University of California, Santa Barbara capitalizes on ATERAS® automated modernization solutions to successfully migrate Student Information System from mainframe ADABAS/Natural to SQL Server/C# .Net

DALLAS, March 11, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- ATERAS, a leading provider of legacy application modernization solutions, announced today the successful completion of a strategic modernization initiative for the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB).  UCSB's Student Information System, comprised of over 20 applications supporting over 85,000 users, was migrated from a mainframe Software AG ADABAS database Natural application environment with Entire X Broker middleware to a Microsoft .Net framework on SQL Server.  Leveraging over 28 years of legacy expertise and exploiting the power of its proprietary suite of automated tools (eavRPM® for rapid program modernization and DB-Shuttle® for data/code conversion), ATERAS along with UCSB's talented team drove this strategic project to completion in two years.

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The mainframe-based systems that were modernized (6,900 components, 1,460,000 lines of code and 1,350,000 ADABAS records), used primarily by the Office of Admissions and the Registrar's Office, are the core back-end to many front end, web-based applications (Microsoft .Net Framework) used by UCSB students, staff, faculty, parents, community members, alumni, applicants, etc. UCSB chose an approach that changed the green screen user interface of the core applications to a web browser screen, while maintaining the existing logic and functionality of the Natural programs.  ATERAS' eavRPM® enabled the ability to transform the applications with an enhanced web based user interface and modern underlying language/database technology, while retaining the functionality and performance.  Natural screens were replaced with ASP.Net web forms and Natural programs replaced with C# classes.  DB-Shuttle® enabled the automated conversion of ADABAS to SQL Server and batch Natural programs to C#.  The new .NET solution exploits the features of ASP.NET, ADO.NET, C#, and object-oriented design.

"UCSB needed a solution that allowed them to retain the proven functionality of their existing system while modernizing the look and feel," said Scott Miller, CEO, President, ATERAS. "It was also important to enable UCSB to leverage cost efficient new technologies, while eliminating the mainframe and vendor license fees. I'm very proud of the collaborative effort between UCSB and ATERAS that validated our partnership and facilitated this strategic accomplishment."

The project required no production code freeze during the modernization process. As the project progressed, changes in the production code were periodically imported into DB-Shuttle to be implemented in the converted system. The inclusion of NeoBatch from ATERAS' strategic partner, GT Software, provides an environment for managing and executing jobs under the Windows .NET Framework.

"This has been a fundamentally critical project for us. The code and data conversion approach allowed us to preserve all business rules, exceptions, jobs and interfaces that have been defined over three decades, while transforming the core information systems to the latest technologies. This will allow us to step on a solid modern platform for designing and developing the next generation of applications, platforms, workflows and data & analysis services," said Lubomir Bojilov, CTO & Executive Director, Student Information Systems & Technologies, UCSB. "This was a mission-critical project that involved more than 100 participants working with the ATERAS' team. Our software developers, systems engineers, architects, managers and testers worked productively as one team, which led to a successful completion of the project."

The delivered system is native to the Microsoft software stack. Programs are maintained in Visual Studio and the database is accessed via existing SQL Server tools. The visual interface (web pages) are cross-browser compatible. There is no proprietary code or ongoing license fees due to ATERAS. The performance of the converted system often exceeds the requirements set by UCSB, with comparable security authorization mechanisms in place. The consolidated Student Information System meets one of the main project goals: easier maintainability of UCSB IT systems.

About ATERAS
ATERAS has supported global enterprises for over 28 years, offering state-of-the-art services that exploit automation for transforming legacy applications and databases into modern technologies using patent-pending automated conversion and modernization, Re-Hosting technologies (DB-Shuttle® & eav® suite, ATP®).  ATERAS' Application Portfolio Management (APM) solutions and Application code understanding range from Assessments of existing IT environments, enterprise field expansion, and COBOL/Natural workbenches to automated documentation tools.  Information at: www.ateras.com

About University of California Santa Barbara
UC Santa Barbara is an internationally recognized leader in teaching and research and is distinguished by its interdisciplinary programs and a commitment to innovation. With an enrollment of 22,000 and a 1,166-member faculty, UCSB is one of only 63 research-intensive institutions elected to membership in the prestigious Association of American Universities. The faculty includes five Nobel Laureates, winners of the Millennium Technology Prize and Fields Medal, dozens of Guggenheim and Fulbright fellows, and scores of elected members or fellows of elite national and international academies and associations. The campus is also home to 12 national centers and institutes, eight of them sponsored by the National Science Foundation. U.S. News and World Report's guide, "America's Best Colleges," ranks UCSB number 9 among all public universities in the nation.

Media Contacts:
ATERAS: Richard Chance, 214-615-4994 [[email protected]]
UCSB: George Foulsham, 805-893-3071 [[email protected]]

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SOURCE ATERAS