Appeon PowerServer turns your existing PowerBuilder application into an installable cloud application on .NET Core. We work out whether yours is a candidate, and then deliver it.
Request a free technical review +44 (0)1293 562730PowerServer is Appeon's technology for turning an existing PowerBuilder application into an installable cloud application running on .NET Core — keeping the application you already have, and the business logic that has been proved correct over twenty years.
Appeon states that PowerServer automatically converts almost every existing PowerBuilder feature, including the PFC framework, and that upgrading from PowerBuilder 10.x or newer should require no code changes. In practice the interesting work is everything around that conversion: getting you onto a current PowerBuilder release first, checking your application is a sensible candidate, and dealing with the database, security and deployment consequences.
That is where we come in. Powersoft is an Appeon-approved consulting partner, and because of our close relationship with Appeon we are among the first to get new releases. PowerServer deployment and cloud migration are where we have been concentrating our own R&D.
Our free analysis answers that specific question. We look at your PowerBuilder version, your database access patterns, third-party controls and external dependencies.
If the honest answer is no, or not yet, we will tell you that and explain what would have to change first.
A cloud-native design rather than traditional client/server. The middle tier runs on ASP.NET Core with a predominantly stateless design and is REST API enabled. Data access logic executes on the middle tier using C# and ADO.NET.
End users no longer have direct access to the database. For regulated US organizations in banking, insurance and local government, that single change is often the whole business case.
Applications deploy to a cloud platform such as Azure Web Service, or to your own on-premise servers. Users run the application from Windows devices — desktops, laptops and Surface tablets — over an internet connection.
PowerServer requires PowerBuilder 2021 CloudPro or newer. If you are on an older release, the version migration comes first — which is work we do every week.
Product facts above are Appeon's, from their PowerServer documentation. What we bring is the judgment about whether and how it applies to your estate.
Free analysis of the application against PowerServer's requirements, including your current PowerBuilder version, database access and dependencies.
Migration to a supported PowerBuilder release if you are not already on one, with 32-bit to 64-bit and database work handled at the same time.
The PowerServer conversion itself, with the data access layer, security model and deployment target worked through and tested before anyone commits.
Controlled rollout, documented handover, and an SLA backed support agreement afterwards. We do not hand you a cloud application and disappear.
Each stage is quoted as a fixed price against agreed scope, so you can stop between phases if the business case changes.
Moving an application from a fat client with direct database access to a server-mediated architecture is not a new problem for us. Teachers Assurance ran a substantial CRM and policy administration system in PowerBuilder deployed with EAServer; we migrated it, rewrote legacy Java components that would not run under the new EAServer version, and supported the testing programme through to a successful implementation. They are still supported by Powersoft today, now as part of LV=.
A US bank with around $79 billion in assets came to us on PowerBuilder 6; we migrated the application, upgraded SQL Server, and redesigned the application's security. Delivered on schedule and on budget. Server-side architecture and security redesign are the same muscles a PowerServer project needs.
PowerServer is licensed by Appeon, separately for development and for production use, with both subscription and perpetual options. Licensing changes over time and depends on your user numbers, so we will not quote Appeon's prices here. What we will do is work out what your application would actually need and help you size it properly before you talk commercials — so the number you get is the right one.
Tell us the PowerBuilder version you are on, the database behind it and what is worrying you. We will come back with an honest assessment of your options — including whether you need to do anything at all. Initial application analysis is free of charge.
Telephone: +44 (0)1293 562730
