RainCode offers DataKom Tool Suite -The One Stop Shop for DATACOM/IDEAL migration

Oct. 12, 2008 - PRLog -- DataKom migrates CA-IDEAL applications to standard and readable COBOL. Datacom idiosyncrasies are addressed (such as deletion of sets of records one by one replaced by a single SQL statement) to improve quality and readability, thereby considerably easing the maintenance of the migrated application. The CA-IDEAL to COBOL translator does not stop at programs only, but covers all aspects of the CA-IDEAL programming environment: IDEAL Panels are converted to CICS BMS maps; IDEAL Reports are converted to semantically equivalent COBOL programs
When it comes to migrating COBOL programs, DataKom provides two migrations paths, of which one, the other or both can be used: Emulation or Embedded SQL. Both methods can be used, if desirable. For example, a rapid cutover can use DataKom's emulation solution, and the translated source with embedded SQL can be put into production at your leisure.
An EMULATION solution for Call Level Datacom allows your COBOL programs to run untouched in the target environment, thereby minimizing the disruption from modifying the code. DataKom generates a DBNTRY replacement module that can be called by your COBOL programs as if it were the original CA-Datacom, and which provides identical functionality using your SQL database of choice for persistence. DataKom even includes a COPYDD replacement facility, (coupled with the DataKom data dictionary, see below) to make this migration a smooth one. 
Unlike other emulators, DataKom does not build dynamic SQL statements on the fly, but relies on compile-time code generation to use the fastest static SQL constructs available.
Alternatively EMBEDDED SQL, a source to source translation process can convert your programs, replacing data manipulation calls to CA-Datacom by strictly equivalent embedded SQL statements, thereby making your programs maintainable by developers without specialized CA-Datacom knowledge.

DataKom includes a complete data dictionary management system, which can be initially populated with the original CA-Datacom data dictionaries (BTG files), and which drives the entire migration process (including data migration, code translation, etc.).
A graphical user-interface is provided to ease data dictionary management jobs, such as: Overriding the default behavior when mapping CA-Datacom concepts to SQL (Table and column names, data types, etc.); Reverse engineering dates, so that the resulting SQL database is more semantically accurate; Specifying the data cleansing process, on a field by field or table by table basis; Creating new tables, indexes, elements, etc.
The DataKom toolset addresses data migration, taking all the aspects of this issue into account: EBCDIC to ASCII conversion if necessary, taking the original codepage into account; Data cleansing, specified centrally in the data dictionary rather than coded ad hoc in migration programs; Sorting and deduplication if necessary; COBOL REDEFINE clauses are taken into account, using a default heuristic, that can be overridden locally or globally
The DataKom data migration toolset allows for versatile database schema operations, such as synthesizing one or more Datacom column as dates in SQL, deciding whether specific column contain binary data or should go through an EBCDIC to ASCII conversion.

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RainCode has been providing tools and services for software migrations and rehosting to the biggest names in the industry since 2000. Our technologies address all the technical components of a mainframe migrations, including:* Data migrations, including normalization, data cleansing, etc.; * Code migration when a language translation must occur, or when technical components at the source code level must be changed in the course of the migration; * Code restructuring, to improve the technical quality of the migrated code while guaranteeing absolute functional equivalence; * Emulation, when a component of the technical infrastructure can be replaced without altering the existing programs in any way
* Quality control to ensure that the entropy introduced by the migration process remains under control; We have solutions for:* Datacom (including CA-Ideal, COBOL programs and Data Queries); * VSAM to relational; * DL/1 to relational; * Progress to Java or C#