If you are a frequent reader of DGFocus, you will recognize the topic of this article. Universal Data Corporation (UDC) has been working with Data General systems for as long as I can remember. I first came to know them for their expertise in Cyberscience’s CQCS product. Later, I evaluated an AOS/VS E-mail product they offered. (I had 60+ MV systems to manage at the time.) As I’ve considered migration options, Universal Data Corporation has been there with new products and services. Experience is important. Over the past seven years, Universal Data Corporation has performed more the twenty-five COBOL migrations.

UDC’s Pinpoint COBOL Migration Service will rehost any Data General MV/Family COBOL application to any major Unix platform, including DG/AViiON, IBM RS/6000, HP PA-RISC, DEC Alpha and many more. The entire software environment is transferred to Unix and guaranteed to operate correctly. UDC uses a largely automated set of tools to translate the legacy COBOOL code to Micro Focus COBOL. The process produces native Unix applications. An important distinction between other processes I’ve reviewed is that there is no interpretive subset of COBOL and no INFOS emulation. It might be good to live without INFOS.

UDC has recently begun to offer an alternative to legacy migrations. In addition to their standard turnkey migration service, they have developed a second generation of tools geared for customer use. This will significantly reduce the cost of a migration. This is only appropriate if you have an existing programming staff.

One thing that UDC does that I like and would insist upon, is a test conversion of code and data. They ask you to submit a representative sample of programs for a no-cost, no-obligation code review. Typically, seven to ten sample COBOL programs, along with the appropriate databases and macros, are sufficient. UDC will study the programming style used by your company and determine the best method for conversion. This usually takes two to three weeks. Afterwards, they will return the programs to you, fully converted for Unix, with instructions for loading and testing. If you’ve been having performance problems, you’ll get a thrill watching your application running on Unix.

Although each conversion is unique, it seems that UDC’s Pinpoint Migration is very affordable. 

They’ll provide a competitive quote for the entire project, along with implementation dates and a unique money-back guarantee.

As with all of my articles on this subject, I’ve tried to speak with the people who have lived through the migrations. Moy Chambers is with the International Brotherhood of Painters and Allied Trades (IBPAT) in Washington, DC. IBPAT is a large pension fund that used Data General MV’s for years. Their MV10000 was "painfully slow."

Moy wanted to move the applications to Micro Focus COBOL and AViiONs and hired a local Micro Focus consultant to help. Without INFOS experience, they had a lot of difficulty converting the VS/COBOL-INFOS applications to open systems. When Moy decided to convert the remaining applications, he searched for a company with INFOS experience. He considered an INFOS replacement product, but decided that he wanted the "independence and freedom" that a true open systems product would offer. Moy said, "I wanted real open systems and a file system that was industry standard." At the time, the INFOS replacement product he was looking at didn’t support CQCS. "We use CQCS a lot," said Moy. Universal Data Corporation and their Pinpoint Migration Service won out.

Linda Brown is the Manager of Applications Development with Universal Leaf Tobacco Company of Richmond, Virginia. While Linda wasn’t on the project from the beginning, she has been working with UDC enough to appreciate all that they have done. "Greg Pavlot is great!" says Linda. "He seems to know everything about Unix and DG’s."

"We really liked UDC’s approach to doing business," said Linda. Moy added, "We looked at other products. UDC’s price quote was reasonable with a fast time-frame." UDC offered a 30-day turnaround to IBPAT and presented several different options with the pros and cons for each. "Plus, they showed us how they analyzed the code They did it on-site using their tools," said Moy.

When asked for advice for the person still considering migration, Moy and Linda both had the same response. "Use someone that knows INFOS!" Linda felt this was critical to the success of the project. Moy’s experience with a consultant that didn’t know INFOS seems to confirm the point.