Delphi 7 Logistics Dashboards: Reducing Migration Risk by 65% via Logic Capture

Logistics companies are currently operating on a ticking time bomb: Delphi 7. While these legacy systems have powered global supply chains for two decades, they have become "black boxes" of undocumented logic. When a critical fleet management dashboard fails or needs an update to support modern API integrations, the original developers are often long gone, leaving behind a $3.6 trillion global technical debt. The standard approach—a manual "rip and replace"—carries a 70% failure rate.

Modernizing delphi logistics dashboards reducing migration risk requires a shift from manual code auditing to automated logic capture. By using Replay, enterprises are now bypassing the "documentation gap" by recording live user workflows and converting them directly into modern React components and documented design systems.

TL;DR:

• •The Problem: 67% of legacy logistics systems lack documentation, making manual rewrites high-risk.
• •The Solution: Visual Reverse Engineering via Replay captures the "as-is" state of Delphi 7 dashboards without needing the original source code.
• •The Result: A 65% reduction in migration risk and a 70% reduction in development time (from 40 hours per screen to 4 hours).
• •The Tech: Transforming Delphi
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  TGrid
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  TDataset
  logic into modern React hooks and TypeScript components.

The High Stakes of Delphi 7 in Logistics#

In the logistics sector, the dashboard is the nerve center. It manages real-time GPS coordinates, warehouse inventory levels, and driver dispatch schedules. Most of these systems were built in Delphi 7 because of its incredible speed and low-level hardware access. However, that same low-level access is now a liability.

According to Replay's analysis, the average enterprise logistics rewrite takes 18 months. During that time, the business is paralyzed. You cannot add new features, and the risk of a "big bang" failure is astronomical. This is why delphi logistics dashboards reducing operational downtime is the primary KPI for modern CTOs.

Video-to-code is the process of using computer vision and AI to extract UI hierarchies, interaction patterns, and business logic from video recordings of a legacy application, effectively creating a blueprint for modernization without manual reverse engineering.

Why Manual Rewrites Fail (and How Replay Fixes It)#

Industry experts recommend moving away from manual code analysis for three reasons:

1. •Lost Business Logic: The "why" behind a specific shipping calculation is often buried in 20-year-old Pascal code.
2. •UI Drift: What the code says the UI does and what the user actually sees are often two different things.
3. •Resource Drain: Manual migration takes approximately 40 hours per screen.

Replay introduces a Visual Reverse Engineering workflow that reduces this to 4 hours. By recording a dispatcher using a Delphi 7 dashboard, Replay's AI Automation Suite identifies the components (grids, buttons, inputs) and the data flows between them.

Comparison: Manual Migration vs. Replay Visual Reverse Engineering#

Step-by-Step: Reducing Migration Risk for Delphi Logistics Dashboards#

To achieve a 65% risk reduction, you must follow a structured logic capture process. This ensures that the "intent" of the legacy system is preserved in the modern React application.

Step 1: Record the "As-Is" Workflow#

Instead of reading thousands of lines of

files, record a subject matter expert (SME) performing a standard task, such as "Dispatching a Long-Haul Truck." This recording captures the exact state transitions of the delphi logistics dashboards reducing the chance that edge cases are missed.

Step 2: Component Extraction and the Replay Library#

Replay's AI analyzes the video to identify the Design System. In Delphi, a

might be used for fleet tracking. Replay identifies this and maps it to a modern, responsive React DataGrid.

Component Libraries are essential for maintaining consistency during this transition. By creating a unified library from the legacy UI, you ensure the new system feels familiar to the users, reducing the need for retraining.

Step 3: Logic Mapping (From Pascal to TypeScript)#

The most critical part of delphi logistics dashboards reducing risk is capturing the data-binding logic. In Delphi 7, logic is often tightly coupled with the UI (e.g.,

events directly calling SQL procedures).

Replay extracts these flows into "Blueprints." A Blueprint is a functional map of how data moves from an input field to the backend.

Step 4: Generating the Modern Codebase#

Once the flows are captured, Replay generates documented React code. This isn't just "spaghetti code" generated by a generic LLM; it is structured, type-safe TypeScript code that follows your organization's specific architectural standards.

Technical Deep Dive: Mapping Delphi Logic to React#

Let's look at how a typical Delphi 7 logistics calculation is transformed. In the legacy system, you might have a procedure that calculates shipping costs based on weight and distance.

The Legacy Delphi 7 Logic (The "Black Box")#

pascal
procedure TDispatchForm.BtnCalculateClick(Sender: TObject);
var
  Weight, Distance, Total: Double;
begin
  Weight := StrToFloat(EditWeight.Text);
  Distance := StrToFloat(EditDistance.Text);
  
  // Legacy business logic hidden in UI event
  if Weight > 500 then
    Total := (Distance * 1.5) + (Weight * 0.5)
  else
    Total := (Distance * 1.2);
    
  LabelTotal.Caption := FloatToStr(Total);
end;

The Modern React Logic (Generated by Replay)#

Replay identifies the inputs and the output, then generates a clean, testable React component. This process is central to delphi logistics dashboards reducing the technical debt associated with hidden logic.

typescript
import React, { useState, useMemo } from 'react';

/**
 * Replay Generated Component: ShippingCalculator
 * Captured from: TDispatchForm.BtnCalculateClick
 */
interface ShippingProps {
  onCalculationComplete?: (total: number) => void;
}

export const ShippingCalculator: React.FC<ShippingProps> = ({ onCalculationComplete }) => {
  const [weight, setWeight] = useState<number>(0);
  const [distance, setDistance] = useState<number>(0);

  const totalCost = useMemo(() => {
    // Logic extracted via Replay Flow Analysis
    if (weight > 500) {
      return (distance * 1.5) + (weight * 0.5);
    }
    return distance * 1.2;
  }, [weight, distance]);

  return (
    <div className="p-4 bg-slate-50 rounded-lg shadow-sm">
      <h3 className="text-lg font-semibold mb-4">Shipping Cost Calculator</h3>
      <div className="space-y-4">
        <input 
          type="number" 
          placeholder="Weight"
          onChange={(e) => setWeight(Number(e.target.value))}
          className="w-full p-2 border rounded"
        />
        <input 
          type="number" 
          placeholder="Distance"
          onChange={(e) => setDistance(Number(e.target.value))}
          className="w-full p-2 border rounded"
        />
        <div className="pt-4 border-t">
          <span className="text-sm text-gray-600">Total Estimate:</span>
          <span className="text-xl font-bold ml-2">${totalCost.toFixed(2)}</span>
        </div>
      </div>
    </div>
  );
};

Scaling the Migration with Replay Flows#

For a complex logistics dashboard, you aren't just migrating one button; you are migrating hundreds of interconnected workflows. This is where Replay Flows becomes invaluable.

Flows allow architects to see the entire application map. In a Delphi 7 environment, many screens are hidden behind nested menus. Replay's visual discovery tool crawls these paths, ensuring that no "ghost screens" are left behind.

According to Replay's analysis, 30% of legacy code in logistics systems is often "dead code"—logic that is no longer used but still maintained. By focusing on delphi logistics dashboards reducing the footprint of the application to only what is actually used in the video recordings, you can shed decades of technical debt in a single migration cycle.

Addressing the "Regulated Environment" Challenge#

Logistics often intersects with government, healthcare (cold chain), and financial services. These are highly regulated environments where "sending code to the cloud" is a non-starter.

Replay is built for these constraints. With SOC2 compliance, HIPAA-readiness, and On-Premise deployment options, you can perform visual reverse engineering within your own secure perimeter. This is a critical factor in delphi logistics dashboards reducing compliance risk during a major architectural shift.

Modernizing Legacy Systems in Regulated Industries is a complex task, but by using a visual-first approach, you create an audit trail of exactly how the old system functioned and how that functionality was mapped to the new React code.

The Financial Impact: Beyond the 65% Risk Reduction#

The 65% reduction in risk is primarily achieved by eliminating the "Guesswork Phase" of development. When developers don't have to guess how a Delphi 7

was supposed to behave when a user double-clicks a row, the project stays on schedule.

• •Manual Cost: 100 screens * 40 hours = 4,000 developer hours. At $100/hr, that’s $400,000.
• •Replay Cost: 100 screens * 4 hours = 400 developer hours. At $100/hr, that’s $40,000.

This 90% reduction in labor cost allows logistics firms to redirect their budget toward innovation—such as adding AI-driven route optimization—rather than just "keeping the lights on" with an aging Delphi system.

Best Practices for Delphi 7 Dashboard Migration#

1. •Prioritize High-Value Flows: Don't try to migrate the whole system at once. Use Replay to record the most critical 20% of workflows that drive 80% of the business value.
2. •Involve the SMEs Early: The people who use the Delphi dashboards every day are your best source of truth. Their recordings are the "source code" for Replay.
3. •Standardize the Output: Use Replay's Blueprints to ensure that every generated React component uses the same CSS framework (e.g., Tailwind) and state management library (e.g., TanStack Query).
4. •Validate via Side-by-Side Testing: Since you have the video recording of the old system and the code for the new system, functional testing becomes a simple matter of visual comparison.

Frequently Asked Questions#

How does Replay handle Delphi components that don't have a direct React equivalent?#

Replay's AI Automation Suite identifies the functional intent of the component. For example, if it sees a complex Delphi

used for warehouse locations, it will suggest a modern, accessible React Tree component and map the data-loading logic accordingly. You can customize these mappings in the Replay Blueprint editor.

Do I need the original Delphi 7 source code for this to work?#

No. This is the core advantage of Visual Reverse Engineering. Replay works by analyzing the application's behavior and UI from video recordings. While having the source code can help validate certain backend logic, it is not a requirement for capturing the UI and frontend business logic.

Can Replay handle real-time data updates common in logistics dashboards?#

Yes. According to Replay's analysis, logistics dashboards require high-frequency data polling or WebSocket integrations. Replay identifies the frequency of UI updates in the recording and generates the appropriate

or hooks in React to mimic that real-time behavior.

How does this reduce migration risk specifically by 65%?#

The 65% figure is derived from the elimination of the "Requirement Gap." Most migration failures occur because the new system fails to replicate a hidden, undocumented feature of the old system. By using video as the source of truth, Replay ensures that every interaction, validation, and state change is documented and accounted for in the new codebase.

Is the generated React code maintainable?#

Absolutely. Unlike "low-code" platforms that lock you into a proprietary runtime, Replay generates standard TypeScript and React code. The output is indistinguishable from code written by a Senior Frontend Engineer, complete with comments, proper prop types, and modular architecture.

Final Thoughts: The Path Forward#

The era of the "Never-Ending Rewrite" is over. For logistics companies, the risk of staying on Delphi 7 is now greater than the risk of migration—provided you use the right tools. By focusing on delphi logistics dashboards reducing migration complexity through visual capture, you can transform your legacy debt into a modern competitive advantage.

Visual Reverse Engineering isn't just about moving code; it's about preserving the institutional knowledge embedded in your software while freeing it from the constraints of 20-year-old technology.

Ready to modernize without rewriting? Book a pilot with Replay