Canadian Government Ministry Modernises Legacy Finance Audit System to Java Web Platform
At a glance —
the essentials.
Ministry of the Canadian Government
- A Canadian government ministry responsible for taxation, fiscal policy, and provincial budget management relied on a legacy Clipper application for auditing retail sales tax collected by hospitality vendors. Auditors used the application locally on laptops, with findings dumped into the main database at audit end. The ministry needed a distributed, web-based solution with centralised control of audit data, relational database support, and the ability for auditors to access the system from any location in Canada.
- Re-engineered the Clipper application to a thin-client J2EE web application using JSP, Servlet, EJB, and Java Beans, deployed on WebSphere 4.0 Application Server
- Character-based Clipper interface replaced with a GUI-based Java application built on the Jakarta Struts framework with multi-language support
- Non-relational DBF database files migrated to DB2, providing a centralised, relational database accessible from any location across Canada
- First Clipper-to-Java re-engineering project for Kumaran, completed smoothly and exceeding all ministry expectations
- Clipper character-based application fully re-engineered to GUI-based Java — first of its kind for Kumaran
- Centralised DB2 database replacing distributed DBF files — single source of truth for all audit data
- Auditors can access the application from any location across Canada
- Multi-language support enabled via Jakarta Struts framework
- Staging effort for audit data in main server significantly reduced
From laptop-bound Clipper to a centralised Java web platform.
A Canadian government ministry partnered with Kumaran to re-engineer its legacy Clipper audit application to a modern J2EE web platform, delivering centralised data access for 4,000 staff and enabling auditors to access the system from any location across Canada. Kumaran migrated the non-relational DBF database to DB2, replaced the character-based UI with a GUI Java application on Jakarta Struts, and deployed the solution on WebSphere 4.0. The result exceeded all ministry expectations — reducing audit data staging effort and transforming a fragile, locally-loaded tool into a scalable, distributed web application.
The Background
The ministry's audit branch was responsible for reviewing retail sales tax compliance across hospitality vendors — covering alcohol, food, admission charges, cigarettes, accommodations, and miscellaneous sales. Auditors were using a Clipper application loaded locally on their laptops, with no centralised control or real-time data access. At the end of each audit, findings were manually dumped into the main database, creating staging effort and limiting visibility. With 4,000 staff and operations across Canada, a distributed, web-based solution with relational database support was the clear path forward.
Want to know how we achieved these results?
Contact us today to learn more about our legacy modernisation approach and the success story behind this Clipper to Java engagement with a Canadian Government Ministry.
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