FoxPro Migration
Converting from Visual FoxPro has become necessary for many companies with Microsoft dropping all support by 2015. The expense, time, and risk of converting a core legacy system can seem daunting. How do you know if switching is the best decision for you and your company? Analyzing the cost of losing a business critical system can help make that decision easier.
Top indicators your FoxPro system is business critical:
- Employees use Daily or Weekly
- Your System is the Product
- Your System is Customer Facing
Even though there is no direct replacement for FoxPro the most time and cost effective switch is to another Microsoft platform, .NET.
Benefits of Staying on a Microsoft Platform
- No hardware Changes Necessary
- FoxPro Developers have General Interest in Learning .NET
- .NET is a Core Microsoft Technology
Benefits of .NET as New Technology
- Advanced UI Capabilities
- Strong Web-Base Capabilities
- Increased System Integration Capabilities
- Multi-User Capabilities
- Scalability with SQL Server
- Continuously Invested in by Microsoft
- Widely Accepted as Leading Edge Technology Platform
Dificulties Faced During Transition
- No Upgrade or Direct Conversion Path from VFP to Any Platform
- Original Authors of FoxPro System Absent
- Often Difficult to Justify Rewrite without Dramatically Expanding Scope
- Challenges Releasing Software Early and Often to Reduce Risks associated with Rewriting Business Systems