The COBOL migration can be a major project in terms of costs, time and the effect on the IT organization. In undertaking such an effort, data processing management must ensure that the conversion is performed properly, in a reasonable time frame and within the constraints of the ongoing data processing activities.

This session is designed to assist the client to organize and begin the COBOL migration project. Drawing upon our experience with hundreds of migrations, PRINCE Software will recommend a conversion approach that will meet the following major objectives:

• Facilitate the most effective use of the MHtran-2 COBOL migration software
• Minimize the impact on ongoing development and maintenance activities
• Offer the least risk
• Assure the greatest opportunity for success

Representatives from application development and technical support areas affected by the implementation of the new COBOL compiler.

PRINCE Software presents an overview of the migration process, describing the major activities and identifying items requiring special consideration. Through interaction with the attendees, areas of concern are identified for further discussion and possible investigation.

Questions and/or issues raised during the MHtran-2 trial will be addressed and requests for product customization will be discussed.

The early morning is spent with the project management team to discuss the agenda and expected results for the rest of the session. This time will also be used to identify the project team and review project organization and control.

The remainder of the morning will be used to review the technical environment required for the migration. During this session we will identify the library structure and flow of program entities through the conversion process. We will also discuss compiler and linkedit options and standard translation and compile PROCs.

The project overview presentation will be given in the afternoon. Items requiring further investigation or translator customization will be identified and documented.

PRINCE specialists, working with your in-house project team, develop a full COBOL migration plan, which addresses the migration topics in greater detail and provides a complete view of the migration process.

Planning activities begin with a two day kick-off session, where PRINCE Software presents an overview of the migration process, describing the major activities and identifying items requiring special consideration. Through interaction with client personnel, areas of concern are identified and discussed. The kick-off session results in the following deliverables:

• A preliminary project planning document
• A high level task list
• Identification of a pilot conversion kernel

Our technicians are available by phone during the pilot kernel to assist the in-house project team with issues that arise from the translation and testing activities.

A follow-up planning session, conducted upon completion of the pilot kernel, is scheduled to review the conversion process and results, identify any desired modifications and finalize the conversion plan.

Additional Consulting Services The following consulting services are available from PRINCE Software's experienced staff of IT professionals. Systems Programming Support Assist client personnel in the implementation of the new COBOL compiler and/or the LE environment. Develop / Review Compile Procedures BAL Program Upgrade Review and modify BAL subroutines to support 31 bit addressing that will allow them to run above the 16 megabyte line Assemble the programs under the new high-level assembler Online Project Support Through dial-up capability, provide online support to client's project team. In addition to standard product support, we will provide solutions for non-standard source code (e.g., TELON), research and correct run-time errors and provide general advice concerning the conversion project. Macro to Command Level CICS Conversion Replace Macro Level CICS coding with the appropriate Command Level equivalent

Return to the MHtran-2 product description page.