University of California Santa Barbara Modernizes Student Information System

The University of California Santa Barbara (UCSB) has completed a strategic modernization initiative of its student information system (SIS). The university's existing SIS was a mainframe system running a Software AG ADABAS database in a Natural application environment with Entire X Broker middleware. The project involved converting the legacy system to the Microsoft .NET framework and a SQL Server database.

"UCSB needed a solution that allowed them to retain the proven functionality of their existing system while modernizing the look and feel," said Scott Miller, president and CEO of Ateras, the company that migrated the system. "It was also important to enable UCSB to leverage cost efficient new technologies, while eliminating the mainframe and vendor license fees."

Ateras used its own rapid program modernization solution, eavRPM, to change the green screen user interface of the core applications to a browser-based interface that uses ASP.NET Web forms. The company also used its DB-Shuttle migration solution to automatically convert the ADABAS database to SQL Server and batch-convert the Natural programs to the C# programming language, while retaining the existing logic and functionality of the Natural programs. The SIS modernization project didn't require any production code freezes. ATERAS used DB-Shuttle to import production code changes into the converted system periodically.

"The code and data conversion approach allowed us to preserve all business rules, exceptions, jobs, and interfaces that have been defined over three decades, while transforming the core information systems to the latest technologies," said Lubomir Bojilov , CTO and executive director of Student Information Systems & Technologies at UCSB, in a prepared statement. "This will allow us to step on a solid modern platform for designing and developing the next generation of applications, platforms, workflows, and data and analysis services."

The final migrated SIS is native to the Microsoft software stack and uses the features of ASP.NET, ADO.NET, C#, and object-oriented design. It contains no proprietary code and UCSB does not have to pay ongoing license fees to Ateras. The university's personnel can maintain the software in Microsoft Visual Studio and access the database using existing SQL Server tools.

The project was completed in two years and modernized 6,900 components, 1,460,000 lines of code, and 1,350,000 ADABAS database records.

About the Author

Leila Meyer is a technology writer based in British Columbia. She can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  •  laptop on a clean desk with digital padlock icon on the screen

    Study: Data Privacy a Top Concern as Orgs Scale Up AI Agents

    As organizations race to integrate AI agents into their cloud operations and business workflows, they face a crucial reality: while enthusiasm is high, major adoption barriers remain, according to a new Cloudera report. Chief among them is the challenge of safeguarding sensitive data.

  • flowing lines and geometric shapes representing data flow and analysis

    Complete College America Launches Center to Boost Data-Driven Student Success Strategies

    National nonprofit Complete College America (CCA) recently launched the Center for Leadership, Institutional Metrics, and Best Practices (CLIMB), with the goal of helping higher education institutions use data-driven strategies to improve student outcomes.

  • cybersecurity analyst in a modern operations center monitors multiple digital screens showing padlock icons, graphs, and a global map with security markers

    Louisiana State University Doubles Down on Larger Student-Run SOC

    In an effort to provide students with increased access to real-world cybersecurity experience, Louisiana State University has expanded its relationship with cybersecurity solutions provider TekStream to launch TigerSOC, a new student-run security operations center.

  •  floating digital interface with glowing icons, surrounded by faint geometric shapes

    Digital Education Council Defines 5 Dimensions of AI Literacy

    A recent report from the Digital Education Council, a global community devoted to "revolutionizing the world of education and work through technology and collaboration," provides an AI literacy framework to help higher education institutions equip their constituents with foundational AI competencies.