Migrating a Delphi XE4 System to MSSQL, PostgreSQL, and Linux – Softacom’s Experience

[Serge Pilko 12]

At Softacom, we recently completed a large-scale project where we modernized a Delphi XE4 application. The system was used daily for payroll & HR, and over time, it had grown into a huge codebase with outdated dependencies. The goals were clear:

• Update the database access layer
• Support both MSSQL and PostgreSQL
• Add Linux support
• Introduce a testing framework to stabilize future changes

 

Challenges we faced:

• Outdated data access technology – the system was incompatible with modern DB systems 
• No testing framework – made regression risks high
• Cross-DB migration issues – MSSQL vs PostgreSQL differences (LEN() vs LENGTH(), IDENTITY vs SERIAL, transaction handling, etc.)
• Platform restrictions – Windows-only code needed to run on Linux
• Knowledge gaps – some application areas were undocumented and poorly understood, even by the company   

 

What we did:

• Replaced the legacy DB layer with UniDAC, making the app work with both MSSQL and PostgreSQL
• Handled SQL dialect differences and concurrency issues during the migration
• Added support for Linux by rewriting ±769,000 lines of Windows-specific code
• Built a unit testing framework from scratch (500+ tests)
• Automated about 30% of the process with our internal conversion tools 

 

Outcomes? 

• Query time reduced by ±35%
• Defects cut by ±50% thanks to tests
• Full Linux (Ubuntu, CentOS, Debian) support added
• Technical debt reduced by ±40%, making the system easier to maintain and extend

 

If you are interested in a full breakdown of this project, we have published it here: https://www.softacom.com/cases/softacom-transformed-a-delphi-xe4-system-for-mssql-postgresql-and-linux/

[Die Holländer 90]

"The (Linux) modernization allows the company to attract more clients."

 

Can you explain more about the use of Linux the support?

Are you talking about a GUI application?

 

[Brian Evans 129]

Case seems written for potential customers looking to have something similar done. Not much detailed info of interest to other Delphi developers. Not unexpected as the rest of us could be possible competitors for such work. 

 

Still interesting data point for what is being done in regards to modernization of older projects developed with Delphi.

[Lars Fosdal 1872]

The SoftaCom posts appear to be purely marketing 😞

[corneliusdavid 255]

17 hours ago, Lars Fosdal said:

The SoftaCom posts appear to be purely marketing

That was my impression, too.

Edited 5 hours ago by corneliusdavid

[Roger Cigol 137]

• Added support for Linux by rewriting ±769,000 lines of Windows-specific code
• Built a unit testing framework from scratch (500+ tests)

 

A code base with towards 700 000 lines of windows specific code presumably has much more that is not "windows specific". To then claim that 500 unit tests is useful strikes me as a sentence aimed at people who have never worked with unit testing. Even my simplest projects have unit tests measured in thousands.....

[darnocian 101]

Yeah, under the 'tips / tutorials' - there should be more substance than marketting. This is just spam otherwise!

Edited 6 hours ago by darnocian