Adelia Studio is a Computer-Aided Software Engineering package which helps software development staff to create multi-platform applications (AS/400, Windows and/or client/server) to optimal standards of quality and efficiency.
Adelia has all the characteristics required to meet these objectives:
User friendliness and simplicity.
User Friendliness
Ease of use is the most fundamental feature of a high-quality CASE tool.
With Adelia, the database and programs are designed using dialog boxes, or when creating programs, using Question/Answer interfaces which remove the need for the programmer to understand a specific development language.
Power
Adelia covers the entire software life cycle, from design specification to maintenance. It controls the various stages of construction perfectly, providing all the tools you need to standardize methods and align standards, thus granting developers total independence.
Because Adelia covers the whole of the software's life cycle, no additional modeling tools are needed.
The simulation tools make it easier for the user to validate all the various specifications, from the conceptual levels through to the application prototypes, e.g. the screen designs, the information they contain, their sequencing and the available help topics. The applications actually written will perfectly match the requirements expressed.
Adelia Studio provides considerable gains in productivity, thanks to its user-friendly graphical environment and the availability of all the power of the dedicated development machine. It also allows multi-platform applications to be generated:
Native AS/400 5250 or batch applications.
Graphical client applications for 32 bit Windows systems (the Visual Adelia environment).
Client/server applications.
Flexibility
Adelia offers a rigorous approach without imposing restrictions: the applications generated are limited only by the analyses.
The adoption of Adelia will lead to a certain methodological approach to computer project management.
Hardis offers the following assistance with the running of management computing research and development projects:
Intellectual help: the Merise method.
Software help: the Adelia CASE package.
However, a number of different entry levels let you implement functions to suit the scale of each project. Naturally, data processing departments handle projects of widely varying scope, ranging from simple modifications to existing applications to the development of far-reaching major projects.
Whatever the type or importance of the developments considered, Adelia offers the appropriate tools in each case, thus ensuring optimum productivity gains.
When generating applications automatically, according to the specifications defined, Adelia proposes industry standards where the company does not have its own standards. Screen and report layouts can always be modified to suit specific requirements.
For the additional development work, the Adelia language – 4GL - addresses all the special requirements involved with algorithm development: this 4GL is written using a natural and expandable language.
Adelia respects past development projects and the investments they represent, integrating perfectly with existing applications and allowing all the programs already written to be called.
Last but not least, Adelia generates programs in RPG/400 ILE for the AS/400, and in C for Windows. These programs are independent of the CASE package, running with a free-of-rights runtime on any production machine.
Openness to Multiple Technologies
Right from the introduction of the AS/400, Adelia positioned itself clearly as an integrated CASE package, offering a comprehensive range of modeling, development, maintenance and implementation tools. However, Adelia also has powerful technology integration capabilities, which does away with the need for development teams to acquire an in-depth understanding of a number of fields.
With 5250 programs, these include:
Automatic integration of help topics for Office/400 or UIM formats.
Automated subfile management.
Automatic windowing.
Automatic management of error messages by subfile.
PC application calls from a native AS/400 application (using the Aladdin module).
Use of IPCS and the Windows/NT environment on the AS/400.
Integration of Lotus Notes and Domino.
Etc.
With the Adelia Studio platform, the notable concerns are:
Integration of the AS/400 world with the PC world.
Integration of office software functions and tools.
Integration of multimedia objects (pictures, sounds, OCX, ActiveX, etc.).
Automated use of the serial port with external devices (measuring equipment, scales, laser and barcode readers, etc.).
Simplified yet powerful client/server application development.
Integration of various databases.
Use of Adelia Middleware with no need for other tools.
Integration of various databases (Oracle, SQL Server, DB2, etc.) in native mode.
Integration of fax and e-mail services.
Integration of the Internet and Java.
Etc.
Hardis remains in constant contact with IBM and Microsoft laboratories. As such, Adelia remains a ground-breaking solution which continues to integrate new technologies with no need for its users to fully understand them.