APA Macroanalysis

The first form of APA analysis is a very high­level abstract view of the application environment. This level of analytics looks at the application in the context of the overall IT organization. Systems information is collected at a very high level. The key here is to understand which applications exist, how they interact, and what the identified value of the desired function is. With this type of analysis, organizations can manage overall modernization strategies and identify key applications that are good candidates for SOA integration, re­architecture, or re­platforming versus a replacement with Commercial Off­the­Shelf (COTS) applications. Data structures, program code, and technical characteristics are not analyzed here.

The following macro­level process flow diagram was automatically generated from Relativity Technologies Modernization Workbench tool. Using this, the user can automatically get a view of the screen flows within a COBOL application. This is used to help identify candidate areas for modernization, areas of complexity, transfer of knowledge, or legacy system documentation. The key thing about these types of reports is that they are dynamic and automatically generated.

The previous flow diagram illustrates some interesting points about the system that can be understood quickly by the analyst. Remember, this type of diagram is generated automatically, and can provide instant insight into the system with no prior knowledge. For example, we now have some basic information such as:

• MENSAT1.MENMAP1 is the main driver and is most likely a menu program.

  
  

• There are four called programs.

  
  

• Two programs have database interfaces.

  
  

This is a simplistic view, but if you can imagine hundreds of programs in a visual perspective, we can quickly identify clusters of complexity, define potential subsystems, and do much more, all from an automated tool with visual navigation and powerful cross­referencing capabilities. This type of tool can also help to re­document existing legacy assets.

APA Microanalysis

The second type of portfolio analysis is APA microanalysis. This examines applications at the program level. This level of analysis can be used to understand things like program logic or candidate business rules for enablement, or business rule transformation. This process will also reveal things such as code complexity, data exchange schemas, and specific interaction within a screen flow. These are all critical when considering SOA integration, re­architecture, or a re­platforming project.

The following are more models generated from the Relativity Modernization
Technologies Workbench tool. The first is a COBOL transaction taken from a COBOL process. We are able to take a low­level view of a business rule slice taken from a COBOL program, and understand how this process flows. The particulars of this flow map diagram are not important; rather, this model can be automatically generated and is dynamic based on the current state of the code.

The second model shows how a COBOL program interacts with a screen conversation. In this example, we are able to look at specific paragraphs within a particular program. We can identify specific CICS transaction and understand which paragraphs (or subroutines) are interacting with the database. The models can be used to further refine our drive for a more re­architected system, help us identify business rules and help us populate a rules engine, which we will see in the later chapters.

This example is just another example of a COBOL program that interacts with screens shown in gray, and the paragraphs that execute CICS transactions shown in white. So with these color coded boxes, we can quickly identify paragraphs, screens, databases, and CICS transactions.

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