Converting to RIA with Go Up Technology s Solution

Transcription

1 Converting to RIA with Go Up Technology s Solution 10 reasons why converting your Magic / unipaas application to RIA via Go Up Technology s 100% true automated solution can make all the difference between failure and success. Page 1

2 Why RIA? It is assumed that readers of this white paper have already made the decision to transition to RIA (Rich Internet Application), and don't need any further persuasion about its merits. To be thorough however, we will summarize the top reasons Magic Software provides for making this switch: Anytime, Anywhere Availability Minimal Upkeep End-User Satisfaction Tighter Security Cloud Ready SaaS Enabled For further information on these benefits, please see "Top Reasons to Go RIA (January 2011)" from Magic Software. Page 2

3 Abstract When migrating to RIA, there are many issues which need to be addressed in order to successfully convert a 2-tier client/server application to a 3-tier architecture, while still preserving all its existing functionality. Those issues comprise a lengthy checklist of procedures that must be carried out properly and in the correct order to ensure a successful conversion. Failure to follow through on even one of those tasks could wreak havoc on the converted application, an outcome that could be catastrophic for mission-critical applications. Page 3

4 Table of Contents The Tyranny of Non-Automated Solutions Functionality Changing the Application s Architecture Performance Easy-to-Maintain Converted Code Handling Unsupported Elements Handling 3 rd Party Objects Costs Time Table and Code Freeze Guidance and Training Experience...8 Why You Should Use Go Up Technology s 100% True Automated Solution.9 1. Functionality Changing the Application s Architecture Performance Easy-to-Maintain Converted Code Handling Unsupported Elements Handling 3 rd Party Objects Costs Time Table and Code Freeze Guidance and Training Experience...11 Conclusion...12 Page 4

5 The Tyranny of Non-Automated Solutions Magic customers who want to convert their application to RIA usually have only two options: 1. Perform the conversion manually, using internal staff or a consultant 2. Perform the conversion with semi-automated tools, usually provided by a subcontractor Unfortunately, option #2 is often not what it seems since what some subcontractors call a semi-automated tool isn t truly even 20% automated, and in fact includes a deceptive amount of manual work. There are numerous potential problems if a RIA conversion isn t performed using a 100% true automated tool. Here are 10 of the most worrying a Magic customer should be concerned about: 1. Functionality The #1 objective of a RIA conversion is to first and foremost preserve the functionality of the current application. Unlike developing a new RIA application, migrating to RIA requires taking into account all existing constraints present in the converted application and its associated database. Applications developed with client/server architecture typically weren t given any consideration during their design that one day they might be converted to RIA. This issue escalates in importance and complexity the larger the application is and the more components it contains, or if it s integrated with some other Magic application. Maintaining the application s functionality means the newly converted application will work just like the previous application, only within the rules of the RIA framework. To ensure adherence to these rules during the migration process, radical changes might be required to the application. The conversion s top objective must be to ensure that the application s existing functionality will not be harmed due to these changes. Page 5

6 2. Changing the Application s Architecture The RIA platform is based on a 3-tier model, so the conversion process should address all relevant issues connected to the architectural changes the application will undergo. These changes are not only reflected in the application itself, but also the implementation of the RIA method. For example, a direct connection no longer exists between the client and database as is customary in client/server applications. In RIA, brokers are instead used to facilitate this connection. Changing the architecture of the existing, properly working Magic application requires significant changes to preserve the existing client/server functionality, while on the other hand writing new code that transitions the system to a 3-tier architecture. Such solutions should be creative, while ensuring ease of maintenance of the new converted code. Transitioning to a 3-tier architecture requires effective implementation of the code to save round-trips to the server and enable better performance of the converted application. 3. Performance In conversions such as these, performance is a major issue. After the conversion, there are more elements involved in the deployment of the application (IIS, Magic Broker, Bandwidth, etc.), and these can impact performance. Another factor to contend with is that the converted application was not originally designed to be a web application, with all the performance issue considerations such development requires. In general, a web application will perform slower than a client/server application and the biggest challenge is to get the converted application to perform at least as fast as the original system. This becomes especially problematic with the added dual requirements of preserving system functionality without losing information. 4. Easy-to-Maintain Converted Code There is no point in converting an application to RIA if you cannot easily understand and maintain it after the conversion. Therefore, it's very important during the conversion process to not only keep the rigid framework of RIA's rules, but also to implement easy-to-maintain converted code. Page 6

7 5. Handling Unsupported Elements Although Magic Software's RIA uses the same studio development environment as unipaas (xpa) client/server, this solution is completely different. As a result, there are many elements and objects that are not supported anymore by RIA in a broad swath of areas. Rather than give customers a list of elements and objects that are no longer supported, a fairer solution would have been to find alternatives and include them for implementation during the conversion process. However, for whatever reason, Magic Software opted not to do that. 6. Handling 3 rd Party Objects Magic applications often use external components, for example API's, ActiveX, DLL's, Exe Files, and many others too numerous to list. When migrating an application to RIA, it is essential to preserve the functionality of every component in use, while maintaining all the security restrictions and other limitations the RIA framework will impose upon them. 7. Costs Transitioning to RIA should provide benefits to the organization making this move, and these benefits should be quantifiable so they have a business justification. If the price of converting to RIA is too high, there may not be a business justification for migrating to this technology. Manual conversion or use of unqualified vendors lacking 100% true automated tools will inevitably lead to higher costs, as well as the unbudgeted involvement of an organization's internal development resources. Additionally, testing procedures will likely be greatly extended and the "adventure" of the RIA transition will quickly be exposed as problematic and expensive. Page 7

8 8. Time Table and Code Freeze The issues listed thus far in this document highlight only a few of the problems that can make a transition to RIA complex. The conversion process needs to handle lots of problematic issues within the constraints of maintaining existing system functionality and performance. Executing a conversion manually or using semi-automated tools will inevitably lead to much lengthier project durations, which could literally end up lasting for years. No organization wants to find itself dealing with such a nightmarish prospect. Further exacerbating the timeline is the need for application code-freezes, which can leave an organization's clients stranded awaiting critical bug repairs and other solutions that must await completion of a non-automated conversion. 9. Guidance and Training Among the more important issues in RIA conversions are the ability to understand the conversion process, the rules of RIA, and being able to continue maintaining the application immediately after the conversion. If the conversion project does not prepare the client's development team, both in terms of knowledge about the RIA solution and the changes that have been performed, the conversion process will result in the organization being dependent on external sub-contractors for maintenance of their application. Since RIA is a relatively new technology, not everyone has the necessary knowledge about the implications of converting a client/server application to RIA. There is a huge difference between knowing how to develop a new application in RIA, and maintaining a system that has been converted from client/server to RIA. 10. Experience A customer who has no experience in conversions (especially conversions to RIA), or a sub-contractor who does not specialize in this area, can wreak enormous damage on an organization migrating to this technology. Such conversions are complicated and have many moving pieces. RIA's working environment and deployment require deep familiarity with new technologies that are not part of the standard Magic/uniPaaS environment, i.e. Microsoft.Net, IIS, Framework, Broker, etc. Those inexperienced in these conversion projects yet who try tackling them anyways will generally not have a very high success rate. Page 8

9 Why You Should Use Up Technology s 100% True Automated Solution The best way to perform a RIA conversion is by using the true 100% automated solution from Go Up Technology. This is the only approach which will enforce a multitude of encapsulated best practices to ensure that EVERY step which SHOULD be done actually GETS done. Accomplishing this manually would be extremely difficult and far more time consuming for even a senior-level expert, who due to schedule constraints might be tempted or even pressured to cut corners. There are no corners cut when a true 100% automated solution is utilized, and deadlines are much more likely to be met since no manual intervention is necessary. A Magic customer considering a RIA conversion and worried about the consequences of performing it manually can rest assured that the top 10 concerns listed earlier invert to become among the top 10 reasons to use Go Up Technology s 100% true automated solution. 1. Functionality Go Up Technology's 100% true automated solution ensures your application's functionality will be preserved, while also adhering to the rules of the RIA framework. These two unique, but crucial, objectives are handled during the migration process, which ensures that the solution for each issue will be standardized throughout the application. Go Up Technology has pioneered creative solutions to overcome the kind of constraints likely to be found in the old client/server application that might otherwise have prevented it from working correctly in the new RIA environment. 2. Changing the Application s Architecture During conversion, Go Up Technology's 100% true automated solution ensures that every element requiring change as a result of transitioning to a 3-tier architecture is optimized and properly re-coded. This guarantees that each line in the Handlers (operation or expression) will be executed in the correct location (client side or server side), thus minimizing round-trips to the server and bolstering performance. Our conversion tool also prepares the application for potential future deployments on mobile platforms by replacing objects not supported in mobile environments and implementing resource libraries that will enable application mobility. Page 9

10 3. Performance Mitigating performance degradation is a specialty of Go Up Technology's 100% true automated solution. By optimizing various processes executed as part of the conversion, our tool ensures that performance impacts will be minimal, if even noticeable. We also ensure implementation of the best solution for any particular issue based upon the context in which it appears. In addition, we take advantage of the conversion process to leverage new capabilities the RIA engine makes available (for example Chunk Size) allowing us to maximize performance. 4. Easy-to-Maintain Converted Code The software engineers at Go Up Technology spent a lot of time making sure that our conversion tool not only preserved the application's functionality but also did so with understandable code that was easy to maintain. The result is post-conversion code that is clear, readable, and remarkably coherent to an extent that might even exceed the original pre-conversion code. 5. Handling Unsupported Elements A true 100% automatic solution would leave no issue open nor in need of follow up manual work by the customer, once the conversion process completed. Go Up Technology's true 100% automatic solution is thus truly 100% automatic in that it handles even unsupported elements and objects, and replaces them with supported objects. (For full conversion specifications, please download our Go.RIA product PDF.) 6. Handling 3 rd Party Objects Go Up Technology's 100% true automated solution includes mapping and handling of external components. During the conversion, a proprietary optimization process runs which eliminates the use of these external components, and uses a new, alternative functionality available within the RIA framework (for example using API or.net functionality). Page 10

11 7. Costs There is no doubt that RIA applications enable an organization to streamline the process of application maintenance, which in turn opens up new market opportunities. However, these benefits still need to be weighed against the costs of converting to RIA. As specialists in conversion projects and their benefits, Go Up Technology understands that the cost of a conversion is a critical factor in deciding whether to migrate to RIA. This is the reason we developed our 100% true automated solution. It's the most economical means of making the transition, and when it comes to cost, it will beat any other alternative. 8. Time Table and Code Freeze Go Up Technology's true 100% automated solution not only enables a shorter time table for the conversion process, but it also eliminates the need for a code freeze until the testing phase, allowing an organization to continue developing its application uninterrupted. 9. Guidance and Training Go Up Technology includes guidance and training with your conversion. There is also an option to let the customer's developers be involved in the conversion process so they can learn by watching firsthand and feel more comfortable taking over maintenance of the converted application right away. 10. Experience "Hundreds of satisfied customers can't be wrong." Go Up technology is the market leader in development of automated tools and technology for Magic Software application conversions. In our 15 years of experience, we have successfully converted over 3,000 applications with our patented technology. The best way to ensure that your application conversion occurs smoothly & successfully is to take advantage of our accumulated knowledge, experience, and advanced capabilities. Go RIA with Go Up Technology. Page 11

12 Conclusion Transitioning to RIA using Go Up Technology's 100% automated solution is your best guarantor of success on your conversion project. Unlike other competing solutions, Go Up's 100% automated solution ensures that the conversion will be simple, smooth, and will handle all relevant issues. The experienced team at Go up Technology has successfully carried out conversion projects on Magic and unipaas applications for over 15 years. Our expertise ensures your organization will have "peace of mind" during this conversion project and a good shot at meeting scheduling and budgetary constraints. Page 12