A foundation for tools to maintain and re-engineer COBOL systems

COBOL has unique advantages for coding business functions. It is self-documenting and users can understand COBOL code. Business developers master it readily, and it is available on most platforms. The COBOL language has avoided obsolescence by regular revisions through its long life. Unfortunately the cost and risk of the system-wide changes needed to track language revision and architectural update are usually prohibitive because COBOL maintenance procedures are text-based and program-by-program. A software product currently under development will offer a foundation for developer-built tools that make structure-based system-wide code changes. This paper contains a rationale for the product, an outline of its design, and a description of potential applications