Made available in DSpace on 2016-06-02T19:05:16Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 DissMPr.pdf: 5452901 bytes, checksum: dd3e601629e8122c0ce032487fa894b3 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2003-05-19 / Financiadora de Estudos e Projetos / This project objectives the development of a support tool to the reverse engineering process for procedimental legacy systems implemented in COBOL, in order to be facilitating their recovery. The FAROOL (Ferramenta de Apoio à engenharia Reversa Orientada a Objetos de Legados) is a guide to software engineers in the reverse engineering process that is based on pre-defined heuristics, so that guided models to the objects are obtained from systems implemented in COBOL. FAROOL addresses two phases, in special, in the process of object guided reverse engineering. The first phase is the Elaboration of the MASA (Modelo de Análise do Sistema Atual, when a legacy systems model of pseudoguided objects is created. The second phase is of MAS Elaboration (Modelo de Análise do Sistema), when a totally model of guided objects is create, being based on the previous model (MASA). By applying the FAROOL, the software engineers are guided so that the reverse engineering process is materialized. First, the preparation of the system is made, aid of the Legacy Aid CASE tool, integrated to the FAROOL tool through macros.They follow the determination of the candidates classes, of the candidates attributes and of the candidates methods of the MASA model, that can become candidates to the class, to the attributes and to the methods, respectively, of the MAS model. Special heuristics are followed for the confection of the relationships between the candidate class in the model of guided objects. All the information are stored in a relational database, facilitating to the task of the software engineer in the reverse engineering process. The Delphi environment; the relational database Interbase; and the Legacy Aid tool were used in the elaboration of the FAROOL. / Este projeto objetiva o desenvolvimento de uma ferramenta de apoio ao processo de engenharia reversa orientada a objetos a partir de sistemas legados procedimentais implementados em COBOL, de modo a facilitar a recuperação desses. A Ferramenta de Apoio à engenharia Reversa Orientada a Objetos de Legados, denominada FAROOL, é um guia aos engenheiros de software durante o processo de engenharia reversa baseando-se em heurísticas pré-determinadas para que modelos orientados a objetos sejam obtidos a partir de sistemas implementados em COBOL. FAROOL se preocupa com duas fases, em especial, no processo de engenharia reversa orientada a objetos. A primeira fase é a de Elaboração do Modelo de Análise do Sistema Atual (MASA), quando um modelo pseudoorientado a objetos é criado a partir do sistema legado. A segunda fase é a de Elaboração do Modelo de Análise do Sistema (MAS), quando um modelo totalmente orientado a objetos é criado, abstraindo-se o modelo anterior (MASA). Através da FAROOL, os engenheiros de software são guiados para que o processo de engenharia reversa se concretize. Primeiramente, é feita a preparação do sistema, com auxílio da ferramenta CASE Legacy Aid, integrada à FAROOL através de macros. Seguem a determinação das classes, dos atributos e dos métodos candidatos do modelo MASA, que podem se tornar classes, atributos e métodos, respectivamente, do modelo MAS. Heurísticas especiais são seguidas para a confecção dos relacionamentos entre as classes no modelo orientado a objetos. Todas as informações são armazenadas em um banco de dados relacional, facilitando a tarefa do engenheiro de software no processo de engenharia reversa. O ambiente Delphi; o banco de dados relacional Interbase e a ferramenta Legacy Aid foram utilizadas na elaboração da FAROOL.

Legacy-system sköter idag flera kritiska affärsprocesser hos många företag och banker. Dessa system är dyra att underhålla och uppdatera med nya funktioner. Legacy-systemenär också svåra att anpassa till en tjänsteorienterad arkitektur eller SOA (Service OrientedArchitechture). Därför vill företagen börja fasa ut dessa system. SOA är ett tankesätt i hur man strukturerar ett system. Allt ska vara uppbyggt av tjänster som inte är beroende avvarandra och därför i framtiden blir lättare att byta ut, ändra eller ta bort. Eftersom ingen tjänst ska vara beroende av någon annan skadas ingen annan del av systemet om en tjänst ändras. Eftersom fler och fler företag idag vill övergå till en SOA så letar de efter sätt att migrerasina legacy-system till modernare plattformar. Det finns flera olika sätt att migrerera legacy-system. Alla har olika fördelar och nackdelar. En av de säkrare metoderna är Chicken Little (steg-för-stegmetod), men den tar längre tid än att till exempel använda sig av metoden Cold Turkey som även kallas Big Bang. Big Bang för att man byter ut hela systemet på till exempel en helg eller liknande (drastisk metod). Flera företag har också specialiserat sig på att automatiskt översätta gammal kod till modernare, den tekniken heter transcoding. Det finns även företag som jobbar med att få bland annat Cobol att jobba ihop med modernare utvecklingsplattformar såsom Java. Ett av de mer aktiva företagen som arbetar med detta är Micro Focus, som har utvecklat ett bibliotek som gör att du kan starta Cobol-program från Java eller .NET. Författarna har med hjälp av deras Java-bibliotek skapat ett program åt Bluegarden som kan starta upp Cobol-program. Programmet skapades för att påvisa vad de kan använda för att slippa flera steg i uppstart av Cobol-program. För att undvika att man får legacy-system i framtiden har det även kommit fram flera underhållsmodeller. Underhållsmodellerna fungerar på olika sätt, men alla har som mål att undvika legacy-system. / Legacy systems today manages many critical business processes of many organisations and banks. These systems are expensive to maintain and update with new features. Legacy systems is also difficult to adapt to a SOA (Service Oriented Architecture). Therefore, the companies want to begin phasing out these systems. SOA is an approach in how to structure a system. Everything should be built of services that are not depending on each other and therefore in the future will be easy to replace, update or delete. Since no services will be dependent on any other, you can change one without harming another. More and more companies today want to move to a SOA, therefore they are looking for ways to migrate their legacy systems to modern platforms. There are several ways to migrate legacy systems. Every way has different advantages and disadvantages. One of the safer methods is called Chicken Little, but it takes longer than, for example using the method Cold Turkey. Several companies have also specialized in automatically translating old code to a modern programming language, this technique is called transcoding. There are companies that are working to get Cobol to work with more modern languages such as Java. One of the bigger companies that is developing ways to combine COBOL and Java is Micro Focus. They have developed a library that allows you to start COBOL programs from Java. To avoid legacy systems in the future, several maintenance models have been created. Maintenance models are structured in different ways, but all have the goal to avoid future legacy systems.

This study determines how the COBOL competencies taught in information systems programs and those attained by information systems students compare to those needed on the job. Five research questions were posed: 1. What are the introductory COBOL programming competencies required to be a COBOL programmer? 2. To what extent do information systems program faculty perceive that they have taught COBOL programming competencies? 3. What level of competence in COBOL programming do prospective employers expect information systems graduates to have on the job? 4. To what extent do information systems seniors perceive that they have developed COBOL programming competencies? 5. Which COBOL programming competencies did the faculty, prospective employers, and seniors rate similarly in regard to level of skill? The respondents in the study were information systems faculty, prospective employers of information systems graduates, and information systems seniors. Usable responses were received from 85.4% of the total population. Findings reveal that there were two competencies for which the groups responded differently. These competencies were both in the preparation area. They were "Prepare a card record layout," and "Prepare a system flowchart." The two competencies which the groups had the least disagreement on were "Be familiar with group printing," and "Be familiar with accept statement." Based upon the findings in this study, the following conclusions were drawn: 1. The competencies identified through the search of the literature and validated by the panel of experts are the competencies needed on the job for COBOL programming and therefore appropriate for inclusion in the four-year information systems programs. 2. The information systems faculty are adequately emphasizing in their programs the COBOL competencies they should be. 3. The faculty rated the competencies taught somewhat higher than the prospective employers felt they were needed. / Ed. D.

El presente proyecto de fin de carrera corresponde al desarrollo de una infraestructura de software para realizar pruebas automatizadas de sistemas de información desarrollados en lenguaje cobol en el contexto bancario. La propuesta de esta infraestructura surge como resultado del análisis de la realidad del proceso de pruebas dentro del área de Certificación de un banco. La infraestructura propuesta es configurable, escalable y adaptable para las diferentes versiones de cobol con las que se cuenten. El presente documento ha sido estructurado en 7 capítulos como se describe a continuación: En el capítulo 1 se presenta la problemática de donde se extrajo el problema que tuvo como resultado la propuesta del presente proyecto de fin de carrera, el objetivo general, objetivos específicos y resultados esperados. Se detallan las metodologías utilizadas en el proyecto tanto metodologías del proceso de construcción como la gestión del proyecto. Finalmente se menciona el alcance y limitaciones. En el capítulo 2 se presentan los conceptos y definiciones escenciales para el desarrollo del proyecto. En el capítulo 3 se revisan las soluciones actuales al problema identificado, se mencionan herramientas y finalmente se hace una comparación entre ellas. En el capítulo 4 se mencionan los requerimientos funcionales y no funcionales de la infraestructura. En el capítulo 5 se presenta la arquitectura de la solución, así como diagramas de actores entre otros, que permitirán comprender la forma de la infraestructura. En el capítulo 6 se presenta las distintas funcionalidades de la infraestructura ayudado de capturas de pantalla. En el capítulo 7 se presentan las observaciones, conclusiones y recomendaciones del presente proyecto de fin de carrera.

The impending mass retirement of baby-boomer COBOL developers, has companies that wish to maintain their COBOL systems fearing a skill shortage. Due to the dominance of COBOL within the financial sector, COBOL will be continually developed over at least the coming decade. This thesis consists of two parts. The first part consists of a literature study of COBOL; both as a programming language and the skills required as a COBOL developer. Interviews were conducted with key Handelsbanken staff, regarding the current state of COBOL and the future of COBOL in Handelsbanken. The second part consists of a quantitative forecast of future COBOL workforce state in Handelsbanken. The forecast uses data that was gathered by sending out a questionnaire to all COBOL staff. The continued lack of COBOL developers entering the labor market may create a skill-shortage. It is crucial to gather the knowledge of the skilled developers before they retire, as changes in old COBOL systems may have gone undocumented, making it very hard for new developers to understand how the systems work without guidance. To mitigate the skill shortage and enable modernization, an extraction of the business knowledge from the systems should be done. Doing this before the current COBOL workforce retires will ease the understanding of the extracted data. The forecasts of Handelsbanken’s COBOL workforce are based on developer experience and hiring, averaged over the last five years. The forecasts take into consideration the age developers are hired, the age the developers exit, and their cumulative growing experience while in the skills pool. The state of COBOL in 2015 is used as a baseline of COBOL needs to forecast until 2060. I.e. the rate at which COBOL systems are developed stay the same. The forecasts show that if no developers are hired, most of their experienced developers will have left by 2030. To keep their current COBOL experience level, Handelsbanken needs to keep hiring over the coming 45 years. Handelsbanken has to hire on average 8.2 developers per year until 2030, and 6.5 developers per year until 2060. I.e. Handelsbanken has been able to keep a high average of 7.6 people per year for the last five years. / Organisationer som underhåller COBOL system är oroliga inför den åldrande COBOL-arbetskraftens pensionering. COBOLs dominans inom den finansiella sektorn leder till att COBOL kod kommer att fortsätta utvecklas i minst tio år till. Den här uppsatsen är uppdelad i två delar. Första delen är en litteraturstudie om COBOL som programmeringsspråk, samt kunskapsbehovet som COBOL utvecklare. Intervjuer gjordes med nyckelpersoner inom Handelsbanken, kring det nuvarande tillståndet av COBOL och COBOLs framtid i Handelsbanken. Den andra delen består av en kvantitativ prognos kring Handelsbankens behov av COBOL utvecklare i framtiden. Prognosen bygger på data som samlats genom att skicka ut en enkät till alla COBOL utvecklare. Den fortsatta bristen på nya COBOL utvecklare på arbetsmarknaden kan skapa en kompetensbrist. Det är viktigt att samla kunskapen som de pensionerande utvecklarna bär på, eftersom ändringarna i systemen kan ha gått odokumenterade, vilket gör det väldigt svårt för nya utvecklare att förstå systemen utan vägledning. För att minska kompetensbehovet och möjliggöra modernisering av systemen, bör en extraktion av affärskunskap göras ur systemen. Att ta hjälp av utvecklarna av systemen kan avsevärt förenkla förståelsen av den extraherade informationen. Prognoserna av Handelsbankens COBOL arbetskraft baseras på data om utvecklarerfarenhet och anställning över de senaste fem åren. Prognoserna tar hänsyn till åldern när utvecklarna anställs, åldern när utvecklarna slutar, och tillväxten av deras sammanlagda erfarenhet under tiden de jobbar. Prognosen använder COBOL erfarenhetsbehovet i 2015 som en bas för prognosen. Prognosen beräknar behoven fram till år 2060. Prognoserna visar att om inga nya tillskott av utvecklare görs, så kommer de flesta av Handelsbankens erfarna utvecklare ha slutat vid år 2030. För att behålla deras nuvarande erfarenhetsnivå, så kommer Handelsbanken behöva kontinuerligt anställa utvecklare över kommande 45 åren. Handelsbanken kommer behöva anställa i genomsnitt 8,2 utvecklare per år fram till 2030, och därefter 6,5 utvecklare per år fram till 2060. Handelsbanken har lyckats ha en hög genomsnittlig anställningstakt de senaste fem åren, 7,6 personer per år.

Thesis (M.Tech.: Computer Studies)-Dept. of Computer Science, Durban Institute of Technology, 2002. / Computer programming has been a science for approximately 50 years. It this time there havebeen two major paradigm shifts that have taken place. The first was from “spaghetti code” to structured programs. The second paradigm shift is from procedural programs to object oriented programs. The change in paradigm involves a change in the way in which a problem is approached, can be solved, as well as a difference in the language that is used. The languages that were chosen to be studied, are COBOL and Java. These programming languages were identified as key languages, and the languages that software development are the most reliant on. COBOL, the procedural language for existing business systems, and Java the object oriented language, the most likely to be used for future development. To complete this study, both languages were studied in detail. The similarities and differences between the programming languages are discussed. Some key issues that a COBOL programmer has to keep in mind when moving to Java were identified.

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Thesis (M.Tech.: Computer Studies)-Dept. of Computer Science, Durban Institute of Technology, 2002. / Computer programming has been a science for approximately 50 years. It this time there havebeen two major paradigm shifts that have taken place. The first was from “spaghetti code” to structured programs. The second paradigm shift is from procedural programs to object oriented programs. The change in paradigm involves a change in the way in which a problem is approached, can be solved, as well as a difference in the language that is used. The languages that were chosen to be studied, are COBOL and Java. These programming languages were identified as key languages, and the languages that software development are the most reliant on. COBOL, the procedural language for existing business systems, and Java the object oriented language, the most likely to be used for future development. To complete this study, both languages were studied in detail. The similarities and differences between the programming languages are discussed. Some key issues that a COBOL programmer has to keep in mind when moving to Java were identified.

This dissertation investigates the role of specification, refinement and implementation in the software development cycle. Both the structured and object-oriented paradigms are looked at. Particular emphasis is placed on the role of the refinement process. The requirements for the product (system) are determined, the specifications are drawn up, the product is designed, specified, implemented and tested. The stage between the (formal) specification of the system and the implementation of the system is the refinement stage. The refinement process consists out of data refinement, operation refinement, and operation decomposition. In this dissertation, Z, Object-Z and UML (Unified Modelling Language) are used as specification languages and C, C++, Cobol and Object-Oriented Cobol are used as implementation languages. As an illustration a small system, The ITEM System, is specified in Z and UML and implemented in Object-Oriented Cobol. / Computing / M. Sc. (Information Systems)

This dissertation investigates the role of specification, refinement and implementation in the software development cycle. Both the structured and object-oriented paradigms are looked at. Particular emphasis is placed on the role of the refinement process. The requirements for the product (system) are determined, the specifications are drawn up, the product is designed, specified, implemented and tested. The stage between the (formal) specification of the system and the implementation of the system is the refinement stage. The refinement process consists out of data refinement, operation refinement, and operation decomposition. In this dissertation, Z, Object-Z and UML (Unified Modelling Language) are used as specification languages and C, C++, Cobol and Object-Oriented Cobol are used as implementation languages. As an illustration a small system, The ITEM System, is specified in Z and UML and implemented in Object-Oriented Cobol. / Computing / M. Sc. (Information Systems)