Case study

Simplify Code Maintenance with Rocket® COBOL Analyzer 

KOPF Instruments circle image

David Kopf Instruments faced a significant challenge: transitioning knowledge of a complex, 40-year-old COBOL system from a retiring developer to new talent without any system documentation. Here’s how Rocket® COBOL Analyzer enabled a smooth transition.

Challenge

The impending retirement of a lead developer created an urgent need to document a complex system to onboard new talent and mitigate risks associated with code changes.

Solution

Rocket COBOL Analyzer provided immediate visibility into the system's structure, dependencies, and relationships, allowing for comprehensive impact analysis before any code was modified.

Results

The new developer became productive within hours instead of months, ensuring operational continuity and saving substantial time and resources.

The information COBOL Analyzer provides can make or break a business. Within half an hour of installation, I had a general synopsis of what I was dealing with, and I could dive in very quickly without having complete business knowledge.”

Eric Duchacek Developer David Kopf Instruments

Company

Industry: Manufacturing

David Kopf Instruments designs and manufactures a complete line of high-quality stereotaxic instruments and accessories for neurophysiological research.

Challenge

Onboard new talent to a complex, undocumented system and ensure a smooth knowledge transfer.

With a lead developer retiring, David Kopf Instruments needed a way to onboard a new developer and provide them with a thorough understanding of a 40-year-old COBOL system that lacked documentation. Making changes was risky and could cause system-wide issues. The company required a solution to map the code's infrastructure, perform impact analysis, and ensure a smooth knowledge transfer.

 

Solution

David Kopf Instruments used Rocket COBOL Analyzer to visualize their system, helping developers quickly identify patterns, connections, and simplify complex processes.

Analyzer empowered developers to analyze code and visualize component connections. It offered clear insights into program structures, dependencies, and relationships. At David Kopf Instruments, the tool was quickly installed, and the team immediately generated reports showing exact code relationships. The interactive tool revealed which programs interact with specific files and how data flows, providing a clear view of potential system change impacts.

Results

Accelerating developer productivity by removing roadblocks, enabling teams to focus on delivering quality solutions quickly.

COBOL Analyzer ensured smooth knowledge transfer from a seasoned developer to a new team member. With immediate insights and a clear system overview, the new developer became productive in hours instead of months, saving significant time and costs. The team is now set up for future success with simplified maintenance and a clearer path for development. 

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Rocket® COBOL Analyzer

Get full visibility into COBOL applications of any scale and complexity with a proven static code analysis toolset, enriched by GenAI insights and visualizations.

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