The modernization process begins with an analysis of your requirements. During this phase you define modernization goals, review your legacy architecture, identify opportunities for reuse, and finally, determine requirements for a modern OpenEdge solution.

The first step is to determine your business goals and identify the OpenEdge features that will enable you to reach those goals. Consider the factors that extend beyond your application, for example:

  • What does a successful modernization process look like to you? It may be useful to start by describing the end result, for instance: "By the end of this modernization process, I want to have increased application uptime, decoupled operations, a service-oriented architecture, and improved security". By clearly articulating your business goals, you can focus your effort on the aspects of modernization that are most important to your business.
  • What OpenEdge features or components will help you achieve your target environment?
    • If your goal is increased application uptime, then take advantage of the ability to make online database changes in OpenEdge 12.
    • If your goal is to improve the scalability of your application, then set up a multi-threaded OpenEdge database with a network connection and use server-side joins.
    • If your goal is to have decoupled operations, then use an OpenEdge web handler to design and develop REST APIs for your back-end ABL business logic.
  • What type of cloud environment do you need? Will your environment be hosted on a public cloud or a private cloud? Will your OpenEdge application have cloud-native characteristics such as containers and orchestration?