DBMaker Resolves many Management issues with COBOL Applications

Development mangers need to balance the needs and requests from application users with the capability of development to implement a particular need or request. Managers like you who deal with COBOL applications find this task daunting, as it is difficult to find skilled COBOL developers that can be used to increase the effort in development. In most cases you can easily find people with skills in other languages and backgrounds, which may be able to code a solution, but not do it within the realm of the current COBOL application. DBMaker can help you better respond to change requests in the following manner:

A Leap Forward to Migrate the Application away from COBOL
COBOL data files are very difficult to access from other applications. Providing this capability costs you development time and resources. While COBOL programs can now interface to programs from a different language, complete access to data is limited to COBOL. This means that other languages can be used to change the user interface, but the underlying processing must remain in COBOL.

DBMaker provides a standard RDBMS solution for the current COBOL application. As soon as the data has been converted into this ANSI standard SQL database, you can start developing new functions, including processing logic, in a language other than COBOL. This helps you to develop an efficient process for moving your application into a modern development environment.

Data Access from other Applications
There is always a demand for better Data interoperability. The need for accessing data from differing applications, systems, departments will only increase. SQL has been the standard method for data access for over 20 years. It still is the main standard today, and projections for SQL databases continue to increase. Conversion from COBOL files to DBMaker makes it easy for your team to access data from the COBOL application through existing, well-documented methods and techniques.

Better Stability and Security of Data
COBOL applications are designed to interface with data. When data files are broken, the application will not work. When files become corrupted, correcting them is time consuming and expensive. Attempting to stabilize data from within the COBOL program is time consuming. It is also difficult to keep track of all access to a particular file, so that demands for data security can be met. DBMaker is a complete RDBMS solution. It provides the proven data protection and stability that has been the hallmark of robust database systems for years. With DBMaker, there is no need for you to be concerned about broken files, or unauthorized access through a "special" COBOL program.

A Solution with little Development Costs
As a development manager, you are always attempting to provide the latest technology and solutions within applications. In many cases, the reason you cannot provide the latest technology is because the development resource cost of migration is too high, or the need to stop other important development will take too long. DBMaker is very easy to implement. Installation takes minutes. Converting the application from COBOL files to DBMaker does not require ANY change to the source code. DBMaker includes routines for converting the data, so the impact to development resources is minimal. The only impact of the conversion to your team will be the verification testing after the data files have been converted. As the source code was NOT changed, your staff can continue to work on other enhancements without a Code Freeze.

Leverage ALL of your Development Team Skills
After the conversion to DBMaker, access to COBOL application data can be accomplished through any language that supports SQL. This allows you to be able to assign significant functions within your application to developers who work in languages other than COBOL, such as Java, C++, HTML, etc. You can add staff more easily, provide better turn-around on requests, and reduce the burden of work on your few skilled COBOL developers.