Specialty Retailer Unlocks Legacy ERP data and Business Processes
About the Client
A Specialty Retailer of durable consumer goods and related services, operating over 100 stores, warehouses and cross-docks, rapidly expanding into new geographic areas in need of modernizing their legacy ERP system.
- Industry: Retail and Consumer Goods
- Headquartered: USA
- Platforms: IBM Power Systems i (AS/400), RPG and CL programs
- Team Size: 6 Professionals
The Challenge
Their homegrown ERP system, running on an IBM Power Systems i (AS/400) was developed over the course of 20+ years and had several shortcomings that limited IT and Business agility:
Difficult to share application data and reuse business logic: The integrations with other components, partners, and vendors were implemented as point-to-point interfaces, typically file-based, using a variety of disparate technologies and tools.
Slow and expensive to change and maintain: Over the years, the system codebase accumulated high levels of technical debt.
Hard to migrate a particular system/component to a new platform: The application modules are tightly coupled via a shared database and direct program calls, resulting in a large number of implicit dependencies. As a result, the IT staff spent much of their time putting out fires and keeping the lights on, as opposed to innovating and enabling business growth.
Our Solution
Programmers.ai studied all the requirements carefully and offered quick and long-lasting solutions.
Integration Platform Selection
The retailer chose MuleSoft Anypoint Platform for its ability to seamlessly integrate cloud and on-premise applications while maintaining performance and scalability.
Deployment Strategy
The initial implementation used on-premise MuleSoft runtimes, providing greater control over governance, security, and configuration management.
Expert Partnership with PAI
Leveraged our team expertise in integration architecture and legacy modernization, ensuring a smooth and efficient transition.
Accelerated Delivery Using InfoConnect Products
Utilized infoConnect suite, including the IBM i (AS/400) Connector and Web Transaction Framework, to accelerate project delivery and simplify integration with legacy systems.
Efficient Project Delivery
Within a few weeks, three key interfaces were ready for testing, and the complete solution went live in less than five months, with minimal post-production issues.
Technologies Used
Our software architects and engineers are experts in using the latest technologies.
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IBM i (AS/400
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infoConnect for MuleSoft
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Web Transaction Framework
Business Impact
As it helped the in-house team optimize and simplify testing processes.
Here’s how we did it
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Integration Framework
The solution was built on the MuleSoft Anypoint Platform, serving as the central integration environment for connecting legacy and modern systems across the enterprise.
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Legacy System Connectivity
The combination of IBM i (AS/400) Connector and Web Transaction Framework enabled seamless access to legacy ERP data and business logic, unlocking critical information for use across business functions.
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Cross-Platform Expertise
Our Team architects and developers, skilled in both IBM i (AS/400) and MuleSoft, played a pivotal role in designing and delivering the integrated environment efficiently and securely.
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API-Led Connectivity Approach
The implementation followed an API-led integration model—comprising System, Process, and Experience APIs—to ensure scalability, maintainability, and reusability, even in environments not yet using a formal API management platform.
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Sustainable Integration Architecture:
This approach minimized the risks of point-to-point integrations, improved governance, and positioned the retailer for future digital growth and system expansion.
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I wanted to take a moment to highlight and commemorate the efforts from our dedicated PIO team. To preface, the projects we work on here are complex, with rigid objectives, budgets, and timelines. Expectations are always high and are ever-changing. From the start of our relationship, the IO team was able to exceed expectations and make our business wishes a reality.
Over the past year I have worked with them, they have worked very hard to understand our highly customized system and troubleshoot things with little or no documentation while managing to keep the business up and running normally. Without the hard work and dedication they have shown, I know we would have had some issues causing downtime or lost production. I am looking forward to continuing working them in the next year as well.
I have been working with Programmers IO for more than 5 years now and I have been pleased with all projects and developers that I have worked with. We have had a few issues here and there but they have always fixed and made it right. They have been an excellent addition to our business.
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