With the Migration Tools 400 EGL, System i RPG and Cobol applications can be converted into IBM's state-of-the-art development environment for business apps, the Enterprise Generation Language (EGL). EGL is a highly efficient language for developing modern, platform-independent business applications. EGL is embedded in Eclipse, is compatible with RDi and generates platform-independent Java code as well as high performance native code for System i.
Because EGL can easily be integrated with RPG and Cobol applications, migration can be broken down into smaller steps. Once migrated, further development and maintenance of the software is done directly in EGL. During the course of migration, the application logic is separated from the system functions in order to achieve maximum portability. All application logic is pure EGL and 100% portable. All of the core functionality such as database access, dialog access, printer control, CL commands, QAPIs, etc. are encapsulated in their own access modules. These access modules comprise i5OS functionality and are therefore platform-specific. They can either be replaced with platform-neutral functionality over time, or are immediately platform-independent in conjunction with the Service Library 400. The PKS Universal Client can be employed as a user interface for the converted application parts. The Web Client Xi is compatible with native EGL user interface development. RPG and EGL programs can be combined as you like when using Web Client Xi. Through this method, it is possible to supplement converted programs with new native EGL functionality. The boundary between the old and new programs is nearly totally transparent for the user. EGL is the ideal solution for all developers who want to break free of RPG or Cobol in the long run, but don't have the time to rewrite everything. |
