Recently Asked Questions
Get answers from the top-ten questions asked in our recent legacy modernization
webinar series and answered by an ILOG BRMS expert.
What percentage of legacy clients use the generated COBOL code as opposed to rules deployed as a Web service?
We find that our customers generally start with ILOG Rules for COBOL, since they want to retain their COBOL applications, yet require the enhanced functionality of managing their business rules. Once their rules are authored and managed in ILOG JRules, they have the added benefit and flexibility to generate our
Transparent Decision
Services from the authored rules.
What do you recommend for extracting rules on mainframe vendor-purchased applications?
It depends on the code used to write the application, and whether or not the mainframe vendor
provides you with the rights to analyze and extract from their source code. Generally,
mainframe vendors only provide compiled versions, and not the source code. However, if you have access rights, try Relativity�s Business Rules Manager; it can extract rules from a large range of mainframe programming languages.
How does one run extracted rules on the mainframe? Is it part of the Customer Information Control System (CICS) transaction?
The COBOL code generated from the business rules managed in ILOG JRules is
a COBOL sub-program that can be compiled either in a batch or through an online CICS program. What you call the new sub-program depends on your requirements.
Do I have to change the interface in the main program on the mainframe in order to call ILOG Rules for COBOL? Are customers
typically willing to change the main calling programs?
Yes, you must change the mainframe program to call
ILOG Rules for COBOL; we have found that this is generally not an issue for our customers.
Are rules ordered to find the shortest execution path over time?
One of the rule artifacts that you can define with ILOG Rules for COBOL in ILOG JRules is the
rule flow. This helps order the rulesets for generating COBOL code.
We do not utilize our RETE engine for execution; we generate the native COBOL code
for execution on the mainframe.
Can ILOG BRMS integrate with process models to depict where those rules apply?
ILOG BRMS is integrated with several business process management (BPM ) products from our partners.
Can we store our business rules in external media formats such as a PostScript (ps) file, virtual storage access method (vsam) file or a database, and access them later in a newly generated sub-program?
ILOG Rules for COBOL generates business logic. The
data access layer is basically handled separately, so you
can call ILOG Rules for COBOL after creating the code that calls the data; alternatively you can incorporate the data access code (such as SQL) in ILOG Rules for COBOL.
Is the deployment process for ILOG Rules for COBOL similar to the deployment process for ILOG JRules?
Rule authoring and deployment to the Rule Team Server (RTS) repository is the
same process for both products. However, the process to generate COBOL code is slightly different for each, since Rule Execution Server is not needed to generate COBOL code.
Since many legacy system COBOL copybooks contain legacy rules,
references and such, how current and valuable is the auto-generated business object model (BOM)?
ILOG Rules for COBOL can reference legacy data rules with Rule Studio for use during the rule-authoring process.
How is the COBOL code taken into the BRMS system?
The process is not automatic. We are working with Relativity to import rules extracted
from legacy COBOL code. ILOG JRules provides new artifacts and formats so you can can design your rules more efficiently and effectively.
