Veryant modernizes COBOL code for Web 2.0

By David Worthington

September 21, 2009 — While many software makers are selling products to replace COBOL, Veryant is continuing its practice of modernizing existing COBOL applications with a new product that generates Web client interfaces. Along with that, it is also releasing a driver that creates relational databases without changing program data.

isCOBOL Web Direct 2.0 and isCOBOL SQL Server were added to Veryant's isCOBOL Application Platform Suite (APS) today. APS 2009 SP1 is available to licensed customers for no additional fee. Unlicensed customers would have to purchase it.

isCOBOL Web Direct 2.0 creates an AJAX interface for COBOL desktop applications that can be deployed in a browser. Developers use an Eclipse-based WYSIWYG editor to generate code that is inserted into the procedure division of COBOL programs, said Alfredo Iglesias, vice president of business development at Veryant.

APS does not add layers on top of old COBOL applications to make them look better, like "lipstick on a pig." It develops true COBOL applications, said Iglesias. "The [COBOL] developer doesn't need to know AJAX or any other language or technique."

The isCOBOL SQL Server product adds a relational database engine to COBOL ISAM (Indexed Sequential Access Method) files without changing current program code or data. That eliminates the need to choose from maintaining ISAM files, modifying applications, or moving to a relational database to "talk to the rest of the world" and meet evolving requirements, Iglesias said.

It accomplishes that through the use of proprietary JDBC and ODBC drivers that creates a table data structure out of ISAM records, he explained. APS compiles standard COBOL into Java bytecode that executes in Java runtime environments.

The Veryant relational database engine is also proprietary. "The functionality is comparable to any well-known database on the market," Iglesias said.

An APS utility called SQL Explorer allows developers to create and manage databases and users; execute custom SQL statements; load, edit and run SQL scripts; view query execution plans; and create and drop stored procedures, defined functions, and triggers.

Database pricing is based on the APS COBOL runtime environment, with a charge of US$50 per concurrent user, he said.

Related Search Term(s): AJAX, COBOL, Veryant

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