you best – it also enables and supports the transfer of knowledge within and behind your applications. In this way, P3/COBOL guarantees that you can continue to safely develop your application in future.
P3/COBOL’s hallmarks are the following:
- During business as usual, COBOL experts are trained in Java to prepare and enable know how transfer in time. This training covers how to use P3/COBOL and the related development environments and tools. Among others, training involves understanding and using analysis tools and the related use of machine learning algorithms to trace how applications are structured.
- During the transformation with P3/COBOL, the simultaneous use of COBOL knowledge and Java knowledge is enabled and encouraged to support an effective know how transfer. Building on this, questions about what the application does are addressed – optionally using machine learning algorithms – and the basis is laid to understand why the application does it in the way it does. By doing so, we distill a shared understanding of the technological basis and application structure. Machine learning algorithms and targeted use of artificial intelligence serve to continuously boost and supplement that understanding.
- Following completion of the transformation, application maintenance initially takes place in both COBOL and Java. Importantly, during this stage, COBOL experts’ knowledge is used to enhance the knowledge and understanding of Java experts. And in doing so, we enable a smooth transfer of know-how. Development in Java happens in parallel and draws on the newly acquired technological and subject matter knowledge to answer the “why” question.
HOW? = P3/COBOL, COBOL, Embedded Java, Java Augmented Syntax, Java.
This forms the basis to collate and develop knowledge about the “what” = applications
This, in turn, forms the basis to develop and answer questions about the “why” – and the subject matter expertise.
- For all tasks following the transformation, COBOL experts use their newly developed Java knowledge in partnership with Java developer teams. Further development of the transformed code and the implementation of planned new development now take place drawing on shared understanding and come with much reduced effort, cost, and risk.
These four steps allow businesses to address and solve challenges that relate to the ongoing use of existing core competencies, and to turn these competencies into future-proof, productive knowledge. We create the foundation for the use of AI within software development automatically and without any additional effort. Combining past and future is an advantage and enables the future to profit from the past.
