Multi-language re-documentation to support a COBOL to Java migration project

Abstract

Software migration projects need precise and up-to-date documentation of the software system to be migrated. Missing or outdated documentation hampers the migration process and compromises the overall quality of the resulting new software system. Moreover, if documentation is missing in the first place and no additional effort is undertaken to document the new software system, future maintenance and evolution tasks are burdened right from the beginning. Therefore, we apply an automatic re-documentation approach that uses a single tool chain to generate documentation for the software to be migrated and the transformed software system. By this, we not only support an ongoing COBOL to Java migration project at one of our industry partners but as well create the foundations to continuously generate up-to-date documentation for the new software system.