Using PostgreSQL as an Application

Modernization and Consolidation Cornerstone:Legacy Metamorphosis

Charles Finley, Transformix Computer

Corporation

www.xformix.com

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Migration and Developer Productivity Solutions

PGConf – November 15, 2016

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Speaker: Charles Finley

• Specialization: Legacy Application Migration and Modernization

• Replatforming

• Database migrations

• Language conversions

• System Integration

• Web and Mobile Development

• Oracle, IBM DB2, MSSQL, Postrgresql, MySQL

• OS: Linux, UNIX and Windows

• Minimally Invasive

• 40+ years in IT

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Legacy Metamorphosis

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Migration Versus Modernization

• Modernization

Legacy modernization, or software modernization, refers to the conversion, rewriting or porting of a legacy system to a modern computer programming language, software libraries, protocols, or hardware platform. This involves more substantial changes.

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• Migration

Legacy application migration is the process of moving an application program from one environment to another with minimal changes to the application.

Migrate (Lift and Shift) and Modernization

What We Provide

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• Migration - Lift and Shift

• Database

• Application

• Related Artifacts

• Modernization

• Database

• Platform change (Linux, Unix, Windows)

• Automated Tools

• Like-for-like

• Restful API

• Skills to integrate older systems with new

Why This Topic?

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• Our main job at Transformix is the extend the life of

legacy applications – Lift and Shift and

Modernization Using Software Tools

• We have been in search of a toolkit that can help

simplify the job of modernizing legacy applications

that can also be used to develop new applications

• This talk explains our motives, how this can be

accomplished and where we are in our quest

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We Need to Deal

With The Clutter

3GL mainframe programming languages

• Ada

• Algol

• C, C++

• COBOL

• FORTRAN

• Pascal

• PL/I

• RPG

• Natural

• Telon9

PGConf - November 15, 2016

4GL mainframe

programming• ADS/Online (ADSO)

• Application Master

• APS

• CA Ideal

• COOL:Gen

• CSP

• DYL-260/280

• Easytrieve Plus

• FOCUS

• Mantis

Databases

• IMS

• Rdb

• ISAM

• TurboIMAGE

Desktop Database

• MicrosoftAccess

• ParaDox

• FileMakerPro

• ExBase and derivatives such as dBase, FoxPro and ClipperLanguage

• OpenOfficeBase

• SuperBase

Modernizing and Future Proofing Applications

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Feature Mismatch

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• Legacy Applications – We have

• Older Development Tools

• Stove Pipe Monolithic Applications

• Desktop Information Islands

• Web and Mobile Access

• Cloud

• Application Integration

• Database Sophistication

• User Interface

• Security, Integrity, Restart, Recovery

• Modern Applications – We want

• Modern RAD Tools

• RDBMS, REST, etc.

• Move to RDBMS and Axelor

• Axelor

• Axelor

• Axelor

• PostgreSQL

• Axelor

• PostgreSQL

Bridge the Feature Gap

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• Legacy Applications

• Older Development Tools

• Stove Pipe Monolithic Applications

• Desktop Information Islands

• Web and Mobile Access

• Cloud

• Application Integration

• Database Sophistication

• User Interface

• Security, Integrity, Restart, Recovery

• Modern Applications

• Modern RAD Tools

• RDBMS, REST, etc.

• Move to RDBMS and Axelor

• Axelor

• Axelor

• Axelor

• PostgreSQL

• Axelor

• PostgreSQL

Three Things To Accomplish

• Replace Some Databases

• Replace Some Developer Tools and Languages with a

more modern one

• Future Proof Some Applications

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Application

Metamorphosis

Modernization

ToolsPostgreSQL

Axelor Migration

Tools

Modernization

Improve functionality

of legacy application

data sources and add

new modern features

to the application

Migration

Move the database

and/or the application

to a new environment

keeping the same logic

and look and feel

Common RDBMS

Used for both legacy

and new applications.

Common

Development

Framework

Used for both legacy

and new applications

Four Main Solution Components

To Bridge the Gap

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A Strategy for Dealing with Easing

the Burden Existing Monolithic Applications

• Database-centric – PostgreSQL

• Features a progressive series of solutions

• Meant to increase developer productivity

• Meant to ease integration and data sharing

• Meant to use for maintenance and enhancement of

existing applications and facilitate the development

of new ones with a common set of tools

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It’s All About that BASE

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Transition from Today to the Future

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1. No change

2. Database Only

Migration

3. Application and

Database Migration

4. Database Modernization

5. Application and

Database Modernization

• We are interested in seeing how PostgreSQL features can play a significant role in enhancing the value of each form of migration or modernization. The PGSQL contribution is progressive as we move up the diagram.

How PostgreSQL Can

Help Applications Evolve

01Leave Alone

04

Modernize

Database

This helps with

both legacy

application and

new applications

03Migrate

Application

and

DatabaseApplication can

be extended and

supplemented

with native

features

05Modernize

Application

and

Database

Application can

be extended and

organization can

be use existing

modules that are

available in

Axelor.

Application

becomes cloud

ready.

02Migrate

Database• Data becomes

available to

native

applications.

Continue with

disadvantages

Move schema

and data to

PostgreSQL

Move

Application to

Modern

Platform

Modernize the

database by

adding

advanced

database

features to the

migrated

database.

Modernize the

Application

with Axelor

JAVA

Framework

Stage 01: No Change

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• Main Disadvantage – Business needs are not being

met using older technologies

Stage 02:

Database Only Migration

• Existing applications continue to work on the current

platform

• Applications can be extended more easily when SQL

is used

• Other applications can access the data in the database

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Program Centric Data Centric

Most Legacy Applications Most HLL / OO Applications

• Traditional RLA I/O based

• Slows Down as # of rows

increase

• Less Efficient

• Less Flexible

• Program(ers) Determine

Access Method of Data

• Single Layer Architecture

• Row Based Data Access

• SQL I/O Based

• Speeds up as # of rows increase

• Very Efficient

• Very Flexible to Changing

Business

• Database Determines Access

Method of Data

• Multi Layer Architecture

• Set Based Data Access

Why an RDBMS:

Program Centric vs Data Centric

Database Migration Runtime

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Stage 03:

Application and Database Migration

• Like-for-like migration

• Limited user retraining

• Same functionality as before

• Easier to extend the application

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03 Application and Database Migration

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• Application migration steps

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Stage 04:

Database Modernization

• Legacy application does not need to be affected

• Legacy, newer applications and outside applications can benefit from new features

• Tools

• Database Migration Tools

• Modernization tools and Workbench

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04 Database Modernization

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Features that Can Improve Developer Productivity

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• Indexes (foreign keys, composite)

• Full text searches

• Views

• Triggers

• Assertions

• Cursors

• UDFs

• Stored Procedures

• Object Relational

Mapping (ORM)

• NoSQL (HStore and

JSONB)

04 Database Modernization

Features Gained

• Text search capability

• Reduced work involved

in programming

• Web Services

• NoSQL capability

• Reduce programming

effort as much as 80%

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Stage 05:

Application and Database Modernization

• The database may have already been modernized in the previous phase in preparation for this step.

• Axelor is used to create new application components sometimes incorporating existing code

• The migrated application is integrated with standard Axelor applications to form a composite application

• Also, this is a time when other application features can be added to the application.

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Application and Database Modernization Tools

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What We Found with Axelor

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• √ Rapid Application Development (RAD) tool for the PostgreSQL Database

• √ Browser based for Development, Deployment & Runtime

• √ Mobile development capability

• √ Declaratively build professional Web 2.0 applications that are fast and secure

• √ Leverages full PostgreSQL database capabilities and existing SQL

• Capable of Using Existing Database – MISSING, we added this

• Forms Based Development Tools - MISSING, we added this

• √ Off the shelf applications that we can use to enhance our applications

• http://www.axelor.com/

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• Development kit for Axelor

JAVA Framework

• Open Source – AGPL

• PostgreSQL based

• Database centric

development

• Standards based

Axelor Development Kit

Goal: Migration and Modernization

Consolidated Model

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Checklist

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Component Status Solution

Rapid application development

stack with common artifacts

√ Transformix Tools and

Axelor

Web application server √ Apache Tomcat

Database management system √ PostgreSQL

Framework √ Axelor

Application specific tools and

components

√ Transformix Tools and

The Application

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05 Application and Database Modernization:

ModernizationInPlace

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Modernized Application

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Summary and Conclusions

01Leave Alone

04

Modernize

Database

This helps with

both legacy

application and

new applications

03Migrate

Application

and

DatabaseApplication can

be extended and

supplemented

with native

features

05Modernize

Application

and

Database

Application can

be extended and

organization can

be use existing

modules that are

available in

Axelor.

Application

becomes cloud

ready.

02Migrate

Database• Data becomes

available to

native

applications.

Continue with

disadvantages

Move schema

and data to

PostgreSQL

Move

Application to

Modern

Platform

Modernize the

database by

adding

advanced

database

features to the

migrated

database.

Modernize the

Application

with Axelor

JAVA

Framework

For More Information

• Charles Finley:

• Homepage: http://modernization.xformix.com

• eMail: cfinley@xformix.com

• Phone: +1 (619) 795-0720

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Demos for

Developing with Postgresql and Axelor

• Video Screen Solution for Time Entry

http://demo.axelor.com/abs-en/login.jsp

• Demo Database Time Entry https://1drv.ms/v/s!AvErnN6p3ZGDhz9t6Ndu93v13Ju2

• Demo Database Access https://1drv.ms/v/s!AvErnN6p3ZGDhz4uNRBDrhmduWIG

• Video Axelor

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6MShqGydkp8

• Video 2SQL http://www.cu2globa.lcom/videos

• Video Open Legacy

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Thank You

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Questions?

Extra Slides

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Axelor

Axelor

• The Axelor platform is a rapid development framework for building business applications based on Java technology.

• It is easy to learn, customizable and saves critical time for complex applications.

• The application code is object-oriented, allowing you to use the standard Java APIs.

• The Axelor platform uses an approach to model-driven development, where the heart of your application are Java classes that model your business code.

• This means that you can stay productive while maintaining a high level of encapsulation.

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Axelor Applications Have a Modern

Look and Feel

The Axelor Framework

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Axelor Development Kit

• Development kit for Axelor JAVA Framework

• Open Source - AGPL

• PostgreSQL based

• Database centric development

• Standards based

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Development Tools for Missing

Features

• Capable of Using Existing Database

• We enhanced Axelor

• We added a code generator

• Forms Based Development Tools

• We created an editor/workbench for Axelor forms

• Eclipse plugin

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Substantially Modernized to Web Browser

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Mobile Phone Tablet

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