Executive Summary - Fast Access to DB2/400
Harnessing the power and performance of DB2/400 has eluded many professionals trained in the use
of SQL as the primary means to access data. This challenge often extends to C/C++/C# and VB
programmers alike.
Enterprises experienced with iSeries systems and DB2/400 performance and security often seek
ways to extend both their experience and confidence with the environment; suggesting DB2/400
become the database for online transactions from Microsoft Windows and from web applications
running in IIS. However, programming professionals experienced in the use of SQL often do not
understand how to extract the best performance from DB2/400 in these situations. ASNA has
developed DataGate for the express purpose of providing unparalleled performance in these exacting
situations.
Legacy IT Modernization in Today’s World
This document reviews the issues related to modernizing enterprise IT systems and presents a
unique end-to-end approach to one of the most complex IT challenges facing CIOs today: Legacy IT
Modernization (LIM).
Although there are a number of forces driving companies to modernize their IT systems these days,
the overriding impetus for LIM is the need to easily address changing business demands in order to
maintain a competitive edge in the market.
CIOs understand that LIM can significantly reduce costs through the implementation of more efficient,
standardized IT systems that lower maintenance and human resource expenses. Modernized
systems also guarantee shorter time-to-market, easier application integration, consolidation of
subsystems, and the ability to expand functionality while fully preserving corporate business
knowledge. Their ROI can be measured not only directly within the IT budget but also throughout the
organization, due to increased productivity and more efficient decision-making processes.
The System i Golden Days
IBM System i (formerly known as iSeries, AS/400, and Application System/400) is a midrange
platform produced by IBM. It was officially introduced as the AS/400 in 1988. In 2006, the platform
was renamed System i.
In the ’90s the AS/400 platform became one of IBM’s greatest success stories. A symbiotic
relationship between platforms, vendors, and independent software vendors (ISVs) proved to be a
critical success factor for both the platform and the application providers. The value propositions of
the System i platform and the advantage over alternatives, led many enterprises and ISVs to develop
vertical applications based on System i. Thousands of enterprises and ISVs put their trust and future
in this environment. This was the golden age of the platform, and new vertical solutions were created
one after the other.
What is Screen Scraping?
There is much hype in the market place around screen scraping as a potential strategy for
modernizing or extending legacy applications. It started out as a point solution for
windows to iSeries [1] on a screen-by-screen basis. Now they are positioning themselves
as a comprehensive strategy for modernization. It is called “non-intrusive” and “easy”,
because you do not have to be (in the case of the iSeries) an RPG programmer to use it.
The screen-scraping concept took hold in the iSeries world back in the early 90’s, when it
was touted as the most effective method for putting a “windows” front end on iSeries
applications in MS Windows and in OS/2. At the time the concept made a great deal of
sense in many cases, since developing scalable client-server applications for the iSeries
was next to impossible.
How DataGate Handles Security — Overview
Whether the application is a component running in IIS, or an EXE running on a Windows
client, the implementation of security is paramount. When a client application establishes
a valid connection to the iSeries, as described below, the user’s profile along with object
authority and library list are established as well.
Applications access files and programs on the iSeries via a Database Name specification
on the client machine. Contained in that specification are the User ID and Password to be
used when connecting to DataGate. (Please note that if the database name configured
with “*Prompt” does not apply to IIS applications, it will not work, resulting in an error.)
System Migration:
Supporting the Four Pillars of Legacy Systems Through Modernization
Don't forget what your company is built on: people, business processes,
applications, and data.
As IT executives seek to support their organizations' competitive strength and agility, the question of
how to modernize legacy systems is crucial. Migration represents a strategic alternative to more
superficial or limited solutions. The decision to migrate--or to implement other alternatives for
modernizing an organization's systems--will have far-reaching implications for all aspects of an IT
system and for the people who develop and use it. By understanding the effects of migration and
other modernization alternatives on the four pillars of legacy systems--applications, processes, the
database, and human capital--IT executives can more effectively choose a path that both preserves
the value inherent in the legacy system and enhances the system's and organization's productivity
and agility.
iSeries to .NET: Legacy Modernization and Migration
Business Process Modeling, “Organic IT,” and Service Oriented Architectures; these are
the key technologies that are fundamentally changing the way firms will build their
internal systems—those that support their organizations—and how companies and their
internal and external information systems will interact.
A Technology Infrastructure that adapts to the on-demand needs of business – a move
that will help slash IT costs; promises even greater return when firms leverage existing
technology with emerging Internet standards to extend specific business services to other
applications, companies, and business processes; introducing a new level of balance
between maintenance and responsiveness – a new level of business agility.