Cooperative A1 evolves its application ecosystem and integrates COBOL, Java, and Delphi with DBMaker SQL
Cooperative A1 has advanced in modernizing its corporate environment by adopting DBMaker SQL as the central database for its business applications. This initiative allowed for the direct, secure, and high-performance integration of systems developed in COBOL, Java, Delphi, and PHP, eliminating intermediate processes based on text files and significantly enhancing operational efficiency. The project, conducted with support from INTERON, preserved existing investments and created a more flexible architecture prepared for continuous evolution.
The cooperative
Founded in 1933 and based in Palmitos, Santa Catarina, Cooperative A1 operates in cooperative agricultural production and brings together more than 8,000 members and about 1,200 employees. Its operations depend on a robust corporate ERP, responsible for critical areas such as inventory control, accounting, accounts payable and receivable, payroll, tax, and supply. The stability and reliability of these systems are essential for business continuity.
The challenge
With the increase in data volume and operational complexity, the previous environment began to show limitations in performance and flexibility, especially in client/server access. In addition to the COBOL ERP, the cooperative operated applications developed in Delphi, used in silo scales, web systems in Java, and corporate portals in PHP. Communication between these solutions largely depended on the generation and exchange of text or XML files, which increased complexity, processing time, and operational risks.
The challenge was to evolve this technological ecosystem, improve performance, and facilitate integration between systems and languages, without compromising the stability of critical applications or requiring a rewrite of the existing code.
The solution
To meet these needs, Cooperative A1 adopted DBMaker SQL as the central relational database, fully integrated into the COBOL environment. The solution allowed different applications to access data natively through JDBC, ODBC, and DCI, eliminating dependencies on intermediate files and simplifying the architecture.
In addition, the cooperative migrated a web system in Java, previously based on PostgreSQL, to DBMaker, allowing both the web system and the COBOL ERP to access the same data directly and securely. Advanced features of the database, such as foreign keys, constraints, and views, began to be used to enhance security, data integrity, and query performance.
The results
With the new environment, Cooperativa A1 achieved significant performance gains, with a substantial reduction in response time for routines and better utilization of server resources. The integration between COBOL and other languages became simpler, faster, and more reliable, paving the way for the creation of new functionalities, reports, and interfaces on the same corporate database.
The modernization also enabled the evolution of solutions such as the Cooper A1 Portal, allowing members, clients, and suppliers to access information in an integrated and secure manner, directly from the relational database.