Dyncorp (WSCRS-I)

One Star Technologies (WSCRS-II)

United States Air Force

Weapons System Cost Retrieval System

WSCRS I & II

Amdahl COBOL to C++

History: The U.S. Air Force's Weapons System Cost Retrieval System (WSCRS) was a COBOL system running on an Amdahl-5890 platform with a flat file database. The Wright-Patterson Mission System Group (MSG) required the modernization of WSCRS to achieve compatibility with the Air Force Global Combat Support System (GCSS) and lower platform support costs. WSCRS was a unique high quality Air Force financial system with no equivalent commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) application. The only practical approaches for this modernization project were a manual rewrite or an automated transformation. Initially a manual rewrite was attempted, but project delays prompted Dyncorp to seek an automated solution. Dyncorp contracted with TSRI to modernize WSCRS in two fixed-price project phases. Phase-1 was a proof of concept pilot and Phase-2 completed the modernization of the entire WSCRS system.

Challenge: The WSCRS modernization required TSRI to transform the WSCRS COBOL code into C++ code compatible with Microsoft Visual Studio and Windows 2000. The proof of concept also required replacement of all database and data manipulation commands with a fully equivalent C++ file system.

Results: TSRI performed a 100% automated transformation of the WSCRS COBOL code into C++ partitioning the system into business logic and database tiers. The original structure of the flat file database was preserved, but the database tier allowed for an eventual upgrade to a relational database. Smooth installation and acceptance testing was enhanced by the customer's ability to provide test data for each COBOL program. This allowed outputs from the legacy COBOL system and outputs from the modernized C++ system to be compared automatically, facilitating an error free delivery several weeks ahead of schedule. Minor differences were found, in the 8th digit of precision in some test calculations. These differences were attributed to higher precision in C++ than COBOL binary coded decimals (BCD).

CSC acquired the prime contractor, Dyncorp, between the first and second phases of the WSCRS project. Building upon the success in the Phase-1 proof of concept , TSRI delivered the second increment of WSCRS in only two weeks. The delivery was made to a CSC subcontractor, One Star Technologies, who completed integration and deployment of the system at MSG. A good working relationship between TSRI, CSC, and One Star Technologies allowed TSRI to conduct all modernization work at their Kirkland facility and provide remote support for customer testing and deployment.