PowerHouse Platform Migration

Companies can move their PowerHouse 4GL applications to other platforms such as UNIX, Linux or Windows. Speedware can provide the automated tools and the project management experience to deliver a successful migration project.

Platform Migration Challenges

As with most IT environments, a PowerHouse application environment can present unique challenges during migration. For example:

• All code that references operating-system commands or intrinsics or that calls external 3GLs must be replaced by equivalent functionality on the target OS.
  
  
• JCL code that refers to PowerHouse QUICK, QTP or QUIZ programs must be converted to use a batch scripting language supported by the target OS, and must also be adapted to work with the differences of the PowerHouse 4GL language on UNIX or Windows.
  
  
• Migrating from a proprietary HP e3000 TurboIMAGE database to a modern RDBMS usually requires application code changes. Most PowerHouse code for data access must be modified to use commands suitable for relational database access.
  
  
• Cognos does not support Omnidex for relational databases, requiring the removal of Omnidex functionality for a platform migration.
  
  
• When PowerHouse 4GL applications access databases or files that are also accessed by other languages like COBOL or C, some difficulties are likely be encountered. Similarly, if third-party utilities access the same databases or files, some incompatibilities may arise, particularly if the third-party utility is replaced as part of the system transition.

Platform Migration Solutions

Speedware possesses the tools, the expertise and the experience to help PowerHouse 4GL customers with their platform migration needs, regardless of how simple or complicated they turn out to be. Working with Cognos customers, Speedware has developed a proven platform migration methodology and has created a code analysis and migration toolset to help estimate the effort of a platform migration project, identify early important migration challenges and increase the level of automation of required code modification. Speedware's employees have been trained by Cognos on the distinctive features of PowerHouse 4GL. This knowledge is complemented by Speedware's own tools, solutions and methodologies based on real experience in helping PowerHouse 4GL customers migrate their applications to other platforms such as UNIX, Linux and Windows.

Speedware has unique expertise in dealing with the challenges encountered with the co-existence of PowerHouse 4GL applications and other languages like COBOL and third-party utilities like Robelle's Suprtool. Speedware possesses the experience to handle these challenges, as most of our PowerHouse 4GL platform migration projects included features like these. With 3GLs, Speedware devised a methodology and created a set of guidelines and tools to bridge the gap between language requirements and environment specifics.

In addition, to further minimize the challenges and risks related to your migration, you can consider using Marxmeier's Eloquence to replace your TurboIMAGE databases instead of an RDBMS. Many of our customers have chosen Eloquence to reduce the migration effort, so Speedware possesses significant project experience with Eloquence.