Legacy Application Modernization via Mechanical Fabric and Semantic Model Linking
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Solution Overview
Problem
Legacy software systems created under technological constraints have become outdated and inefficient, with existing modernization approaches failing to adequately address limitations and improve functionality, often resulting in costly and time-consuming new application development.
Innovation Solution
A software transformation system that includes a business asset extraction sub-system to analyze legacy applications, creating a mechanical fabric and semantic model, which are then linked to represent computer-implemented operations and operator-perceived meanings, allowing for the identification and improvement of system interface objects, data access points, and business processes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If legacy application is directly updated or converted without analysis, then modernization speed is improved, but system flaws and inefficiencies remain
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by performing comprehensive analysis of the legacy application's mechanical fabric and semantic model before executing modernization transformations. The system extracts business rules, data models, and process flows from the existing system, creating a detailed representation that guides subsequent modernization steps, ensuring flaws are identified and addressed before they propagate to the new system.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary layer consisting of the mechanical fabric and semantic model representations that mediate between the legacy application and the modernized system. This intermediary layer allows the system to analyze, understand, and transform the legacy application's logic and data structures without directly copying flawed patterns, enabling reliable modernization while maintaining business rule integrity.
2Adaptability or versatility
If line by line code conversion is performed, then programming language advantages are gained, but obsolete functionality remains
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies the extraction principle by separating the essential business logic and data models from the obsolete code structure through mechanical fabric analysis. The system extracts business rules, data relationships, and process flows as reusable artifacts, then reconstructs the application in modern programming languages without inheriting obsolete functionality, achieving both language modernization and functional improvement.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the legacy application into distinct components including mechanical fabric elements (programs, data models, interfaces) and semantic model elements (business processes, use cases, rules). This segmentation allows selective modernization of each component using appropriate programming languages and patterns while eliminating obsolete segments, rather than performing monolithic line-by-line conversion.
3Object-generated harmful factors
If completely new application is developed, then functionality can be improved, but cost and time requirements become extreme
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses selective copying by reproducing essential business assets (business rules, data models, process logic) from the legacy application into the modernized system through mechanical fabric and semantic model representations. Rather than developing functionality from scratch, the system copies and transforms proven business logic while eliminating obsolete elements, significantly reducing development time and cost compared to building a completely new application.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies parameter changes by transforming the legacy application's mechanical and semantic parameters into modern equivalents. The system changes programming language parameters, data structure parameters, and interface parameters while preserving the underlying business logic parameters, enabling functionality improvement through parameter modernization rather than complete redesign.
4Loss of information
If mechanical fabric and semantic model are created and linked, then system understanding is improved, but analysis complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the mechanical fabric (structural representation of code and data) with the semantic model (business logic and process representation) through defined linkages. This merging creates a unified view of the legacy application that connects technical implementation details with business meaning, improving system understanding without requiring separate analysis of each layer, as the linked models work together as an integrated representation.
Data Source
AI summary
According to one aspect of the invention, a software transformation system is provided that may include a business asset extraction sub-system. The business asset extraction sub-system is typically configured to analyze a legacy computer application and create a mechanical fabric representing computer-implemented operations of the legacy computer application, and to create a semantic model representing operator-perceived meanings attached to interactions with the legacy application. The business asset extraction sub-system is further typically configured to create links between related portions of the mechanical fabric and the semantic model. The mechanical fabric comprises a network of nodes and associations between nodes, the nodes and associations representing one or more system interface objects, computer programs, and data access points, and a physical data model configured to store data records utilized by the legacy computer application.