N e w s l e tt e r
Special Edition
Application Modernization
Spring 2008
TECHniques
Technical tips and tricks for the software ag community
Inside This Issue:
PRODUCT ANNOUNCEMENT SPOTLIGHT
The Journey of Modernization:
From Y2K to SOA and BPM
By Sandra Wade, Senior Director, Product Marketing, Software AG
New webMethods Application Modernization Suite Takes
Center Stage...PAGE 2
Not so many years ago, enterprise systems and core business applications were virtually invisible to mid- and senior-level
TECHNOLOGY SPOTLIGHT
executives. Sure, these applications supported key business tasks. And executives may even have made business decisions
Hints And Tips for Using webMethods Entirex V7.3...
based on reports these applications produced. But, when it came to an executive’s work day, the applications were relegated
page 4
to something dealt with by IT people.
Using Service-oriented Architecture (SOA) Governance
It probably wasn’t until industry analysts and pundits began
Until fairly recently, modernization of applications appeared
and Centrasite to Modernize Applications...page 5
painting doomsday scenarios regarding the Year 2000 (Y2K)
to have gone on a hiatus (in fact, the term “legacy modernization”
that executives started seriously educating themselves on the
fell into such a state of disrepair that it would eventually be
Unlocking The Value of IT Heritage with webMethods
value of core applications. In fact, most executives only became
hijacked by the likes of Microsoft, Oracle, and HP to mean “rip
Applinx...page 6
aware when a very large and unexpected line item showed up
and replace” and “migrate off the mainframe”)…that is, until
in the budget for Y2K remediation. The likely reaction was,
organizations began reaping.
NATURAL SPOTLIGHT
“Can’t we just replace the system with something new that can
Using Natural Construct to Generate Programs for
handle dates beyond 1999?”
SOA increases value of existing assets
That solution seemed reasonable until a cost, time, and risk
While re-use approaches have been around for years, SOA is the
analysis was performed. If the system was proven to be under-
most successful in its capability to empower organizations to
Best Practices for Building Rich Internet Applications...
utilized or obsolete, it was decommissioned. If it delivered basic,
maximize reuse of existing assets. SOA liberates both the busi-
PAGE 9
non-differentiated services, it was replaced by a packaged ap-
ness rules and data once locked inside core applications. It also
plication. If applications fell outside of these two scenarios, the
enables seamless integration between existing and newly cre-
Extending Mainframe Natural to Open Systems sql
systems were modernized to support Y2K compliance and, in
ated assets, typically in the form of Web services.
Databases Using Natural SQL Gateway...PAGE 10
the case of most financial systems, were also retrofitted to sup-
XML Transfer...PAGE 8
port the new Euro currency.
Determining the best approach to unlock the value of an
enterprise application in an SOA requires careful review. What
Once Y2K and Euro compliance was achieved, moderniza-
business processes does the application support? Can the
webMethods Optimize for Adabas and Natural:
tion was assumed to be complete—until a little thing known as
business rules associated with those processes be isolated
End-to-End Monitoring for Business and IT...PAGE 12
the World Wide Web became ubiquitous. At that time, executives,
within the application code? Sometimes, isolating the business
armed with the knowledge gained during Y2K and Euro conver-
rules requires restructuring the code. Other times, when no
Developer spotlight
sions, felt confident making demands on IT to transform ‘green-
source code is available, the business rules might be available
Developer Insights...PAGE 14
screen’ applications into browser-based applications. On the posi-
through the user interface instead. In any case, if the application
tive side, Web-enabled applications delivered value to the business
is delivering measurable value to the business, it will be well
in an exciting way. On the negative side, the term ‘modernization’
worth the time and effort to determine the best approach for
became synonymous with clunky “screen-scraping” techniques.
SOA enablement.
ADABAS SPOTLIGHT
...Continued on page 3
product announcement SPoTLiGhT
new webMethods
aPPLiCaTion ModernizaTion SuiTe Takes cenTer sTage
ETS Product Marketing Organization, Software AG
“Software AG took center stage at the CeBIT exposition in hannover, Germany on March 5, 2008 launching
the webMethods Application Modernization Suite, which the company called a “comprehensive” set of tools
for breathing new life into mainframe applications.”
“The company’s goal in developing the suite was to bring SOA, universal data access and Web features to
mainframe applications, and allow its customers to replace tactical point solutions with a full-featured SOA…”
source: “sofTware ag Brings soa To mainframes,” march 5, 2008, By p. J. connolly | www.sdTimes.com
now aVailaBle!
The new webMethods
application
Modernization Suite
a comprehensive product suite
to meet all your application
modernization needs
and propel you into a soa
and Bpm
Overview
Suite highlights
minal protocols such as 3270, 5250, 6680, 9750,
The webMethods Application Modernization Suite
The webMethods Application Modernization Suite
and Natural UNIX. Powerful transformation and
presenTed By:
is the industry’s most complete solution for appli-
features three editions that provide you with
customization options enable rapid Web interface
cation modernization. The current release includes
rapid tactical solutions, such as instant modern-
design, without touching existing applications.
new products, significantly updated and improved
ization of ‘green-screen’ application user inter-
mighael Botha
Vice president, presales
Software AG tools, and recently acquired web-
faces or tight interaction between disparate ap-
Methods assets. It uniquely brings together—with-
plications, or strategic enterprise architecture
in a single product suite—a low-risk, non-invasive
solutions, such as implementing service-oriented
Web enablement solution; a standards-based
and/or event-driven architectures.
The solution features:
• A low risk, non-invasive approach to Web enablement
• “On the fly” transformation of green screens to
Web interfaces
mainframe data integration solution; and technol-
• Aggregation of multiple green screens into a
ogies for enterprise-scale SOA enablement, gover-
Transform ‘green screen’ applications into
single Web page, streamlining workflow and
nance, lifecycle management and deployment.
user-friendly Web interfaces
eliminating time consuming and error-prone ap-
By replacing a variety of disparate, non-in-
webMethods Application Modernization Web Edi-
plication transitions
tegrated tools with a single solution, enterprises
tion extends the reach of core systems to the
• Transformation of screens written in a wide vari-
can streamline and accelerate their deployment
Web by modernizing existing user interfaces. It
ety of languages: Western languages; double-byte
of new solutions, simplify training, minimize
provides a single environment for modernizing a
character set languages like Japanese, Chinese and
maintenance requirements, and more fully-lever-
variety of ‘green screen’ applications that use ter-
Korean; and Arabic, Turkish, Hebrew and Farsi.
age existing enterprise functionality. Recognizing
The Bridge to SOA
the predominant role that SOA will play in appli-
Core
Systems
cation modernization going forward, it also focuses on helping users go beyond simple service
Expose &
Orchestrate
Services
unify enterprise-wide data for
Govern &
Manage
enablement to embrace a lifecycle approach to
Real-time visibility
webMethods Application Modernization SqL Edition
Registry
service management.
integrates valuable enterprise data seamlessly by
providing real-time, SqL-based access to one or
Enterprise Data Visibility
Data Silos
Policies
Unified View
Lifecycle
Rapid Web Enablement
Distributed
SQL Engine
Reporting
Roles
more relational and non-relational data sources—
as if it were all stored in one relational database.
The SqL Edition gives users the freedom to
choose the development, business intelligence
and reporting tools that best meet their business
Metadata
Repository
Data
Warehouse
webMethods ApplinX
webMethods ConnecX Adapters
webMethods ApplinX, webMethods EntireX,
webMethods ESB, CentraSite
Web Edition
SQL Edition
SOA Edition
The webmethods application modernization suite features three editions to help your organization
extend valuable resources throughout the enterprise.
2
new TeChcasts
needs. Additionally, business processes that leverage enterprise integration backbones, such as an
Enterprise Service Bus (ESB), can easily gain access
to non-relational and relational databases through
a standard SqL interface.
event replicator for
adabas on open Systems
real-time replication to
support Bi, data warehouse
and disaster recovery
initiatives
and
event replicator for
adabas Mainframe
The solution for real-time
data sharing and disaster
recovery
presenTed By:
Becky albin
iT architect, software ag
go to your software ag
developer community at:
developer.softwareag.com/
adanat
“95% of all Web transformation
templates provided by ApplinX
involve no manual coding.”
Rudolf Mühlberger
Personnel Systems Manager
Software AG In the news
webMethods APPLICATION MODERNIZATION SUITE
Managing Automation: Software AG Looks to Modernize the Mainframe March 06, 2008 | by Stephanie Neil, MA Editorial Staff
www.managingautomation.com
WienIT
“Thanks to Software AG
technology, we didn’t have
to replace our valuable,
existing system to get SQL
access to critical data. We
were able to modernize what
we have, and now we get
the best of both worlds.”
Dale Forrey
Information Systems Manager
Washington State University
“Using Software AG’s
application modernization
solutions and components from
the SOA suite, we developed a
real-time Online Service Center
capability for our four customer
classes in just six months for
under $400,000.”
Jim Lupton
Vice President, Systems Management
American Fidelity Assurance Company
“Software AG’s consultants
have once again confirmed the
extremely positive impression
that they made on us in past
projects. Extraordinary technical
expertise is coupled with the
commitment to implement all
requests immediately. These
solution skills should serve as
an example to the industry.”
Daniel Matthies
Integration Team Manager
Volkswagen Financial Services AG
“What’s ultimately needed is a more systematic enterprise strategy for extending the boundaries of SOA and business process management to
fully encompass the mainframe environment,” said Joe Gentry, Software AG’s senior vice president and CTO for Enterprise Transaction Systems, in a statement.
Companies need to create an environment where old and new applications can interact freely, he noted.
“From our perspective, we wanted to really help our customers get to a true SOA, and we thought the existing modernization solutions out there
are tactical Web enablement solutions that just do data integration, but don’t provide the orchestration and ESB that is needed,” said Sandra Wade,
Software AG’s senior director of product marketing, in an interview with Managing Automation.
ebizQ: Software AG Extends SOA Further into Mainframe Environments March 5, 2008 | www.ebizq.com
“Many enterprises have traditionally taken a piecemeal or reactive approach to application modernization. However, this is changing with the
increased importance of application modernization as a key contributor to business process improvement,” said Joe Gentry, senior vice president and
CTO for Enterprise Transaction Systems at Software AG. “What’s ultimately needed is a more systematic, enterprise strategy for extending the boundaries of SOA and business process management to fully-encompass the mainframe environment. In this context, organizations can eliminate existing
silos and create a level playing field in which both new and old applications can interact freely and fully. This is the need that the webMethods
Application Modernization Suite targets.”
DBTA 5 Minute Briefing: Software AG Releases webMethods Application Modernization Suite
March 17, 2008 | Published in Cooperation with SHARE, the IBM Users Group | www.dbta.com
The new suite is intended to help organizations be “successful in reusing their core assets in a service-oriented architecture and also in a business
process management suite, as well,” Sandra Wade, senior director of product marketing for Software AG, told 5 Minute Briefing.
“There is not one solution for everybody and different organizations need different solutions, depending on their particular needs,” said Wade. “Sometimes Web enablement is all they need. Sometimes they need Web-enablement and data integration and sometimes they need SOA-enablement and
a true SOA. With our suite, we offer an end-to-end solution for application modernization.”
ADABAS AND NATURAL
InfoWorld: Software AG Lays out Aggressive Growth Plan
...Software AG also intends to grow its long-standing ETS division, which consists of the Adabas database management system and Natural programming
language, the company said. In addition Monday, the company unveiled the webMethods Application Modernization Suite, tools for using mainframe-based
assets in the context of SOA. This story was also reprinted in The Washington Post
Trading Markets: Software AG Extends Offerings for Future Growth
Software AG is continuing to invest in its Adabas and Natural legacy products, and is already one of the leading vendors in bringing the mainframe into the
world of SOA and business process management (BPM). This aligns well with the need to modernize legacy systems that is recognized by many organizations.
To further this initiative, Software AG will extend its offerings by reselling Relativity Technologies Modernization Workbench as a complimentary component
of the webMethods Application Modernization Suite. The webMethods Application Modernization Suite was due to have been dropped by webMethods, but
has been revitalized since the acquisition.
The solution helps enterprises:
For example, the SOA Edition can expose
The Journey of Modernization: From Y2K to SOA and BPM...Continued from page 1
• Improve decision making and streamline busi-
mainframe data and business logic as services
ness operations by providing a unified real-time,
which can be re-used within the SOA. These ser-
“Collectively, BPM, SOA and application modernization have the
disparate view of enterprise data
vices can be combined with services from other
power to transform an organization into a highly adaptable, efficient
• Eliminate the error-prone process of merging
departments or third party providers to create new
and reconciling data across multiple databases
composite applications and business processes.
• Meet scalability requirements during both stan-
They can then be extended to your business partners using B2B integration.
dard and peak periods
• Provide a consistent and reliable level of service
to end-users
Re-use and Extend Core Systems to
a Service-oriented Architecture
webMethods Application Modernization SOA Edi-
The solution helps enterprises:
and effective market leader.”
– Sandra Wade
Where BPM Fits In
While IT has focused on SOA as a way to exploit technology to support business objectives, execu-
• Achieve rapid service enablement by extending
tives and line of business managers have been strategizing on how to increase operational effi-
valuable core applications to SOA environments
ciency by streamlining and improving existing business processes. They’ve researched and often
without extensive programming effort
adopted process improvement initiatives like Lean and Six Sigma. But not until recently have they
• Create new high-value business services that pro-
looked toward sophisticated technology for their process improvement initiatives. Business Process
vide greater alignment of the business with IT
Management (BPM) combines best-practice methodologies and technologies to design, enact, analyze, and control operational business processes. In short, it enables an organization to be more ef-
tion unlocks and transforms existing application
assets into high-value business services allowing
Availability
fective, more transparent in operations, and more agile to changing market conditions.
you to quickly populate an SOA.
The webMethods Application Modernization Suite
So, what does BPM have to do with SOA and application modernization? It provides a new
With the SOA Edition, you leverage existing
is available immediately with pricing available
context for the interactions between IT systems and the people that use them. To truly support a
enterprise user sessions, programming logic and
from an authorized Software AG sales represen-
more agile and efficient business, BPM needs to interface with the business processes residing in exist-
transactions from a wide variety of host environ-
tative. Additional information on the webMethods
ing enterprise applications and made available through an SOA. Collectively, BPM, SOA, and applica-
ments to create new .NET, J2EE or Web services.
Application Modernization Suite can be found at
tion modernization have the power to transform an organization into a highly adaptable, efficient, and
www.SoftwareAG.com/AppMod. n
effective market leader—a remarkably long way from Y2K. n
TECHniques |
Spring 2008
3
Technology SPOTLIGHT
Hints and Tips for Using webMethods EntireX v7.3
By Neil Beesley, Founding Member and Enterprise Software Specialist, Commutual Technical Consulting, LLC
webMethods EntireX v8.0 is released with great
of DBA and programmer time. It plays well with
• Persistent store Unload/Load utilities: used to
3.Implement Dual Command Log, if you expect
new features, like out-of-the-box integration
other vendor products (including other middle-
migrate data from one persistent store type to
to do any logging at all. Using this means that
with the webMethods ESB, support for large
ware) and significantly assists in protecting the
another.
you avoid an ever increasing trace output from
CICS message sizes, enhanced COBOL support,
investments that you have already made in your
• Embedded CTREE persistent store mechanism
the EntireX Broker on the JES spool. You can auto-
Reliable and Asynchronous Service Calls, and
business systems, as well as reducing the risks as
(open systems): replacement for B-Tree persis-
mate the CLOG switch by watching for the WTO
simplified configuration. As a result, developers
you modernize your systems.
tent store providing improved integrity for per-
message issued by the EntireX Broker when CLOG
sistent messages when the EntireX kernel exe-
files are switched. Dual command logging also
cutes on Windows and UNIX.
comes with filtering according to user ID and the
can use EntireX to quickly and easily encapsulate programming logic into ready-to-use .NET,
Version 7.3: Inside the Engine Room
J2EE or Web services without changes to the
Software AG invested the time and energy to
underlying source code. Watch for an article in
streamline the code for version 7.3 in order to
the June 2008 edition of TECHniques.
achieve a common code base and architecture for
• Simplified installation and configuration with mi-
4.ICU conversion (first available in version 7.2)
the distributed components of the EntireX messag-
gration utilities for copying old parameter defini-
now replaces the proprietary ECS conversion
tions into the version 7.3 EntireX attribute file.
mechanism, delivering greater coverage of differ-
• Improved stub and application information fields
in the latest ACI version 9.
Whether you are planning your upgrade to
ing layer across platforms, whilst at the same time
version 8 in the short term or longer term, this
adding new functionality such as SSL for z/OS Bro-
• Hot Stand-by Broker and Broker-to-Broker com-
ent code pages. The mechanism is optimized for
article provides tips and techniques for get-
ker and improving the efficiency of the code, espe-
munication for enhanced failover capabilities.
high performance and reduced memory use un-
ting the most out of your v7.3 EntireX installa-
cially when dealing with IP. These changes also
Other major enhancements in version 7.3
der EntireX version 7.3. However, I recommend
tion. Improvements will still also apply for
resulted in greater performance, scalability and re-
include CentraSite and SOA integration and a fully
paying attention to the following when using
version 8.
liability, not to mention a simpler install and con-
modernized EntireX Workbench based on Eclipse.
ICU:
figuration. The success of these endeavors owes
For information about further enhancements in
a. Ensure your applications are using the
Introduction
much to the decision to use IBM Language Envi-
version 7.3 please refer to the Software AG De-
latest EntireX stubs and ACI version 8 or above, if
This article summarizes key messaging capabili-
ronment and C compiler for z/OS, z/VSE and z/VM
veloper Community (note that EntireX is now un-
possible.
ties in webMethods EntireX version 7.3, pointing
[stub only] which in turn allows closer conver-
der the webMethods brand).
out useful as well as some less well known func-
gence across mainframe, UNIX and Windows plat-
tionality, and giving hints and tips based on cus-
forms. Figure 1 demonstrates improvements real-
Hints and Tips
tomer experiences.
ized in terms of transport efficiency when using
1. Use the Adabas persistent store, especially if
NET-WORK (ADASVC) and TCP on z/OS platform,
you’re currently an Adabas DBMS user. This can re-
5.SSL allows you to protect the transmission of
particularly for larger message sizes.
sult in a 4-fold performance improvement on z/OS
data between distributed application components
webMethods EntireX is at the heart of Software AG’s
over Data in Virtual (DIV), depending upon the be-
and the mainframe host. It’s normally sufficient
mainframe application modernization and SOA
havior of your application. Adabas PLOG functional-
to define the X509 certificate only for the EntireX
strategy. EntireX includes a high performance yet
ity will provide you with greater ability for restore/
Broker, in which case specify VERIFY-CLIENT=NO
flexible messaging engine (also referred to as
recovery across all platforms. It takes slightly longer
in the DEFAULTS=SSL section of the attribute file.
EntireX Broker), addressing the following different
to set up, but is well worth the effort. Read the
It’s recommended to use RACF key ring or equiva-
messaging paradigms: client server request/reply
documentation for sizing the persistent store file
lent functionality in order to protect and store the
model, asynchronous and persistent messaging,
and adjusting the Adabas nucleus parameters LWP,
certificate in RACF, etc.
as well as a publish/subscribe model. It comes
NISNHQ and NH. For open systems, ensure you are
with application bindings to the most popular en-
using the latest Adabas version.
webMethods EntireX
b. Check which code pages are specified
by your application and in the EntireX attribute
vironments, such as IBM® Series Z™ including
file against version 7.3 EntireX documentation.
Summary of EntireX Version 7.x
In conclusion, these are the major milestones
CICS and IMS/DC, Microsoft® .NET™ and JAVA,
2.Install the new Adabas version 8 SVC and use
achieved regarding messaging in EntireX Version
and also includes connectors for integration with
this with EntireX on z/OS. It allows you to use
7.x. These features became available during the
IBM® WebSphere™ MQ Series.
TRANSPORT=NET (Adabas IPC mechanism) even
lifetime of EntireX versions 7.1.1, 7.2.1, 7.2.2 and
when sending/receiving large data buffers great-
7.3.x on various platforms:
er than 32K, provided the application is on the
• Adabas Persistent Store and JMS—EntireX version
The messaging engine in EntireX provides the
highly efficient, reliable communication layer for the
Figure 1. Performance Improvements
numerous service wrapping capabilities of EntireX.
Despite its comprehensive range of abili-
same machine as the EntireX Broker. Not only are
Key Messaging Capabilities Introduced in
there significant performance benefits over
ties, EntireX never ceases to impress those in-
Version 7.3
TRANSPORT=TCP for local z/OS applications, but it
volved with it—how quickly and easy it is to get
• SSL Transport for z/OS Broker: increased security
also facilitates simplified security configuration
something meaningful up and running, even
without previous experience with the product.
Since it comes packaged with additional services
4
Class/Server/Service.
functionality.
• NET ACI: simplified programming for Windows
.NET platform.
using trusted user ID, if you happen to be using
security. You must set EXTENDED-ACB-SUPPORT=YES
in the DEFAULTS=NETWORK section of the attri-
for security and data conversion, the amount of
• Dual Command log: greater flexibility and man-
bute file to take advantage of Adabas version 8
customization is kept to an absolute minimum,
ageability for tracing EntireX commands issued
SVC features as well as setting appropriate values
helping to reduce the cost of ownership in terms
by applications.
for IUBL and NABS here.
7.1
• Publish subscribe functionality—EntireX version
7.2.1
• New Improved EntireX kernel for VSE—EntireX
version 7.2.2
• Significant performance, reliability and functionality improvements—EntireX version 7.3
• New TCP/IP capable stub for z/VM—EntireX
version 7.3..n
Using Service-oriented Architecture (SOA) Governance and
CentraSite to Modernize Applications
By Mehmet Akyuz, Solution Architect, Software AG Turkey
When we talk about SOA Governance, many of
Today, application modernization products
us don’t really understand what this means.
like webMethods ApplinX and Natural Business
According to Wikipedia,
Services have the ability to utilize the Universal
Description, Discovery and Integration (UDDI) ca-
“Governance consists either of a separate pro-
pabilities of CentraSite. Moreover, CentraSite pro-
cess or of a specific part of management or
vides a standards-based Java API for XML Regis-
leadership processes. Sometimes people set up
tries (JAXR) interface to discover and register
a government to administer these processes
even more information about the modernized
and systems.”
applications, as well as other company assets. For
instance, one of the plugins that CentraSite Com-
As Wikipedia says, people set up governments to
munity offers is an SCA Plugin which discovers
administer their internal and foreign affairs (i.e.
the relations inside an SCA module.
processes) and manage their resources. Despite
As JAXR is a valuable instrument for integra-
the fact that countries have similar resources, sim-
tion to the outside world, CentraSite’s Pluggable
ilar processes, and similar problems, they don’t
UI architecture offers worthy functionality to pres-
have the same governmental organizations and
ent and utilize the governance data stored in the
the same policies. So what makes a country differ-
registry. In the following sections, I will provide
ent from another? What drives people to have
some tips and tricks to pave the way for less
their own governing institutions? The answer is—
complicated development.
their culture, their history and their environment.
Like countries, companies have similar re-
Don’t reinvent when you can reuse
sources, similar technologies, similar applications,
The main functionality expected from a CentraSite
and similar problems. The difference is what they
plugin application is discovery. CentraSite offers a
do with the technologies and their applications
search interface which can be extended via
and resources, and how they deal with their prob-
search predicates. The layout and the adapter be-
lems. In a company, differences are defined by the
hind the search interface are SearchRegistry.xml
history and the culture of the company, and the
and SearchRegistryAdapter.
public class SelectedProjectListener implements SelectedItemsListener {
public void setSelectedItem(Item item) {
Collection<Item> selected = new ArrayList<Item>();
selected.add(item);
setSelectedItems(selected);
}
public void setSelectedItems(Collection selected) {
if(selected.isEmpty()) {
return;
}
try {
Item item = (Item)selected.iterator().next();
System.out.println(item.getName());
} catch (Exception x) {
x.printStackTrace();
}
}
public boolean allowsMultipleSelect() {
return false;
}
public boolean requiresSelectedItems() {
return true;
}
}
Figure 3. Implementation of SelectedItemsListener interface
SearchRegistryAdapter uses item listeners
which implement SelectedItemsListener interface
environment the company operates in. “History”, in
For more information on layouts and adapters,
to find out what to do with the selected items.
terms of IT, is all about the applications that may
take a look at: http://documentation.softwareag.com/
Figure 3 provides a simple implementation of the
have taken several years to develop. “Culture” is the
webmethods/inm/plugins/tutorial.htm#tutorial
interface, which simply prints out the name of
policies defined by the organization over many
SearchRegistryAdapter has two methods:
years. Since SOA is about re-organizing, then re-us-
• Initializers which define what to show.
ing, IT assets to better meet business needs, these
• Listener which determines what to do with the
applications eventually become “citizens” of the
selected registry item.
the selected Project item.
By combining these two, we can add a fullyfunctional search interface into our application,
Figure 4.
company’s SOA. This brings out the need for a wider, more extensible governance solution which not
only covers basic SOA assets, but has the capability to
integrate any assets in any governance scenario.
Likewise, application modernization initiatives further reveal the need for governance ­the
need to define the relationships between the
Figure 5. Final search interface
public void showProjects() {
List<Object> initializers = new ArrayList<Object>();
ObjectTypePredicate otp = new ObjectTypePredicate();
otp.setObjectTypeConcept(getConceptForProject());
otp.setReadOnly(true);
initializers.add(otp);
initializers.add(0,”Find Projects”);
new services and the underlying applications.
Real-life IT experience shows that not only do the
}
//TODO Set listener and open search page
Alternative Access to CentraSite Repository
Being a complete SOA governance solution,
CentraSite also offers an integrated repository for
storing actual data vis-a-vis SOA assets. CentraSite’s
repository is based on the WebDav standard and
can be accessed with WebDav clients. What if you
want to use an artifact stored in the repository in
relationships between services and applications
have an impact on service architectures, but that
And here is the final look, Figure 5:
your application? Should you write your own
Figure 2. ObjectTypePredicate Class Restricts Results to Project Assets
WebDav to HTML client?
relationships between legacy applications also
have an impact. Below is an impact analysis
Initializers are actually a collection of search
screenshot taken from a real implementation. It
predicates filtering search results. In Figure 2 above,
depicts a service using an application which also
ObjectTypePredicate class is used to restrict results
uses another application (see Figure 1).
to Project assets.
Figure 1. Impact Analysis Screenshot
At the core of Software AG’s SOA governance
Of course, it is possible to add more predi-
capabilities is CentraSite­—one of the market’s
cates like TypeSpecificPropertyPredicate to the
leading SOA governance and lifecycle manage-
initializer collection for more customized outputs.
ment products according to analysts Gartner and
For more information on predicates visit: http://
Forrester . It provides a system-of-record for man-
documentation.softwareag.com/webmethods/
aging your SOA throughout the service lifecycle.
inm/plugins/ext.htm#d0e6040
1
2
public void showProjects() {
//Find instance of SearchRegistryAdapter
SearchRegistryAdapter search =
(SearchRegistryAdapter)findAdapter(SearchRegistryAdapter.class);
//Initialize listener
SelectedProjectListener listener = new SelectedProjectListener();
//Prepare initializers
List<Object> initializers = new ArrayList<Object>();
ObjectTypePredicate otp = new ObjectTypePredicate();
otp.setObjectTypeConcept(getConceptForProject());
otp.setReadOnly(true);
initializers.add(otp);
initializers.add(0,”Find Projects”);
//Set listener
search.setSelectedItemListener(listener);
//Open popup with initializers
search.getActionContext().showPopUp(
“/CentraSiteControl/SearchRegistry”,
“Find Projects”,
SearchRegistryAdapter.class.getName(),
initializers, 300, 300);
}
Gartner, Inc. Magic Quadrant for Integrated SOA Governance Technology Sets. 2007. L. Frank Kenney et al. December 31, 2007.
Forrester Research, Inc. The Forrester Wave: SOA Service Life-Cycle Management. Q1 2008. January 28, 2008.
Figure 4. Fully Functional Search Interface
...Continued on page 7
TECHniques |
Spring 2008
5
Technology SPoTLiGhT
L
uPCoMinG evenTS
unlocking The Value of iT heriTage
wiTh weBMeThodS aPPLinx
By Ezra Kahimbaara, SOA Architect, Software AG
The purpose of this article is to describe how
webMethods ApplinX can be used to unlock
the value that is present in the heritage of enterprise legacy systems. It looks at how to
rapidly expose business focused Web services
from the ‘green screens’ of IT mainframes in
order to modernize applications.
• No need for system upgrades or additional
and back-office systems will always be included
investments.
as part of a strategic IT platform, architecture and
• Rapid development methodology ensures short
direction. The following benefits illustrate the ad-
time-to-market.
vantage of giving new life to green-screen user
• Improved service and response times for the
interfaces:
organization.
• Investments already made in IT are protected
• Increased efficiency and mobility of legacy re-
and extended.
sources in modern platforms through the use of
In every IT organization a significant amount of
• Business process and workflow can be optimized
ApplinX Host Services.
for more streamlined operations.
time, effort and, not to mention, CIO budget has
ApplinX leverages program or screen-based
• IT becomes more responsive to business, offering
been invested in a number of differing technolo-
workflows and transforms them into standard Web
gy platforms, business processes and human re-
services which it manages as a centralized integra-
Not only is ApplinX able to generate HTML
sources. A properly implemented Service-orient-
tion server, and enables quick deployment of any
based Web pages from the screens available to
ed Architecture (SOA) provides a foundation from
selected client or consumer for further integration.
the ApplinX Composer 3270 VT terminal emulation
predictable and consistent delivery.
which IT can quickly realize the ability to package
business logic, data and functionality as highly
accessible business services; promoting re-use in
process orchestration and service enablement.
Legacy
environment
At the core of this technical flexibility and
applinx
development
environment
business agility lie the legacy systems which con-
web
enablement
hTml
.neT/asp
Java/Jsp
tain core business knowledge and, are often immutable, first-class citizens of the IT landscape. In
web browser
portal
Legacy-Integration und -Modernisierung
this case it is an IBM mainframe on which a large
government tax collection agency has deployed
Adabas and Natural to run their core tax systems,
among them the Value Added Tax (VAT) platform.
The mandate from the customer was simply
put; modernize the business applications that their
z/os, os/400, Vse, Vm,
Bs2000, unix, unisys,
hitachi, fujitsu
multi-session
composing
security
repository
soa
enablement
Serviceoriented
architecture
web service
.neT
Java
call center representatives use. The business benefit of this is correct and accurate information about
the customer’s VAT status, details and information
FIGuRe 1. webMethods ApplinX Architecture Overview
at any given point in the customer interaction and
Figure 1 illustrates the feasibility of ApplinX
session, it also runs as a complete Web services
thus better quality service and improved internal
as an integration layer that is core to any SOA.
container that exposes host transactions and
processes. The strategy going forward is that call
Successful enablement of legacy systems is a
standards-based Web services which can be
center applications should consume Natural func-
core pillar in the successful deployment of an
deployed across the enterprise for consump-
tionality exposed as enterprise-wide Web services,
SOA. ApplinX is robust and provides immediate
tion by Internet/Intranet portals, business pro-
available across the organization.
and measurable returns.
cesses, business-to-business (B2B) interorganizational trading and human-centric workflow
Solution
Approach
We chose webMethods ApplinX as the platform
The approach we have taken with ApplinX is to
for our solution to their requirements. We made
expose the functionality provided by Natural
Implementation
our choice based on the following capabilities
programs running in a 3270 VT session and en-
The VAT system requires an open interface to sup-
ApplinX provides:
capsulating them into standard programmatic
port a complex enquiry that has been identified
• Expose, enhance, leverage and extend host
components, specifically Web services that would
at the call center. The query is composed of navi-
support the new Web-based call center applica-
gation through various green screens on the VAT
tions, amongst others.
system. Other aspects of the solution that also
applications.
• Transform existing back-end assets into modern
front-end applications.
• Low-risk, non-invasive approach to mission
critical systems.
solutions.
These components can then be leveraged in
need to be focused on include security, time to
both existing and new business applications and
delivery and logging and auditing—all of which
shared across the enterprise—ensuring that legacy
the ApplinX runtime capability provides.
NOVEMBER 3-5
INNOvATION WORLd 2008
FONTAINEBLEAU HOTEL, MIAMI
BEACH, FLORIDA
Same great event, innovative new
name! If you have never attended
this spectacular yearly event, 2008
is the year to change your mind.
Innovation World (formerly known as
Integration World) will be held in beautiful
Miami Beach, Florida at the beautiful
Fontainebleau Hotel on November 3-5. This
hotel was rated in 2008 as one of the top 5
places to go in the world by the New York
Times! We are bringing together the best of
everything speakers, venue, activities, preevent Training, in-depth track sessions for
everyone—with any product interest or
need—and customer success stories
The event will offer numerous networking
opportunities and information packed
sessions that you can’t afford to miss. You
will be hearing from world class keynote
speakers such as Steve Wozniak, Co-Founder,
Apple Computer—a true innovation hero! We
are also proud to offer you a rare opportunity
to play golf at the renowned Doral Golf
Resort—home of the acclaimed Blue Monster
(where our customers can tee it up!).
enter the 2008 Customer and
Partner Innovation Awards
• Showcase your success at Innovation World
• Deadline for submissions is June 13
To enter go to: www.softwareag.com/
innovationawards
2008 Innovation Award winners
receive:
• Two complimentary passes with hotel
accommodations to Innovation World 2008
• VIP Executive Breakfast with keynote
speakers
• Valuable customer success program points
you can use toward training credits!
• $2500 USD to your company’s charity
of choice
So save the dates, November 3-5...
and watch for more details. Registration begins
in June
For more information, go to:
www.innovationworld.com
Have a question or interested in being a
sponsor? Email: [email protected]
6
In order to expose the core functionality of
Conclusion
the VAT system as Web services, ApplinX recordings
Many organizations are facing growing needs to
of the transactions and navigation through them
leverage front-end user interfaces as means not
are created. This ensures that the correct function-
only to support existing business functions, but
ality is encapsulated. After the recordings are cre-
also to help exploit new business environments
ated, procedure flows are defined to map the
in an attempt to gain competitive advantage. It is
process to screens.
therefore rational (and strategic) for such organizations to expand their business application offer-
public void connect(Credentials credentials, CommonAdapter commonAdapter)
throws Exception {
CentraSiteProxyHandler proxy =
new CentraSiteProxyHandler(credentials,
BaseAdapter.getConnector(commonAdapter));
String uniqueKey = ProxyServlet.register(proxy);
commonAdapter.findSessionContext().bind(“UniqueProxyKey”, uniqueKey);
}
Figure 6. Connection Handler
ings to both customers and employees alike—in a
cost effective manner.
Effective front-end user interfaces demand
rapid, flexible and robust implementation, and
legacy-based services should satisfy the requirement to coherently aggregate data from multiple
public void init() {
String uniqueKey =
(String)findSessionContext().lookup(“UniqueProxyKey”, true);
String url = “/PluggableUI/servlet/ProxyServlet/” + uniqueKey +
“/ino:dav/projects/CentraSite/Icons/BPELProcess.gif”;
setImage(url);
}
legacy sources and also extend current legacy assets to the modern platforms supporting business
Figure 7. URL in an Adapter
processes in the organization.
ApplinX enabled the organization to adopt
more efficient business processes and a more
streamlined workflow and methodology in their call
center by effectively and rapidly integrating legacy
Figure 2. Sequence Diagram
assets into new standard application environments. ApplinX is a powerful server-based technol-
The Web services being implemented are
not trivial as they span various legacy sources.
ogy that offered a solution for expanding the capabilities of the IT organization’s legacy assets. n
Figure 2 depicts the procedure flow that is required as part of implementing the Web service
Using SOA Governance and CentraSite...
logic and is used in conjunction with data map-
Continued from page 5
pings (see Figure 3) to encapsulate legacy and
transactional specific information. The procedure
CentraSite’s PlugableUI framework contains
flows, which can be seen as Web service opera-
a proxy layer, which is basically a servlet imple-
tions, are bundled into procedure groups which
mentation opening a connection to the repository
represent the Web service as a whole. This ap-
and streaming data from WebDav to HTTP. The
proach to legacy integration is useful in ensuring
basic class implementing this layer is ProxyServ-
a quality implementation.
let and it keeps the connections, along with some
unique keys. The way to receive a unique connection key is to register a ProxyHandler implementation with the ProxyServlet. Once the unique key
public Collection<String> findKeys(String namespace, String type, String name)
throws RegistryAccessException {
Collection<String> keys = new ArrayList<String>();
//XQJProvider provides the connection to CentraSite registry
XQJProvider xqjConnection = new XQJProvider();
String xquery = MessageFormat.format(
“declare namespace find = ‘{0}’; “ +
“declare namespace cs =
‘http://namespaces.CentraSite.com/Schema/jaxr’; “ +
“declare variable $q as xs:string external; “ +
“input()/find:{1}[cs:name/cs:localString[upper-case(text()) =
upper-case($q)]]/cs:key/text()”,
new Object[] {namespace, type});
Node key = null;
try {
XQPreparedExpression prepared =
xqjConnection.getConnection().prepareExpression(xquery);
prepared.bindString(new QName(“q”), name);
XQResultSequence result = prepared.executeQuery();
while(result.next()) {
key = result.getNode();
keys.add(key.getTextContent());
}
} catch (XQException x) {
throw new RegistryAccessException(x);
} finally {
xqjConnection.closeConnection();
}
return keys;
}
is received, it is used in URL definitions, which in
fact invoke ProxyServlet to stream pointed data
Figure 8. Collection of UDDI Keys
from the WebDav repository. The URL below invokes
Figure 3. Procedure Flow and Data Mapping
Transitioning from a procedure group to a
the ProxyServlet to fetch the icon for Service
Improve Performance
Here XQJ can be used to get the UDDI key from
objects from the repository:
Having a native XML Datastore, CentraSite also offers
CentraSite’s registry.
http://localhost:53307/PluggableUI/servlet/
XQJ interface, which is a more flexible alternative
The code in Figure 8 returns a collection of
ProxyServlet/1204581383316-4735921151945284940/
to JAXR in terms of accessing governance data.
UDDI keys of the objects whose namespace, ob-
ino:dav/projects/CentraSite/Icons/service.gif
XQJ is also a faster way to work with CentraSite’s
ject type and name are given.
deployed Web service implementation is achieved
Here 1204581383316-4735921151945284940
through the single click of a button. Once the Web
is the unique connection key which is received right
registry, however it does not provide the function-
services have been generated and deployed,
after registering the ProxyHandler. CentraSite’s appli-
There are places where these technologies
CentraSite offers an excellent solution for
they can be discovered for testing and consump-
cation framework already includes a ProxyHandler
can be used together to achieve better perfor-
any governance issues. It also offers many features
tion via the ApplinX Web Services Explorer (see
implementation called CentraSiteProxyHandler.
mance. A practical example can be when fetch-
that make developing governance applications
ing a JAXR Registry Object from the registry.
easy and fun.
ality that JAXR does.
The code example in Figure 9 shows how to
use UDDI key to get RegistryObjects.
Figure 4), which lists the URL’s to WSDL’s. They
A best practice is to develop an implementa-
can then be published into any standards compli-
tion of the Connection Handler extension point,
CentraSite’s BusinessQueryManager imple-
VIsit the CentraSite Community Portal at
ant Web services registry.
create an instance of CentraSiteProxyHandler, reg-
mentation provides the method, getRegistryOb-
www.CentraSite.org for more valuable resources on
ister it with ProxyServlet, and then store the re-
ject which finds the registry object from its UDDI
SOA and SOA Governance, including free download
ceived unique key in CentraSite Control Session. In
key and returns a RegistryObject instance of it.
editions of CentraSite and a variety of plug-ins. n
Figure 6, the method belongs to the class which
extends Connection Handler extension point.
Next, build the URL to the repository object.
ProxyServlet uses the URL combination defined
below to access the registry:
http://<host>:<port>/PluggableUI/servlet/
Figure 4. ApplinX Web Service Explorer
ProxyServlet/<unique-key>/ino:dav/
<path-to-registry-object>
From this point the legacy systems participate as fully fledged citizens of an enterprise
SOA.
}
Figure 7 shows how to use this URL in an
Adapter.
TECHniques |
public RegistryObject fetchRegistryObject(BusinessQueryManager qm)
throws RegistryAccessException {
String uddiKey = findKeys(“http://www.company.com/soa/types”,
“SpringDAO”, “CustomerAccountDAO”).iterator().next();
RegistryObject object = null;
try {
object = qm.getRegistryObject(uddiKey);
} catch (JAXRException x) {
throw new RegistryAccessException(x);
}
return object;
Spring 2008
Figure 9. Use UDDI Key to Get RegistryObjects
7
Natural SPOTLIGHT
Using Natural Construct
to Generate Programs for XML Transfer
By Jim Wisdom, Lead Database Administrator, Boston University
This article provides tips and techniques on
A ‘simple’ Natural program was indeed the
1.Code frames that defined the data areas, pro-
using Natural Construct to generate programs
problem. Several questions came to mind if I
for XML transfer. Jim, a Lead Database Adminis-
made no effort to provide a different solution:
2.Subprograms that had to deal with any special
1.How were we to complete program design
3.User exits designed to incorporate special han-
gram logic.
trator, has worked at Boston University for 27
years. He has worked with Software AG products
for 25 years.
data handling for the constructed program.
and construction, unit testing and Production
dling for any specific file.
status in a very short time window?
Introduction and History
Several months ago, Boston University was consid-
be mapped differently than how they are de-
ering acquisition of software to provide a decision
fined on a database source file?
support system or to use today’s term, a ‘business
intelligence’ system. Once a vendor was chosen,
several important initial steps needed to be taken
to provide the right data to populate a data repository that would provide information for the
clients. Although I was not tasked to provide any
help, I did know that there might be considerable
programming requirements that would interface
to the mainframe Adabas database and extract
data for transport, known in the industry as ETL
3.What happens if you wish to extend to data
from source and what is not, to define data tags
Figure 2. Screen Display in Modification Process
according to the receiver’s rules, we defined a
When Executing the Model
relationship file to maintain this information. This
directly available on a single file source?
5.What if you decide that you only want a portion of an entire file?
6.What if data on the source repository were to
be ignored?
7.What if formatting must be applied? How do
you guarantee consistency?
would also feed into the Construct model to
Building the Components
maintain correct construction that would result in
It was not enough to build a Construct model.
correct XML output. Please see Figure 3 for a dia-
There were several issues surrounding the project
gram of what we needed to accomplish.
that would affect my proposed approach. The source
files were considered inappropriate for what would
the Natural Conference in August 2008.
database repository
that served as the
data component for
Why Construct
the decision support
I could decide how to consistently provide pro-
system on a UNIX
tive in nature even within the first subsystem; e.g.,
cess and functionality and make the ease of de-
platform. Some data
for the department that was identified to be the first
livering change a matter of re-generation. Also,
were stored in aux-
in utilizing these new business intelligence tools.
my knowledge of Construct models would help me
iliary tables; others
My instincts and knowledge of Natural and
to deliver a platform as quickly as to write one
were the results of
Natural-based subsystems pushed me in the di-
program by staff. Indeed, I finished my phase one
computations or business decision rules.
rection of using Natural Construct and Predict.
work in approximately 14 man hours, including
This was not a given nor did everyone accept my
additional modifications and testing.
ate methodology.
The technical details will be presented at
result in a foreign
It struck me that these efforts might be repeti-
input as what I contemplated was the appropri-
It was decided to use a major set of staff
Figure 3. Flow Diagram of What Boston
University Needed to Accomplish
skills—Natural and Adabas—to define and estab-
The resulting model shows the two main
lish a set of staging files that would more di-
What’s on the Horizon
screens that display in the modification process
rectly map to the new repository. Tools were
In order of priority, here is what is being worked
We discovered the most straightforward way
when executing the model. This first is a docu-
very quickly developed by our Application Tech-
into phase 2:
to load data into the business intelligence system
mentation panel (Figure 1) that has defaults but
nical Support team—experts in many technolo-
1.Apply updates as they occur utilizing the Event
was to make use of a supplied data load utility that
is modifiable by the programmer. The second is
gies—to upload the models developed for the
Replicator for Adabas. We are currently finaliz-
could utilize XML formatted input. This was prefer-
currently the heart and sole of the model (Figure
business intelligence repository and to create
ing a project to show the efficacy of this ap-
able, given time constraints, to becoming experts
2). These parameters serve to drive the generation
Predict DDEs. This allowed us to follow our in-
proach and to ultimately minimize the traffic to
on the underlying data structures of the business
process. All the fields have help and a few are
house standards for defining new files. The new
the business intelligence repository.
intelligence repository. I knew that our then current
auto-filled.
STAGING files indeed would maintain field attri-
2.Modify the model to allow handling updated
version of Natural—version 4.1—had support for
bute definitions more inline with our Adabas
the Natural XML toolkit. After a brief study I wasn’t
repository standards, particularly naming con-
3.Build a front-end function for selection by logi-
satisfied that the toolkit was mature enough to eas-
ventions. If the Y2K project taught us anything,
cal groupings or individual specific files and to
ily give us what we needed. I posed the following
it was to maintain standardization across the
generate dynamic JCL accordingly.
question to Sag-L—the Software AG user group list-
DBMS as much as possible.
serv managed by the University Arkansas:
“Pre V42, is anyone using anything in Sysweb
or Construct to generate XML from Predict DDE
files and data scrubbing could then be performed
download batch process self-healing as much
to understand. Here is a list of what was conFigure 1. Documentation Panel
4.Use a Natural FTP server. It is important that
we intercept error messages and make the
The Construct model components are easy
One responder said: “Why use Construct,
just write a simple program”.
records only.
Once completed, the population of these
before XML creation and download.
definitions of Adabas files in Natural applications?”
8
ments, the need to know what is transported
stored on OS datasets?
4.What if the XML layout is to include data not
(Extract, Transform, and Load). My original intent
was to solve the portion of ‘E’—data (E)xtraction.
Because of any extra formatting require-
2.What happens when you have data that must
structed:
as possible.
5.UTF-8 encoded transport.
6.Continue study of the XML toolkit to look for
replaceable components for integration. n
Best Practices for Building Rich Internet Applications
By Karlheinz Kronauer, Natural Product Manager, Software AG
With the availability of Natural for AJAX to
allow Natural developers to create Rich Internet
• Spread the value of applications across the entire
organization.
• Don’t cram in features—all features are not equal;
focus on key “surface” features.
Applications (RIAs), we thought it would be
• Make content useful and usable—users should
Communication is Key
It is vitally important that all stakeholders in the
building of RIAs be on the same page. Everyone
valuable to provide the Natural user community
Best Practices: Application Development
be able to change content; don’t
barriers
should
Viewcreate
online
demos
at:have a clear and concise understanding of
with general insights on:
Lifecycle is Vital
• Why many organizations are building RIAs.
As mentioned, RIAs bring an added layer of com-
to tasks or add extra stepswww.softwareag.com/natural
to the user’s task what it will take to build a high performing Web
• Best practices to ensure successful RIA
plexity to the design model. This added complex-
• Make effective use of space—give visual and
tality is important for success as all team members
ity means that an organization should implement
contextual prominence to the most important
in the development process play an equal and vital
an iterative approach to development and put
content and functions.
role in an application’s success. An application life-
development.
To learn more about Natural for AJAX, I encour-
well-established practices in place. The following
age you to review these resources:
is an example of the typical stages of the devel-
• Natural for AJAX TECHcast
opment process3:
• Natural for AJAX Fact Sheet
1.Plan and Prepare—understand the end-users’
More and more, customers demand easy access
to key information and data from a company’s
Web site. This high expectation is driving many
organizations to jump on the Rich Internet Application (RIA) band-wagon. They are building new
applications or “modernizing” existing applications
to allow end users to more easily and consistently
needs; prioritize their tasks.
2.Design and Develop—understand interactions
and transitions; refine visual sensibility.
3.Prototype—prototype main tasks; focus on performance issues.
4.Test—plan what to test, plan how to test; revisit
assumptions and iterate.
flow; make content interactive.
• Understand the placement of interactive elements—easy to find, logical.
cycle development process that encourages open
communications should be adopted and put into
• Provide flexibility—developers decide whether
place. All stakeholders involved—marketing, busi-
elements, classes or specific elements (ids) will
ness owners, end-users, Web designers, applica-
trigger behavior; give users control over the order
tion development, IT­—must be able to quickly
of steps in a process.
and easily communicate with each other and be
• Document output, parameters and dependencies.
able to share their expertise.8
• Provide visual continuity—preserve context;
good transitions provide strong sense of place
Shared Objectives
so users don’t get or feel lost.
Objectives will only be shared if there is open
• Use meaningful icons and symbols—don’t make
the user guess what they mean.
access key data and information that typically re-
application. An ‘all for one and one for all’ men-
• Make sure the user can easily read the Web
pages!
communication within the development process.
Team members and stakeholders must agree on
the objectives for a Rich Internet Application prior
sides in older, well-established programs. The
Plan and Prepare: Most of a development team’s
value inherent in these older programs and their
time should be spent in the up front phase of
A solid rule of thumb for the design and
to its design and development. Shared objectives
will help the development team put the appropri-
data means companies need to design and de-
planning and preparing. A successful RIA will be an
develop phase—apply basic best practices used
ate measurements in place by which to test and
velop applications that combine the accessibility
application where the design and development
to develop desktop applications (developed by
evaluate the application. Success is highly depen-
of browser-based applications with the rich user
team acquired an in-depth knowledge and un-
Jakob Nielsen, 1994). These heuristics, or prob-
dent on a team’s ability to manage the design,
interface of graphical user interface (GUI) applica-
derstanding of the end-users and their experience.
lem solving methods, still provide valuable guide-
development and testing of an application to meet
tions—the new RIAs—to get to back-end servers
Goals for the application should be established—a
lines6:
and achieve objectives.
or mainframes. A successful RIA will provide all
Rich Internet Application should provide a rich
• User control and freedom
the benefits of a distributed, server-based Inter-
user experience. RIAs need to be quick and re-
• Consistency and standards
Conclusion
net application along with the rich interface and
sponsive. They need to provide detailed informa-
• Flexibility and efficiency
Flexible, customizable, reusable code adds value
interactive capabilities of a more traditional desk-
tion and data and provide end users with the
• Match between system and user’s real world
to an organization without any appreciable cost
top application. In addition, a Rich Internet Appli-
ability to explore freely. Another key goal for an
• Visibility of system status
to development. The number one objective should
cation must have the functionality to interact with
RIA would be to provide a single screen environ-
• Error prevention
be a great user experience with any Web-based
and manipulate data.
ment so that all data entry and validation occurs
• Aesthetic and minimalist design
application. To get there, an organization’s de-
With everyone jumping on the RIA band-
within a single screen. If development teams
• Recognition rather than recall
velopment team needs best practices in place,
wagon, it is important to step back and make
spend the time in this phase, the following phases
• Help users recognize, diagnose, and recover from
especially when designing and developing the
sure that solid design and development princi-
will fall into place.
1
errors
new RIAs. According to Forrester Best Practices,
ples and best practices are in place—develop-
Additionally, the Plan and Prepare phase
ment teams should treat the design and devel-
should focus on standards, or the lack thereof, for
opment of RIAs as any development project.
RIAs. Development teams need a solid under-
Test: Testing RIAs is vital to success. Two impor-
practices and run multiple tests on their RIAs be-
Best practices for application development must
standing of the current state of flux and change in
tant types of testing should be considered—heu-
fore—and after—they go live.”9. n
be at the forefront because Rich Internet Appli-
the standards environment. Other key focus areas
ristic evaluations and Usability testing7. Testing
cations need to provide a usable, accessible, and
for the planning and preparation phase are Security
for heuristics as an application is being built will
possibly re-usable, successful experience over
and Accessibility.
help make sure that fewer errors are built in. In-
the Web.
• Help and documentation
“To make the most of their investments, firms
planning to invest in RIAs must apply design best
1
McMullin, Jess; Skinner, Grant. “Usability Heuristics for Rich
cluding heuristic evaluations also helps a team
Internet Applications”. http://www.boxesandarrows.com/
view/usability_heuristics_for_rich_internet_applications.
With a separate client-side engine, devel-
Design and Develop: Since RIAs are Web-based,
ensure that the application ends up with content
opers will deal with even more complex issues
Usability design plays an extremely important
and functionality that is easily found on a web
than they experienced during the design of dis-
role in the Design and Develop process. If time is
site and is useful.
tributed applications. In the RIA model, the client
spent at the front-end understanding the end-
Implementing usability tests helps a devel-
updates only those parts of the User Interface
user’s needs, then an RIA will be tied closely to
opment team determine a site’s effectiveness
that changed and the server delivers only updated
end-user behavior and will, in turn, be highly
from the user’s perspective. In other words, does
4
data. Now, more than ever, developers need to
useful and responsive to the end-user. Usability
the application meet the end user’s goals? With
internet applications”. www.thinkingandmaking.com/entries/63.
follow a solid, well-communicated application
also drives the design and layout of a Web site,
usability tests, developers have the opportunity
development lifecycle.
February 2008 issue.
2
Govella, Austin. “Best Practices: Implementing javascript for rich
internet applications”. www.thinkingandmaking.com/entries/63.
July 7, 2005.
3
Sundermeyer, Mike; Wibismo, Himgan. “RIA Design Best Practices”.
Macromedia. www.aces.edu.
Govella, Austin. “Best Practices: Implementing javascript for rich
July 7, 2005.
5
Rogowski, Ron. “Smackdown: Rich Internet Applications Versus
helping to ensure a site is easy to navigate and
to watch users in action, listen to comments and
By following a development lifecycle and a
that end-users can easily find what they need.
then identify areas where users are getting stuck,
6
set of well-defined best practices, organizations
Designing and developing for application useful-
having difficulty or getting confused.
Applications”. http://www.boxesandarrows.com/view/usability_
will2:
ness, easy navigation and responsiveness will
Working closely with end-users to under-
• Speed the development process and deliver
drive the application’s availability. Here are a few
stand their needs, goals and expectations helps
additional helpful best practices from a couple of
programmers develop applications to meet end-
timely applications.
• Lower overall development costs and total cost
of ownership.
• Design and build more reusable code.
TECHniques |
HTML”. Forrester Best Practices. December 7, 2006.
McMullin, Jess; Skinner, Grant. “Usability Heuristics for Rich Internet
heuristics_for_rich_internet_applications. February 2008 issue.
7
Rogowski, Ron. “Smackdown: Rich Internet Applications Versus
HTML”. Forrester Best Practices. December 7, 2006.
8
Loosley, Chris. “Managing Rich Internet Applications”.
http://performancematters.blogspot.com/2006/04/managing-
sources, including Forrester Best Practices :
user expectations successfully. The end result is
• Don’t hard code behavior—dynamically add be-
high satisfaction ratings during Usability testing
9
with end-users.
HTML”. Forrester Best Practices. December 7, 2006.
4,5
havior to elements and classes.
Spring 2008
rich-internet-applications-7.html. April 10, 2006.
Rogowski, Ron. “Smackdown: Rich Internet Applications Versus
9
…In a recent Gartner EXP Worldwide Survey
Natural SPOTLIGHT
DID YOU KNOW…?
FACTS ABOUT
APPLICATION MODERNIZATION
of 1,500 CIOs, legacy modernization, upgrade or enhancement ranked #4 in the
top 10 technology priorities in 2008.
Did you know…?
…According to an article published in the
Application Development Trends magazine,
Did you know…? With webMethods
Application Modernization Suite,
organizations can lay the foundation
for a true SOA and ensure businesses
can meet established Service Level
Agreements (SLAs):
…Some of the world’s leading corporate gi-
Ford wanted to streamline their procure-
ants and public institutions decided to scrap
ment processes, speed operations and
workhorse legacy systems for the promise
eliminate paper across their organization
of faster, more economical, more manage-
by launching a new Web-based purchasing
able, newer technologies. However in many
project with Oracle. The project, called
...A non-invasive rapid Web enablement
cases, no one even got the chance to deter-
“Everest”, consumed almost 350 IT staffers
to accelerate delivery of new Web appli-
mine if the new systems performed better,
and was eventually dubbed “Neverest” be-
cations and to improve end-user experi-
cost less or proved more manageable.
cause it failed so miserably. Ford pulled the
ence and productivity.
plug after four years and $400 million.
...A unified view of enterprise data from
within user’s “favorite” development, business intelligence and reporting tools to
improve decision making and streamline
business operations.
Extending mainframe natural to open systems sql databases
Using Natural SQL Gateway
By Bruce Beaman, Senior Director, Product Marketing, Software AG
Natural SQL Gateway extends the reach of Natural mainframe applications to data stored on Open
For the Natural Developer, Natural SQL Gateway
How it Works
Systems SQL databases such as DB2, Oracle, Sybase, MS SQL server and others using standard SQL
offers a minimal learning curve and increased
To access SQL databases on non-mainframe plat-
syntax embedded in Natural. Organizations that have Natural for DB2 can even reuse existing
productivity. Access to multiple, disparate relational
forms from Natural, the columns and tables in the
Natural DB2 mainframe programs and syntax to reach one or more different SQL DBs on remote,
databases located on different platforms is pos-
relational databases to be accessed are defined to
open systems platforms. It’s a very easy and low cost way to integrate disparate SQL data sources
sible from a single Natural program. This means
Natural as DDMs via the Natural SQL Gateway data
across platforms, one that offers business agility, cost savings and process efficiency.
fewer programs to develop and maintain. For the
dictionary. Natural developers can then use the
IT director, Natural SQL Gateway solves the prob-
DDMs in programs to define the relational data to
lem of lack of interoperability between main-
which they will be interfacing. Once the data is
frame applications and open systems databases.
defined, Natural programmers can use standard
This allows IT to find new ways to reposition the
SQL statements such as SELECT, INSERT and others,
mainframe platform to support new IT strategies,
to access and update relational data. In addition,
such as application modernization, and deliver
programmers can use Natural statements such as
new services/enhancements to the business line.
“FIND” to read data from a relational database or a
Mainframe
Unix
Natural SQL
Gateway
combination of SQL and Natural. Syntax that is cur-
TCP/IP
rently used to access DB2 with Natural for DB2 can
be reused to access databases (UDB, Oracle, Sybase,
Natural SQL
Adapter for DB2
SQL Server) remotely on Open Systems via the
Unix
Natural/Natural for DB2
TCP/IP
Figure 1. Multiple Relational Databases being Accessed from Natural
Mainframe
Natural SQL Gateway (Restricted to SQL 92 standards).
To access a relational database, Natural SQL
Gateway requires the appropriate target adapter
such as Natural SQL Adapter for DB2, Natural SQL
Natural SQL
Adapter for Oracle
Natural SQL
Gateway
Adapter for Oracle, etc. The architecture diagram
Unix
in Figure 1 illustrates the concept with multiple
relational databases being accessed from Natural,
in this case DB2, Oracle and MS SQL Server.
TCP/IP
The programming environment for Natural
Natural SQL
Adapter for DB2
SQL Gateway can be entirely GUI-based. Figure 2
shows the mapping of relational tables to the
Windows
Natural/Natural for DB2
TCP/IP
Natural SQL Adapter
for MS SQL Server
10
Natural SQL Gateway data dictionary. Figure 3
highlights a Natural mainframe program, being
edited from Natural on Windows using the Single
Point of Development (SPoD), with an embedded
SQL INSERT statement to add a new record into
DB2 database on Open Systems.
Customers around the world have
increased end-user productivity
and satisfaction, minimized risk,
saved costs and more by modernizing their existing applications.
Did you know…?
…Tulsa County improved user access to
…In less than a month, Hibernian General
…Volkswagen Financial Services converted
...Business agility by leveraging core as-
Insurance modernized and extended a bro-
an SAP-based application environment to
sets for use in a process-centric business
ker-based policy administration system re-
an SOA to improve customer service, in-
environment, which enables organiza-
ducing the time it takes to process policies
crease employee productivity, and re-
tions to quickly adapt to new and chang-
from 7 days to 7 minutes!
spond faster to changing market condi-
...A bridge to SOA by unlocking and transforming existing application assets into
high-value business services, allowing organizations to quickly populate an SOA
with useful services and to have the flexibility they need to rapidly create new busi-
county property records and legal documents through Web enablement, and
saved an estimated $300,000 by choosing
to modernize instead of replacing their
legacy system.
ness processes.
ing market conditions.
tions. Queries from dealers to the central
…New York City Department of Buildings
systems are now consistently answered in
saved constituents an estimated $6 million
less than one second!
a year on expeditor fees by providing instant access to information online. In less
…Poalim Sahar, a daughter company of
than 6 months, the existing mainframe
the largest bank in Israel, reduced costs
application was securely accessible via the
and minimized risks by enhancing the
Internet, and users have now 24x7 access
user interface and core functionalities
to millions of pieces of information on
without “throwing away” the existing so-
950,000 buildings in New York City!
lution—and their number of customers
nearly doubled!
...Continued on page 12
Product announcement
Natural sql gateway
Overview:
Natural SQL Gateway uniquely provides access from Natural mainframe applications to data
stored on Open Systems SQL databases such as DB2, Oracle, Sybase, MS SQL server and others
using standard SQL syntax embedded in Natural. Now, any organization with online or batch
Natural applications can leverage existing staff and programs to access data residing in one
or more different SQL databases on remote, Open Systems platforms. Shops with Natural for
DB2 can even reuse existing Natural DB2 mainframe programs and syntax. It’s a very easy
and low-cost way to integrate disparate SQL data sources across platforms, one that offers
business agility, cost savings and process efficiency.
FIGURE 2: Mapping of Relational Data to the Natural SQL Gateway Data Dictionary
For the Natural Developer, Natural SQL Gateway offers a minimal learning curve and
increased productivity by making access to one or more Open Systems relational databases
accessible using standards-based SQL. For the IT director, Natural SQL Gateway solves the
problem of lack of interoperability between mainframe applications and Open Systems
databases. Operational costs are lowered by an easy to install, high performance SQL engine
that provides quick and easy access to and integration of enterprise data stored in Open
Systems RDBMSs.
Product Highlights:
Based on proven ConnecX adapters (previously known as CONNX adapters), Natural SQL
Gateway provides real-time, SQL-based access to one or more relational data sources including Oracle, DB2, SQL Server, Rdb, Sybase and Informix from mainframe Natural applications—
and, have it appear as if the data is stored in a single relational database. Natural developers
can be immediately productive using familiar, self-describing Natural statements as well as
Figure 3. Natural Mainframe Program with Embedded SQL INSERT Statement to Add New Record
standard SQL statements, like SELECT, to access relational databases. This results in quick de-
into Db2 Database on Open Systems
livery of new applications, as well as savings in application maintenance and test efforts.
PREDICT/SYSDDM can be used to generate DDMs and documentation for Natural from the
existing relational DB tables reducing time and maintenance costs
Natural SQL Gateway was released for general availability on April 4, 2008. The product is actually
a “package” that consists of two components:
• Natural SQL Gateway.
Availability:
• One Natural SQL Adapter for <Target Database>, where the target database is DB2, Oracle, Sybase,
The Natural SQL Gateway is available immediately with pricing available from an authorized
Software AG sales representative. Additional information on the Natural SQL Gateway can be
found at www.SoftwareAG.com/Natural
MS SQL Server or other relational database of the customer’s choice.
Example: The Natural SQL Gateway and Natural SQL Adapter for Oracle create access to an Oracle
database on Open Systems from Mainframe Natural applications.
Beyond the one adapter included with the Natural SQL Gateway package, additional target database adapters may be purchased to access multiple relational databases from Natural on Mainframe..n
TECHniques |
Spring 2008
11
…GOERING built a system to link mobile
Adabas SPOTLIGHT
devices with any existing warehouse
management system using an SOA to increase productivity, performance and transparency in the warehouse—and achieved
ROI in less than 1 year.
DID YOU KNOW…?
FACTS ABOUT
APPLICATION MODERNIZATION
...and did you also know?
...Continued from page 11
a secure, scalable and standards-based
interface and contributed to an overall
…American Fidelity Assurance achieved
…Florida Community College at Jacksonville
vehicle inventory reduction of almost 35%
first year savings of $400,000 on policy un-
modernized more than 1,500 processes
within three years and attained global
derwriting and $490,000 on forms costs by
while preserving the value of legacy ap-
corporate targets.
optimizing and extending critical main-
plications and leveraging investments in
SOA and Web services.
frame assets to fully interoperate with new,
…Wien IT web-enabled their COBOL-based
real-time policy transaction applications
personnel administration system in just
and HIPAA compliance applications.
…Nissan UK made existing functionality
three man-months to fulfill end-user de-
available to trusted external partners via
mand for a better system interface.
…Washington State University modernized legacy applications to integrate with
newer, PC-based applications for instant
access to critical data, and avoided a risky
replacement project that was projected to
cost $30-50 million! n
For more information and resources about
Application Modernization, go to:
www.softwareag.com/modernize
webMethods Optimize for Adabas and Natural:
End-to-End Monitoring for Business and IT
By Bruce Beaman, Senior Director, Product Marketing
Companies have moved many business critical
In order to increase visibility of the custom-
The vision is for an Optimize “umbrella” or
• Enable pre-emptive actions: based on facts or
functions to the Web for the multiple advan-
er experience and reduce the risks associated
suite of performance monitoring tools for core ETS
predictive analysis performed by the monitoring
tages it offers but, according to Forrester Group
with online service delivery, organizations need
products: Adabas, Natural and EntireX. The long-
system, events would be triggered to automate
and others, this has had an unanticipated im-
an end-to-end business-oriented monitoring tool.
term plan is to also monitor select Adabas and
pact on the business. With Web applications,
Such a tool would allow both Business and IT
Natural add-on products, such as Event Replicator
• Provide tailored automation options: system ad-
IT has now become the customer-facing orga-
Managers to see all processes along the service
for Adabas, Adabas Review and Adabas Fastpath,
ministration would range from automated, semi-
nization within the company because they
delivery path to the Web to identify bottlenecks
and to provide automated tasks to address bottle-
automated or even manual tasks based upon
provide services directly through the Web to
and candidates for optimization and ultimately
necks and take corrective action in advance of a
customer needs/wants.
customers, while business stakeholders are
improve the customer experience. Business man-
problem sensed by the monitor. Specifically, the
simultaneously losing touch since they are no
agers benefit from higher end-user satisfaction
product would:
longer the first line of customer contact. Stated
from Web-based services and improved revenue
plainly, the problem with Web applications is
streams. IT gains an end-to-end transaction view
that business managers often lack the visibility
that enables the IT team to do root cause analysis
they need to ensure end-user satisfaction and
and solve problems for achieving performance
attainment of revenue goals.
and availability goals.
system administration functions
An example of Optimize monitoring of
Adabas and Natural could include the following
processes as outlined in Figure 1.
IT
BUSINESS
Software AG is currently evaluating webMethods “Optimize” business activity monitoring
• Command Queue and Usage
• User-defined KPIs
(BAM) tool for exactly this purpose—to provide
• File Usage
• Aggregation and information about database
an end-to-end holistic perspective of Adabas,
• High Watermarks and Resource Statistics
transactions:
Natural and EntireX based processes. webMethods
• User Profiles and Queue
- Number of customer records added
Optimize gives users real-time insight into key
• Client and Server-side Monitoring
last week
business process activities and a complete view
• Collection of Historical Data
- Average response time to search for an order
of their enterprise IT infrastructure.
• Transaction Summary by User
- Number of accounts changed by the
• Natural - Total Sessions
subsidiary XYZ
• Natural Buffer Pool Statistics
• Program:
“Optimize” features include:
• Web-based dashboards
• Diagrams
• Reports, Lists
• Historical trend analysis
• Collectors to combine events from multiple
sources
- Stages and elapsed time of an order processing
• End-user:
- Number and names of maps processed
during a customer service call
• Ability to create custom Rules and KPI’s
• Real-time alerts and Notification
12
Figure 1. Optimize Monitoring of Adabas and Natural
Featured Online Seminar
“The Growing Link Between SOA, BPM
and Application Modernization…and
Why You Should Care”
Presenters:
Mike Gilpin, VP, Research Director, Forrester Research;
Mighael Botha, VP and Chief SOA Architect, Software AG
TECHniques Credits
special edition – Application Modernization
SPRING 2008
Editor-in-Chief
Features Editor
Joseph J. Gentry, CTO, Software AG
Leslie Berry, ETS Marketing, Software AG
Executive Editor
Design and layout
Ruth Ann Rich, Director, ETS Marketing
Melanie Sacks, Creative Director,
Application modernization has emerged as a new enterprise priority.
Why? Because organizations have achieved significant benefits from
adopting an SOA—and the most successful implementation of an SOA
leverages an enterprise’s existing core application assets. The increased
focus on business process improvement initiatives makes both application
modernization and SOA increasingly important. Join Forrester’s Mike Gilpin
as he delivers insights on “The Growing Link Between SOA, BPM and
Programs, Software AG
ByDesign Studio
Application Modernization…and Why You Should Care”.
Software Specialist, Commutual Technical
Contributing Authors
Sandra Wade, Senior Director, Product
Jim Wisdom, Lead Database Administrator,
Neil Beesley, Founding Member and Enterprise
Consulting, LLC
To register and view on demand, go to:
www.softwareag.com/modernize
Ezra Kahimbaara, SOA Architect, Software AG
Marketing, Software AG
Boston University
Karlheinz Kronauer, Natural Product Manager,
Software AG
Mehmet Akyuz, Solution Architect,
Software AG Turkey
Bruce Beaman, Senior Director,
Product Marketing, Software AG
Below are screen shots from the existing Optimize for Adabas prototype, Figure 2 and Figure 3:
News You Can Use
ENTER FOR INNOVATION AWARDs 2008
Submit Your Nomination to Win Software AG’s 2008
Customer and Partner Innovation Awards
Software AG is pleased to announce we are accepting nominations for
participating in the Software AG Customer and Partner Innovation Awards
program. The Innovation Awards recognize outstanding customer and
partner achievements that are improving business processes, overcoming
technology challenges and enhancing a company’s bottom-line leveraging
Software AG solutions.
Who is eligible? All Software AG customers and partners world-wide
with projects that are in production may submit nominations. You can
submit as many projects for consideration as you like but each project
must be submitted separately.
Deadline for entry is June 13th, 2008. Awards will be presented at
Innovation World 2008 in Miami, Florida, on November 2-5, 2008.
If you have any questions about this Awards Program, please contact
[email protected]. For more information and to access
submission forms go to: www.softwareag.com/innovationawards
Figure 2. IT-centric Adabas Monitoring
Congratulations to the 2007 Software AG Innovation
Award Winners!
•
•
•
•
•
Corporate Express
DSM
Lenders First Choice
Motorola
Satyam Computer Services
Figure 3. Business-Centric Adabas Monitoring
To read more about the 2007 Innovation Award Winners,
go to: www.softwareag.com/innovationawards
The Optimize monitoring suite for Adabas, Natural and EntireX is part of the product strategy
for 2010. Software AG is always seeking customer feedback and requirements for current and future
products. Please contact [email protected] with any comments or questions. n
TECHniques |
Spring 2008
13
Natural SPOTLIGHT
Developer Insights
Four developers from Software AG share their insights on important technology innovations over the years…and reveal how they recharge
after a long day of code development and management inside the Adabas/Natural R&D organization.
Q. How did you get started in IT?
because what I’m doing now is much more
Outside my work environment, the MP3’s
Kessler: I first studied chemistry but realized this
about management than working on the actual
were really a revolution for me! I’m really into
was not for me. But I got to work with the first
technology. This is relatively new to me and very
music and have a lot of CDs…
small computers that were used in the chemistry
interesting.
lab. Then I did an internship at Siemens in Frankfurt,
Muenster: There are two innovations that im-
Germany, and this is how I found out that com-
Zude: Back in the 1970s, my high school had a
pressed me. First was the development of mod-
puters were actually more interesting than chem-
DEC PDP 11/10 computer—a (physically) big ma-
ern operating systems. I was influenced by these
istry. I then decided to study computer science at
chine with only 56KB memory! And I was one of
during my studies. I got involved in installing op-
the technical college in Darmstadt. I first worked
the pupils who got really interested in it and actu-
erating systems and getting to work at customer
at Software AG as a student and then got hired
ally worked with it. We developed a real applica-
sites. The development of GUIs (graphical user
there after finishing my studies. I started with de-
tion that the school used for maintaining and
interfaces) was also important as I have worked
veloping the Natural Compiler on mainframe and
checking the input data for the study timetable.
on GUIs at Software AG. GUIs continue to influ-
got to know a lot of people who are still working
This is how I first learned about programming. It
ence my work; for example, their implementa-
at Software AG today. I’ve now been with this
was then a no-brainer for me to choose computer
tion with Natural and Natural Studio and Natural
company for 23 years and I’ve had the chance to
science, which I studied at the University of
for Ajax.
work in different offices like Derby in the UK and
Darmstadt in Germany. After my military service,
Dallas in the USA.
I started working at Software AG—which is still
Nachimson: It was interesting for me to see
my first work place—and immediately in Adabas
how the World Wide Web evolved. I have a friend
Muenster: My first contact with IT was during
development. I was first assigned small tasks and
that used to run a BBS (Bulletin Board Systems)
my time in the German Navy. I was a seaman on a
progressively got involved in bigger projects. For
which was the predecessor of website hosting – a
pretty old ship and I had access to a 6 ton mechani-
example, in the mid 1990s, I was the lead devel-
kind of pre-Internet, as the Internet didn’t reach
cal computer! While using this computer I was mo-
oper for Adabas Delta Save Facility, and at the end
Israel at that time. The BBS technology used hubs
tivated to see what computers can do. I studied
of the 1990s, I became one of the architects for two
that people connected to for file sharing, online
Computer Science at the University of Kiel, in my
other add-on products, Adabas Cluster Services
games and even e-commerce purposes. Then, I
hometown near the Baltic Sea in Northern Germany
and Adabas Parallel Services.
think in the mid 90s, the Internet started to be used
and completed my studies later on in Darmstadt.
knew so much about IT and I always thought that
Q. What important technology
changes/innovations have you
witnessed during your career?
possible for anyone to learn programming. When
I’d never be able to get into that. In 1997, towards
Kessler: The PC—it had just been introduced to
I started in IT, you had to be in a university or
the end of my military service, I attended a tech-
the market when I first started in IT. Before that,
company to be able to work with computers. As
nical course and our instructor had a startup that
we used to work with punch cards, for example.
for the Internet, today it’s inconceivable not to be
specialized in OCR (Optical Character Recognition).
The UNIX operating system was another important
able to look up maps, book a flight, purchase train
We talked about what he was doing, and he said
innovation for me. We used to work on main-
tickets, or do many other useful things from one’s
that I was asking the right questions and that I
frame only, and after UNIX was released, Adabas
home computer!
should try to go more into this direction. I realized
and Natural were ported onto this new operating
then that I didn’t need to grow up into this field
system. Besides, I saw one of the first laser print-
to be good at it, but that I would be able to ac-
ers at Siemens—it was huge, probably 2x3m…but
quire this knowledge if I wanted to.
very fast!
Nachimson: I always had friends around me who
Zude: The PC and the Internet. The PC made it
Q. What is your favorite thing
about working with Natural, Adabas
or ApplinX?
During high school, my major was art—
I remember also the Java hype and the re-
Kessler: Natural is one of the first true 4th gen-
drawing and animation—but after my military
lease of OLE/COM from Microsoft. At that time we
eration languages. I know—well, knew—it inside
service, I decided to learn computer science and
actually created a product that makes OLE/COM
out and therefore I could quickly write little pro-
mathematics, in addition to humanistics, at univer-
work on UNIX and even on the mainframe. Now-
grams that make life easier.
sity. During my studies, I also worked in quality
adays SOAP is more popular, and another archi-
In general, I’ve always enjoyed the speed
assurance—I was doing much of my sleep in the
tectural paradigm (web services, etc.) is used in-
and performance of both Adabas and Natural,
bus [laughs]—and slowly got into programming
stead, but I think we still have one or two customers
and I especially like the fact that these advan-
as I developed my skills. After graduation, I started
using this program.
tages are still valid nowadays.
at Sabratec in 2001 as developer for ApplinX.
14
more by the masses in Israel.
In the area of security, I witnessed the de-
When Software AG bought Sabratec in 2005,
ployment of Certificates and PKI (Public Key Infra-
Muenster: My favorite thing is that Natural sim-
I first became team leader and then director in
structure) in the late 1980s. These were used to
plifies programming. You can write in one envi-
July 2007. This has been a big change for me
secure computers run by systems, not by humans.
ronment and then deploy in another without
Software AG
Certification
Earn the Recognition
You Deserve!
Are you the kind of person who
doesn’t stop at merely performing
your daily tasks? Do you continue to
expand your knowledge to be the
best you can be? Then becoming a
Software AG Certified Professional is
the next essential step in your career.
The Software AG Certification
Program establishes a standard for
knowledge and skills necessary to
successfully implement missioncritical IT systems using Software AG
technology.
Key benefits:
• Recognition of your knowledge and
proficiency
• Validation of your expertise and
skills to your employer
• Ability to advance your career
• Logo and Certificate to identify
you as a Software AG Certified
Professional
Available certifications:
• Certified Natural 2006
Application Developer
• Certified Professional on
Legacy Integration
• webMethods 6.5 Certified
EAI Developer
• webMethods 6.5 Certified
B2B Developer
• webMethods 7.x Certified
Integration Developer
• webMethods 7.x Certified
BPMS Developer
Don’t let your certification
become outdated
The Software AG Certification Program
is committed to ensuring that
certifications remain relevant,
valued, and respected credentials.
Therefore, all tests are revised on an
ongoing basis to ensure tests keep
pace with latest developments and
reflect state-of-the-art skills. Keep
your certification current! Go to:
www.softwareag.com/
Corporate/service/training/
Dieter KessleR, Senior Software Engineer for
Michael Muenster, Natural Program Manager,
Guy Nachimson, Director, ETS R&D, Software AG
Arno zude, Adabas Product Consultant, has
webMethods EntireX (formerly known as EntireX
is responsible for evaluating projects and matching
Israel, is responsible for ApplinX and the Applica-
been working in the Adabas Mainframe develop-
Communicator), is also part of the Software AG
them to customer and business goals. Michael
tion Modernization products that have recently
ment team since 1989. Arno’s work covers a wide
Security Team, which he started together with
interacts with the Mainframe and Natural Open
been acquired from Jacada. Guy’s main tasks in-
range of activities: requirement analysis; architec-
another colleague in 2001. Within this team, he
Systems development teams as well as with the
clude management, maintaining the R&D team,
ture and design; code writing and debugging;
makes sure that the security tools are embedded
Natural Product Management team on roadmap
setting up processes and goals, and making sure
analyzing and fixing product problems; contributing
in all Software AG products in a consistent way in
and planning issues.
not too much gets in the way of his developers.
to and reviewing documentation; training Adabas
terms of development and design. Dieter always
Support colleagues; and finally helping other em-
wanted to work directly with the products.
ployees on Adabas-related questions.
changing anything. This capability has been avail-
Muenster: I deal with a lot of communications
Now, I do Aikido. I’ve reached the 2nd Dan
If I have more spare time I do little drawings,
able in Natural for longer than in Java.
in my job. I go to many meetings, I’m on the
level and I practice the Samouraï technique to
especially if I’m on vacation abroad, I usually take
phone a lot and I get and send a lot of emails. I
fight with swords. I’ve even been to Tokyo to train
my drawing book and paint sceneries.
with a very good teacher.
Nachimson: With my artistic background, I en-
interact daily with the development teams—
joy the strong graphical side of ApplinX, which
mainframe and Natural open systems—reviewing
makes it nice to use. You don’t need to know
project status, product functionality, etc. On the
about mainframe technology to create a working
other hand, I interact daily with Product Manage-
Web application or Web services.
ment regarding upcoming requirements and cus-
Muenster: I like a lot of sports—volleyball, bad-
tomer requests. I arrive to work around 8:30am
minton, skiing, biking. I like to take long walks with
But my number one hobby is playing chess.
and I leave some time between 5:00-6:00pm.
my wife and our dog. I also enjoy many cultural
My father taught me how to play, and I was 13
What I also like about working on ApplinX
is the team we have; I enjoy very much the
atmosphere and the team spirit in which we
work together.
I also play ancient Japanese music using a
Shakuhachi, which is a Japanese bamboo flute.
Zude: I read a lot: newspapers, novels—this really helps me relax—but also IT books and magazines. I also play piano, though not as often as
I’d like.
activities. We go to the Frankfurt Opera, classical
when I joined my first chess club. Now I’ve reached
Nachimson: My workday starts between 8:30 and
concerts at the Rheingau Music Festival and rock
the level of International Master and I’m the cap-
9:00am after I bring my son to kindergarten. I usu-
concerts and modern ballet events in Mainz.
tain of a 2nd league chess team. When my team
Zude: Even though I work with mainframes—
ally get quite a lot of emails and have a lot of meet-
which many people consider to be ‘dinosaurs’—
ings and conference calls during the day. Local
Nachimson: After code development, I enjoy
chance to play against the ex-world champion Bo-
what we do is at the front of technology innova-
meetings are the most creative part of work though,
playing squash or beach volley. But now that I have
ris Spassky, as well as Vladimir Kramnik who also
tion. For example, building Adabas Cluster
as this is when we get to do some brainstorming
a family, I tend to spend more time with them.
became world champion later on. Unfortunately,
Services was very challenging because we had to
with my team and plan what we need to build up.
make multiple distributed instances of Adabas
managed to move up to 1st league, I even had the
From time to time, I undertake private proj-
but not surprisingly, I lost both games!
ects. For example, I created a children’s book for
I also like to solve chess problems (posi-
work seamlessly on the same database—not a
Zude: My working times are variable—I’m part
my son and printed it using a publishing house—
tions with stipulations such as “Mate in 3 moves”)
simple task!
of a distributed team with colleagues in Derby
well I just had 5 copies printed because it quickly
and have been very successful in national and
I also like that the things I do are very di-
(UK), Denver and Reston (USA). And when I need
gets expensive! [laughs] In this book I adapted a
international solving competitions. For this, I
verse. In addition to my main task, which is de-
to talk with my colleagues in the USA, my day
famous tale that featured my son as the main
was two years ago awarded the “Silbernes
velopment, I get to analyze problems and solve
usually starts and ends later than when I work on
character. This was really a nice project. Also, one
Lorbeerblatt” (“silver laurel”) from the German
them, as well as write designs, which is more
my own.
big project I’m currently working on is to build a
President—my most valued award out of many! I
house. We’re just in the planning phase but it is
seem to have an affinity for solving problems,
already quite exciting.
both in my work and in chess! n
abstract and creative. This variety of tasks makes
Once in the office, I first read my emails and
my work very interesting. Besides, I get to work
try to get them out of the way (which is not al-
in an international team with competent, coop-
ways easy to do!) before I can focus on my “real”
erative and friendly colleagues. And, I like the
work. I regularly have lunch at the office cafete-
success of Adabas of course!
ria—they offer a lot of choice and the desserts are
very good!
Q. What is your typical workday like?
before checking how many meetings I have dur-
Q. How do you recharge yourself
after a long day of code development?
What is your favorite thing to do
when you’re not developing?
ing the day. Meetings often keep me very busy,
Kessler: My favorite thing is to spend time with
and when I’m not in a meeting, I develop, design
my two sons (11 and 14 years old), although this
and work on solving issues. Occasionally, I go on
is not always good to recharge myself!
Kessler: I usually start between 6:30 and
7:00am, and enjoy the breakfast from our
Software AG canteen—fresh fruit salad and tea—
customer visits to answer security questions or
I used to practice different types of dancing
provide on-site training. My day ends between
(ballroom, ballet, etc.) but I stopped after 20 years
5:00 and 7:00pm.
when I decided to start a family.
TECHniques |
Spring 2008
15
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