Mariner has become an industry leader in application modernization by utilizing a uniquely effective process called Automation-Enabled Modernization (AEM™) powered by Trinity Millennium Group. The AEM™ process provides the most technologically sound approach for leveraging legacy software artifacts such as source code and the wealth of detailed information they contain.
Check out the Application Modernization brochure here »
In contrast with typical modernization approaches in today's industry, the AEM™ approach:
- Captures complete detail in the metadata extracted from the legacy source code;
- Is less reliant on error-prone manual capture of legacy requirements;
- Produces higher quality source code and more flexibility for re-architecting to a proper modern application architecture than off-the-shelf code conversion tools;
- Achieves complete traceability from legacy to modernized code - not traceability from potentially incomplete requirements documentation, but the ability to account for each individual line of legacy source code in the modernized result;
- Generates a high percentage of modernized code through automation-enabled conversion; and
- Leverages this automation to achieve fast, predictable project timelines, which delivers business benefits in a timely fashion and reduces costs.
We are able to achieve this higher degree of automated transformation because of our innovations in extracting application-specific information from the source code, and our willingness to stop short of 100 percent automation. We automatically transform the high-volume/modest-complexity portions of the code, and manually perform the low-volume tasks that require complex decision making. In this way we achieve the cost and time savings of automation, while also retaining the ability to produce well structured code that fits within a client-specific application architecture. The modernized applications contain only highly maintainable native source code with no vendor dependencies.
The following are the major phases of the AEM™ process:
AEM™ Phase 1: Characterization is a low-cost scoping exercise to enable Mariner and our clients to develop a complete understanding of the processing challenges inherent in the application source code. A Characterization Report details the technologies involved in an application, as well as its size, complexity, and the degree to which the source code is documented.
Characterization can be executed as a standalone first phase, or may be combined with other activities such as Technical Requirements Analysis or selected Knowledge Mining results. We refer to such combinations as "Characterization Plus."
AEM™ Phase 2: Knowledge Mining extracts detailed documentation from the source code, including a complete inventory of all components within the source code (programs, screens, database tables, variables, etc.), several types of cross reference data to document related artifacts, as well as detailed models such as program flowcharts. Knowledge Mining creates the metadata required to support Automation-Enabled Transformation.
Knowledge Mining activities are project-specific and can include:
- Source code parsing to abstract syntax trees
- Data & control flow analysis
- Flowcharting
- Business rule harvesting
- Report extraction
- Identification of software patterns within the source code
AEM™ Phase 3: Application Transformation migrates functionality from legacy platforms to newer, more agile technologies. Mariner is able to customize the details of the transformation approach to the unique needs of each client and project, whether that means re-orienting tools to handle less common technologies, or adapting source code for a complete paradigm shift (e.g. procedural to SOA / object-oriented. Typical steps of Application Transformation include:
- Technical requirements analysis (What results are desired?)
- Implementation strategy plan (How will the results be achieved?)
- Proof of strategy - Release 0 (zero)
- Transformation execution:
- Data layer migration
- Presentation layer conversion
- Code generation & refinement
- Unit & integration testing
- Implementation & support
AEM™ Phase 4: Application Enhancement & Maintenance is frequently needed by our clients due to pent-up demand for enhanced functionality. The AEM™ process produces fully native software, so the hand-off to the application maintenance team is the same as it would be in any traditional software development project. Mariner's software engineers develop in-depth application knowledge during Transformation and thus we are ideally prepared to support our clients further. We are frequently called upon to maintain client applications on an ongoing basis.