AS400 Modernization for Travel and Cruise Industry
Project Overview
A leading travel and hospitality company serving American customers globally relies on a legacy AS400-based Reservation Management System to support cruise ship travel, airline bookings, and vacation packages- particularly for senior citizens across North America, South America, and Europe. United Techno has been a long-standing partner, collaborating for over a decade in building, managing, and now leading AS400 Modernization for travel & cruise to meet evolving business demands.
Industry Background & Challenges
The travel and cruise industry has long depended on legacy systems like AS400 for core operations—reservations, pricing, content management, and customer data. However, these green-screen systems are becoming bottlenecks in delivering digital, personalized, and integrated customer experiences. Legacy interfaces, outdated development environments, and poor integration capabilities have hindered scalability and performance in today’s web and API-driven world.
Business Challenge
- Outdated DDS database structure limited application flexibility and data analytics.
- RPG-based green screen interfaces were difficult to maintain and non-intuitive for new developers.
- Web-based commerce and CMS required tighter and real-time integration with AS400 data.
- Needed ability to consume and produce XML documents within SQL and RPG programs.
- AS400 emulator dependency limited accessibility for business and IT teams.
- Required real-time data and services integration via modern APIs and SQL procedures.
Solution Approach
United Techno’s AS400 experts engaged in a multi-phase modernization program, including:
- DDS to DDL conversion without recompiling RPG programs.
- Modernization of AS400 database through SQL views, functions, stored procedures, and indexes.
- Transformation of RPG programs into SQL stored procedures and user-defined SQL functions.
- Enablement of XML parsing, manipulation, and generation within SQL and RPG.
- Web browser-based access to AS400, replacing traditional green screen interfaces.
- Usage of Rational Developer for IBM i for modern development in browser.
- Implementation of X-Analysis tools to assess code and object dependencies.
- IBM i Navigator used for debugging SQL performance and stored procedures.
- Web services integration directly from AS400 via SQL procedures.
- AS400 data posting and consumption from external web services.
Technologies & Platforms
- IBM i (AS400), RPG, DDS to DDL Conversion.
- SQL Stored Procedures, Functions, XML Handling.
- Rational Developer for i, IBM i Navigator, X-Analysis.
- Web Services Integration.
- Browser-based AS400 Interface.
Business Impact & Outcomes
- Dramatically improved system accessibility and developer productivity.
- Accelerated modernization without full application rewrite.
- Enabled real-time data sharing with web applications and APIs.
- Improved performance and scalability of reservation systems.
- Simplified integration between commerce platforms and back-end AS400 data.
Services Provided
- Legacy System Support and Modernization.
- DDS to DDL Database Conversion.
- Custom Development and Integration.
- API and Web Services Enablement.
- Production Support and Maintenance.
- Architecture Assessment and Optimization.
How United Techno Leads the Way in AS400 Modernization for Travel and Cruise?
- 20+ Years Supporting IBM i (AS400) Customers.
- 60+ Global AS400 Engineers.
- 15+ Years of Retail and Logistics Expertise.
- Proven Hybrid (Legacy + Modern) Architecture Delivery.
- Expertise in System Modernization and Web Integration.
- 24/7 Managed Services and Production Support.
