Use Systematic Approach For Legacy Application Migration

Before you start with your legacy applications transformation, you need to be systematic. We will try to get your process as systematic as possible via this article. 

Document: the logical first step for starting a legacy application transformation is the complete understanding of the functions of the application, the data capture method, the storage of the captured data, the business requirements which the application serves and the complete process flow of the application.  

Requirements: analyse the business needs, the scalability of the application, the performance and the specific dependencies of the application.

Analyse: The requirements map which is created in the previous step should help you to identify the major enhancements or the additions which are to be created during the migration process. 

Architect: a complete roadmap is created which outlines the steps to be taken to migrate the existing legacy applications to a modern and ideal solution. 

Once the documentation is complete for the present architecture and the application itself, we need to move to the migration strategy. 

Modularise: We need a clear and logically defined business need along with well-defined abstract interface for each modular component. This creates a service model which will be fulfilled by the new service and the new application can be deployed swiftly. 

Model: Information models records the interaction between the applications and the business process. This supports the enterprise IT system itself.

Integrate: ESB or the Enterprise Services Bus architecture enables the platform to support the integration of the new system, replacing the existing system. The new service modules are integrated into the legacy application. 

Migrate & Extend: the ESB architecture also allows the creation of a framework which is needed for the much needed services interface. This helps the data to be accessed and updated as needed, between the old and the new architecture. 

Test: After all the new modules and elements are integrated into the system using the Enterprise Services Bus, this is tested in different business scenarios and business requirements. 

Once the application is successfully migrated into the new architecture, the newer services can be added with relative ease. 

Migrate & Extend: The Enterprise Services Bus provides with a flexible framework which allows easy integration of newer services in the new environment. 

Test: Each of these services can now be tested to ensure that it meets the business requirements, are functional, has optimum performance and scalable via multiple business scenarios and resource utilisation models.

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