Re: Best way to provide conversion data

On 10/7/2014 10:58 AM, Rick Mason wrote:

We are evaluating replacing one of our AS400 applications with a different
platform....not sure which one yet.

If you aren't sure which one yet, then why not replace the AS/400 with a
new POWER 8? It'll run all that old AS/400 stuff as well as all the new
web stuff you can think of!

This particular application has one library but many files that drives the
different application modules. Other than the dspfile command...is
there a better way to provide the vendor our files with field information
and what data the file holds?

Having done many conversions TO the midrange platform, the things I find
most useful are some sort of data dictionary, a list of the main tables
in the application along with their relationships (primary and foreign
keys) and an 80-80 list of the first 50 records like CPYF OUTPUT(*PRINT)
OUTFMT(*HEX) might produce.

Also, if this vendor is selected.......when they request our data for
conversion.....should the entire library be sent to them or should the
files be sent individually? FTP I presume??

Generally speaking, a conversion won't be using every one of your files.
That is, they won't be taking your database and writing a new Windows
(for example) front end to it. They'll be taking your data and
converting it and importing that to their database. And when I say
'data' I don't mean the entire library, I mean your customer file, your
product master file, your sales history file and so on. The important
ones, probably fewer than 50 all told.

Only your chosen vendor can tell you what they need and how to get it to
them. In my vanity, I will say that I believe the better vendors will
take any format you can provide. I got a lot of raw tables - packed
decimal and all but I also got a lot of CSV files where the data is
viewable in a spreadsheet program like Excel. Sometimes those files are
small enough to email around, sometimes FTP is better. Unless they are
a midrange vendor they won't be able to use a SAVLIB on a tape.
--buck