Informix & Informix 4GL Migration
for businesses in Australia, New Zealand, the UK and the US.
IBM acquired Informix in 2001 and the database still exists. The 4GL applications built on it in the 1990s are character-mode systems over a terminal, and that is usually what forces the conversation.
- Independent No licence commission, no reseller agenda
- 18+ yrs Building business software
- Fixed Price scopes, no surprises
- AU NZ UK US Perth-based, working remotely
A capable database under a very dated front end
Informix was a serious database and remains a capable one. The problem is rarely the engine. It is the 4GL applications written over it, which present as green screens on a terminal session and were built by people who have since retired.
These systems tend to run distribution, manufacturing or utility billing, they are accurate, and they are held together by a small number of people who know exactly which menu option does what.
Your Informix 4GL project, end to end
Three stages. Scoped and fixed-price before anything starts, delivered by the founder, and your existing system stays running until cutover.
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Week 0
Read the system as it is
We go through the existing application and record what it actually does, including the parts nobody documented. You get a written inventory and a fixed price before any build starts.
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Weeks 1-N
Rebuild and run in parallel
The replacement runs beside the original until the numbers reconcile. The old system stays untouched and switched on the whole time.
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Cutover
Go live and hand over
Cutover on a date you choose, then thirty days of support. Source code, documentation and credentials are handed to you, in your name.
What the work actually is
The screens are usually the problem, not the database
We read the .4gl source to recover the business rules, then replace the front end. Whether the Informix database itself moves is a separate decision, and often it should not.
What you have now
- .4gl source and compiled forms
- An Informix database, often an old version
- Character-mode terminal screens
- Shell scripts and overnight batch jobs
The screens are usually the problem, not the database
We read the .4gl source to recover the business rules, then replace the front end. Whether the Informix database itself moves is a separate decision, and often it should not.
See how a project runsWhat you end up with
- A web application replacing the terminal screens
- The database kept or migrated, whichever is less disruptive
- Batch jobs documented and rebuilt as scheduled tasks
The 5 pieces of Informix 4GL work we are asked for
Most engagements are some combination of these, and most start with the first.
Read the 4GL source
The .4gl files hold the business rules and the validation. They are readable, and documenting them is valuable even if nothing else changes.
Map the batch jobs
Overnight shell scripts and batch processes are usually undocumented and frequently more important than anyone realises.
Replace the screens
A web application in place of terminal sessions, which is the change staff actually notice.
Decide about the database
Informix may well stay. Moving the front end first keeps the project verifiable and the risk contained.
Migrate the data if it is right
Where the licence or the version forces it, data moves to PostgreSQL or SQL Server with reconciliation before anything is switched off.
Where you are now
It works, and nobody will touch it
- Green screens over a terminal session
- Business rules in .4gl source that few can read
- Overnight batch jobs nobody documented
- Knowledge held by a handful of long-serving staff
After
Supported, documented and yours
- A browser interface new staff can use immediately
- Business rules and batch processes written down
- The database kept or moved deliberately, not by accident
- Integration with other systems made possible
Scoped and quoted before you commit. You own the code, the documentation and the credentials at the end of it.
Get a fixed-price scopeInformix 4GL questions
Does Informix still exist?
Yes, under IBM since 2001. The database is rarely the reason people call. The 4GL applications over it are.
Do we have to move off Informix?
Often not. Replacing the front end while keeping the database is a smaller project, lower risk, and delivers the benefit staff actually see.
Can .4gl source be read?
Yes, it is reasonably readable. Documenting it is worthwhile on its own, because it is usually the only written record of the validation rules.
What about our overnight batch jobs?
They get mapped early. Batch processes are routinely undocumented and routinely critical, and they are the most common cause of an unpleasant surprise after cutover.
Our version is very old. Is that a problem?
It affects the options rather than blocking them. Sometimes an in-place upgrade is the cheap first move, and we will say so if it is.
Sending your details…
You can stay on this page while we send it.
Tell us what you are running
What the system does, roughly how old it is, and what is forcing the question. We will come back with a straight answer and a fixed-price scope, even if the answer is to leave it alone.
Prefer a quick chat? Call 0425 531 127. We answer the phone in Perth.
