Field Size Expansion to Automatically Transform Your IBM i Source Code

As databases begin to age, so does their source code, and their purpose may also change. Refitting a database to meet the current needs of business often requires modification to the database at the field level, which can have all kinds of undesirable consequences if it is not executed with the greatest of care. As change necessitates the need for field expansion, or a change in field type, one must consider the extensive refactoring that will also have to be undertaken in the source code. Such time-consuming refactoring comes with the additional cost of being error-prone when conducted manually.

ARCAD Software’s IBM i refactoring tool, ARCAD Transformer Field, allows you to sidestep the pitfalls of manual field size expansion by automating your source code with every change. With over twelve years of IBM i application and impact analysis experience, ARCAD has developed a powerful automation tool that integrates impact analysis directly in with source modification tasks and can automate mass transformations for 50-100% of a project. Consequently, one may expect overall productivity gains of up to 70%. Some users have even reported up to fourfold reduction in necessary developer resources as a result of adopting Transformer Field to their workflow.

Manual changes to the database are not only tedious, but also bring up the possibility of missing a necessary change deep in the code base. Transformer Field allows you to validate new proposed lines of code and guarantees that nothing is missed in the transformation process. The software understands how a change may propagate between fields and automatically manages those propagations. And importantly, all changes are also maintainable into the future.

The benefits that ARCAD Transformer Field can bring to your business process are manifold, as some users have seen enormous reduction in developer resources required for field size expansion and database restructuring projects. As database structural changes can be heavily automated, these developers are freed from the tedium of the project to work on more creative, profit-bearing pursuits. ARCAD’s DevTestOps systems are designed to be utilized in parallel with ongoing business processes so as to not negatively impact day-to-day business. When all changes are complete they can be safely merged into the primary business stream.

Automation not only greatly reduces project timescales, it also safeguards your customer from bugs introduced by manual refactoring, limits the possibility of regression, and overall, will ensure the continued reliability of your database.