Migration of legacy mumps applications to relational database servers

Area of Science:

• Computer Science
• Software Engineering
• Database Management

Background:

• Legacy Mumps applications often rely on proprietary, unstandardized database models.
• Migrating these applications to modern SQL-based systems presents significant challenges.
• Vendor lock-in and lack of interoperability hinder application modernization.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a compiler for the Mumps language that facilitates vendor-neutral migration of legacy applications.
• To enable Mumps applications to interact with industry-standard Relational Database Management Systems (RDBMS).
• To provide a solution that frees Mumps applications from proprietary database dependencies.

Main Methods:

• Implementation of an extended Mumps language compiler.
• Translation of Mumps programs into operating system-independent, standard C code.
• Compilation of C code into stand-alone, binary executables.
• Inclusion of built-in functions and support modules for RDBMS connectivity.

Main Results:

• Generated Mumps programs are compatible with any RDBMS supporting common network protocols, ensuring vendor neutrality.
• The system produces fully stand-alone, binary executables, simplifying deployment.
• Extended Mumps applications can seamlessly access networked RDBMS, enhancing data management capabilities.
• The implementation supports interoperability with other programming languages and includes a web server interface.

Conclusions:

• The developed compiler provides a robust and vendor-neutral solution for migrating Mumps applications to SQL-based RDBMS.
• This approach enhances the longevity and adaptability of legacy Mumps systems by leveraging modern database technologies.
• The system offers significant advantages over proprietary solutions by promoting open standards and interoperability.