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Frequently Asked Questions about Exodus™
Is there a demonstration that I can review?
Yes. Please fill out the FREE code conversion form (the link is on the home page), and we will be more than happy to provide you with a copy of our product demonstration (read only). We do require a non-disclosure agreement to be signed before we provide this demonstration copy.
What are the conversion options?
There are several options available. You can purchase Exodus™, obtain training from our team and do the work yourself, or, you can have our team perform the project on-site after licensing the product. Another option would be to send your code, under non-disclosure, to our Calgary facility and have the conversion work done there. Work is estimated before hand and is done on a project basis. Final quotations provide a "maximum cap" that enables clients to know the entire project cost before starting.
Has a conversion ever been tested against Oracle Designer generated Forms?
Yes, we've converted many Oracle Designer generated Form conversion projects. As well, Oracle has performed an in-depth review of the product. They have not only endorsed the product, but have embraced the architecture. We were asked to be a migration partner of Oracle Worldwide, and this was finalized in October 2002. In addition, we are a member of Oracle's Modernization Alliance (OMA).
How does Exodus™ provide an architecture that is truly portable across J2EE applications servers (Oracle 10g, 11g, Websphere, WebLogic, Jboss) and support database independence?
The Exodus™ solution enables the user to utilize virtually any J2EE application server. By migrating the code to a true J2EE environment, the client can choose the most efficient method of hosting the application based on their requirements. Our goal with Exodus™ is to provide an environment that is low-cost and easily maintainable for our client base.
What third party components are required to run the application when it has been migrated?
With the Exodus™ solution, there are two options available for purchase of the tool or service. Both options produce J2EE code that is fully compliant with industry standards. The first option provides a database independent application. This version produces either a Java plug-in or an HTML (JSF) application. With this option, no Oracle products or third party products are required other than Java. The second option is the Oracle integrated product, which integrates seamlessly into JDeveloper and utilizes Oracle's ADF-JSF framework. If this option is chosen, Oracle's framework must be utilized.
How will our technical staff prepare to support the migrated application? How are they involved during the migration? How are we trained for the new architecture?
CipherSoft recommends the 'train the trainer' methodology. By providing 3-5 days of training on the product, we can easily assist you in supporting the migration process. We offer this training either at our offices, over the Web, or at the client's site. CipherSoft is available for constant support during the conversion process. An annual support agreement is optional but available for 24/7 support, or the client can choose to pay for support on a call by call basis.
CipherSoft is constantly enhancing the product, and provides updates to the client based on its chosen support level. Minor updates are included through our annual support agreements and major updates are a minimal charge after that time.
CipherSoft provides a Quality Assurance professional who is assigned to each client to ensure that there are no problems with the project and to liaison between the client and CipherSoft's technical team.
When Forms are converted to Java, what happens to Record Locking and other functions handled by Oracle?
The functions and record locking are handled exactly the same way in the converted Java environment as they were in the Oracle environment. CipherSoft has made every effort to keep the conversion very efficient and provide Java code that is easy to maintain and that follows Oracle's architecture and naming hierarchy. The reason for following the hierarchy so closely is that many of our customers are taking their Oracle Forms developers and moving them into Java development. The tool works in such a way that it provides an easy way for these developers to work in Java when they haven't had a great deal of Java training.
How are recommendations developed for the user interface regarding rich client application, applet, HTML or other UI structures?
The recommendations and decisions made concerning the newly migrated environment are dependent on the client's present and future requirements. These decisions include:
- Future growth of application
- Capabilities of hardware system (efficiency)
- Client's customer requirements
- Abilities of client's staff within each environment
- Structure required of migrated application
- Requirements for database independence
- Licensing issues (if Oracle's framework is utilized
- Performance issues
What differentiates your migration strategy from other vendor strategies?
There are several differentiators of the Exodus™ product versus competitor's products. The first is the ability to provide either a product or a service to clients. At this time, CipherSoft is the only vendor who provides a tool that can be utilized by the client with very little services required while automatically converting at a very high percentage. This keeps the client's cost of implementation to a minimum.
In addition, we provide services to assist the client when they do not have qualified staff, or in the event that they do not want to purchase the tool. The tool converts 90-100% of the original Oracle Forms and PL/SQL applications automatically (dependent on the complexity of the Oracle Forms converted as well as other factors). This is a percentage of automatic conversion that no other vendor can provide. Manual work required to do the remaining portion of the conversion can be performed by the client with documentation provided on any issues they might encounter. As well, CipherSoft or one of its partners can also assist with any manual work necessary.
Another differentiator is that there are no software licenses fees required with the migrated product in the new environment. The client is not required to keep licenses of Oracle Forms once the application is migrated. Many of our competitors 'wrap' Oracle Forms without actually converting them to Java, which creates problems in efficiency as well as requires licenses to be maintained with Oracle. The old legacy skill sets are also needed indefinitely. There are also no licenses or royalties paid to CipherSoft once the conversion is complete.
Exodus™ is the only product available that provides a choice of the database or framework utilized. Our goal is to provide clean, maintainable code that the client can utilize immediately, as well as providing code that maintains the functionality of the converted application.
Is there any kind of manual intervention involved with this type of conversion?
No tool can do a 100% conversion without some type of manual intervention. CipherSoft's percentage of manual intervention is very low. Most of any required manual work is related to deploying the application after conversion. If the Exodus™ product is licensed for use by the client, documentation to provide specific information on how to deal with any manual intervention required is provided as well as detailed training to the client. If CipherSoft or one of its partners provides conversion services to the client, any manual intervention would be included in the project and a fully deployable application would be delivered to the client.
How does utilizing Exodus™ save me time and money?
Advanced automated tools like Exodus™ cut time and costs of migration services and eliminate risk in migration projects. By automating migration services with proven tools that have been used successfully in the migration of large environments, the "let's re-invent the wheel" concept of migration services is totally eliminated. Exodus™ wipes out the risk of the conversion process introducing bugs in the new system, as the human element is removed and so too is the room for human error.
The direct cost of migrations projects will be a fraction of those of redevelopment, as the use of automated conversion tools will eliminate much of the human factor that introduces uncertainty and error within the project. The use of tools in the project to automate data conversion, platform retargeting, language conversion of applications, and the management of the project itself, is the guarantee of speed, efficiency, consistency, and quality.
The Exodus™ automated migration eliminates the need to write-off the system as an asset. By re-using (or leveraging) the existing developments into the system on a new platform, the asset is retained and this unnecessary cost is eliminated. The second source of indirect costs, namely user retraining and business disruption once the new system goes live, is also removed. Because the new system, in its core, is the same system as it was previously, the users will accept what is in effect a completely "new" system the same way as they would accept a new release of their existing system, with minimal or no retraining being necessary. Business disruption is negligible as a result.
For more details, go to The Benefits of Choosing Exodus™
Does an Exodus™ Conversion support Multilingual applications, meaning you could dynamically switch between German, French, Spanish etc.?
There is not a concise way to automatically handle the multi-language issue except to say that if you have Application code that currently manages this it will be converted functionally verbatim to the J2EE version of the application. That is not to say that it can not be managed elegantly, especially given that all application messaging becomes XML data. Because of this it would be relatively easy to incorporate a user language code in the login process and to use one of three or more versions of the XML messages. This doesn't take into account the internal 'Forms like' messages but because you have ALL of the source for the executing application including this Forms emulating piece it is a small task to allow the internal messages to come from a language repository. We would be more than happy to assist in identifying these messages and adding the functionality to the Java code to enable this kind of solution.
Is there a WYSIWYG editor?
Yes, CipherSoft has a Visual Editor (Exodus-VE) that produces WYSIWYG editing of the converted application. This tool has drag and drop capability which provides efficient maintenance of the Java code.
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Can Exodus™ generate EJBs instead of plain Java classes, so that the servlet code would access the Database through EJBs instead of direct JDBC calls?
When a Form is presented to Exodus™ to convert, if the EJB creation configuration parameter has been set, EJB wrappers are created for each procedure that is stored in the database for that Form. This may or may not be the most efficient use of EJB's for that application so we leave it up to the end user/developer to determine if it makes sense to deploy those EJBs in the Application Server or within Java classes. As both options are available, we can review the benefit of both with the client to ensure the best performance is achieved with the converted application.
Do we have to purchase a license of Exodus™ if we ask CipherSoft or one of its partners to perform the conversion services?
If the client decides not to purchase the license of Exodus™ and perform the conversion themselves, and utilizes CipherSoft or one of its partners to perform the conversion, the project is priced according to the time required to perform the conversion using Exodus™. No license of the product is required in addition to these services.
How do I know if I am ready to convert to Java or if I should upgrade my Forms to 10g?
Many Oracle Forms clients already have Java knowledge on staff and are developing applications in the J2EE environment. If that level of knowledge is available, the client is most likely better to convert the Forms applications to Java. This enables their applications to communicate more effectively and allows the client to utilize much of the robust development environment within Java. If the client has limited Java knowledge, and wants to continue to use their Forms development staff and knowledge base, an upgrade to 10g is a good solution. CipherSoft has worked with many clients to assist with determining the direction to take as they move to the Web. Since we provide both upgrades of Oracle Forms as well as conversions to Java, we have a thorough knowledge of the benefits of both solutions to an organization.
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