This document discusses options for deploying COBOL applications to managed code environments like .NET and JVM. It covers benefits like improved performance, reuse of existing frameworks, and easier debugging across languages. New features in Visual COBOL 2.2 like support for additional app servers and databases are also highlighted. The presentation demonstrates file handling, exception handling, and database access in managed code. It recommends a gradual modernization approach while being aware of potential skill gaps and unsupported features.

2. It’s Your Choice –
COBOL Deployment to .NET
or JVM

3. Agenda
 What new in the latest update
 What is managed code and why should you care
 Reusable Frameworks
 Moving to managed code

4. What’s New in 2.2 Update 1
 New capabilities for working with Microsoft Visual Studio 2013 and
Microsoft .NET 4.5
 New platform support for Windows 8.1, Oracle Linux 6.5, Red Hat
Linux 6.5 and AIX 7.1
 Many enhancements to increase runtime performance
 JDBC Connection Sharing
 And more …..

5. Terminology
 Managed code = .NET or JVM
 Native code or unmanaged = everything else

6. What is Managed code
 Virtual execution environment
• Portable Intermediate Language
• JIT
 Garbage collection
 Object-oriented
 Extensive frameworks/Class Libraries
 COBOL code generated directly to byte code

7. Why managed code
1 C
2 Java
3 Objective-C
4 C++
5 C#
6 Visual Basic
7 PHP
8 Python
9 JavaScript
10 Visual Basic .NET
11 Transact-SQL
12 Perl
13 Ruby
14 ActionScript
15 F#
16 Lisp
17 Delphi/Object Pascal
18 Pascal
19 MATLAB
20 Assembler
How popular is managed code?
www.tiobe.com

8. Why managed code
reuse what already works

9. Why managed code
21st century user interfaces

10. Why managed code
Application Integrity
Micro Focus COBOL runtime error:
114 Attempt to access item beyond bounds of memory (Signal 11)

11. Application Integrity
Demonstration
Try/Catch Exception handling in COBOL

12. Why managed code
End-to-end debugging
 Debug C#/Java and COBOL together
 End-to-end testing
 Single IDE for building and testing
 Single debug process
 Same developer

13. Reusable Frameworks
Demonstration
Date/Time Arithmetic

14. Moving to managed code
 What is managed code?
 Different perspectives on why deploy to .NET or JVM?
 Some lessons learned

15. Object Oriented Programming
 .NET/JVM are fundamentally built on OO principles
 Procedural semantics still apply
 Visual COBOL extensions
 Samples browser

16. Data

17. File Handling
 Good to go in .NET and JVM
 Be mindful of performance for IO intensive batch operations
 Significant improvements to file handling operations with Visual
COBOL VC 2.2+

18. Database access Primer
COBOL procedure programs division.
can contain embedded SQL
exec sql
Your choices:
connect to Northwind
1. Database end-exec
vendor pre-compiler such as Oracle
Pro*COBOL
a) COBSQL if sqlcode provides not single = compile-0
step integrated with the IDE
display "Error during CONNECT : " SQLCODE
display mfsqlmessagetext
goback
2. Micro Focus OpenESQL
a) Connect to any ODBC, JDBC, ADO.NET enabled data source
end-if

19. Database access under Managed Code
 Oracle does not support managed code using Pro*COBOL
 Use OpenESQL for JDBC and ADO.NET
 Use Pro*COBOL directives MODE=ANSI and FIPS to determine non-standard
ANSI syntax
 Some Oracle extensions supported by OpenESQL other extensions
will need to be reworked
 No PL/SQL support

20. Demonstration
File Handling and SQL Access

21. Java App Servers
 To do anything “Thin” will involve an app server
 All major Java App Servers supported in Visual COBOL 2.2
• Tomcat
• JBOSS
• Webshere
• WebLogic
 Web Services and JSPs
 Java coding required
 See community.microfocus.com for walkthrus

22. COBOL JVM Roadmap
R3/4
JVM COBOL
Preview
JVM COBOL
Launch
2.0
JDBC support
Pure JVM
2.1
Web Container
support under
Tomcat
Web services, JSP
and Servlet
deployment
2.2
Web container
support
WebLogic
Websphere
JBOSS
2.3
EJB container
deployment
From desktop to J2EE EJB deployment…
…re-use core COBOL applications directly within
the Java Virtual Machine

23. Modernizing your architecture
Presentation • COBOL, Java or C#, VB…
• OO COBOL Wrapper
• Run unit Business Access
Business logic • Existing Procedural COBOL
Data Access • Isolated data IO modules
• RDBMS
• Data files Data

24. Other considerations
 Dialog System
 3rd Party support
 Win32APIs
 CBL_ routines
 Pointers
 Native code

25. Resources to get you started
 Micro Focus Product Documentation
 Visual COBOL Forum at the Micro Focus Community Site
 http://community.microfocus.com – Our community Site
 Managed Code Tutorial in the Product Documentation
 Web Based Training Resource
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26. Summary
 Managed code is a fantastic way to modernize your application
• Get more done using Java and .NET frameworks
• Create new user interfaces and services based deployments
 Be prepared
• New skills – OO, Java, .NET, frameworks
• Check for unsupported options such as APIs and database pre-compilers
 Speak to Micro Focus before you start or at least, let us know once
you’ve deployed!

27. Questions