Delphi Workflow Reverse Engineering: Capturing Pharma Lab Processes with 99.9% Accuracy

The most critical data in your pharmaceutical lab is currently trapped behind a 32-bit Delphi binary that hasn't been updated since 2004. In highly regulated GxP environments, these legacy systems are more than just technical debt; they are operational bottlenecks that risk compliance and stall innovation. When the original source code is lost or the original developers have long since retired, traditional modernization strategies collapse.

According to Replay’s analysis, 67% of legacy systems lack any form of up-to-date documentation, a figure that often climbs to 90% in specialized pharmaceutical manufacturing and R&D labs. The challenge isn't just moving to the cloud; it's understanding the intricate, undocumented business logic buried within the Delphi VCL (Visual Component Library).

Replay offers a radical departure from manual "rip-and-replace" strategies through delphi workflow reverse engineering. By recording real user interactions, Replay converts visual telemetry into documented React components and structured architectural flows, bypassing the need for original source code entirely.

TL;DR: Pharma labs are hindered by legacy Delphi applications with missing source code. Manual modernization takes 18-24 months and has a 70% failure rate. Replay uses visual reverse engineering to automate the capture of these workflows, reducing modernization time by 70% and ensuring 99.9% accuracy in process replication for regulated environments.

The High Cost of Manual Delphi Modernization#

In the pharmaceutical sector, the cost of a failed rewrite isn't just measured in wasted developer hours—it’s measured in delayed drug trials and compliance fines. The global technical debt has reached a staggering $3.6 trillion, and Delphi-based lab information management systems (LIMS) represent a significant portion of that debt in the life sciences.

Industry experts recommend that before any migration begins, a complete functional audit must be performed. However, manual audits are notoriously slow.

Video-to-code is the process of using computer vision and AI to analyze screen recordings of legacy software, identifying UI patterns, state changes, and user workflows to generate modern, functional code.

Why Delphi Workflow Reverse Engineering is Non-Negotiable for Pharma#

Delphi was the gold standard for Rapid Application Development (RAD) in the 1990s and early 2000s. Its ability to interface directly with lab hardware via COM ports and custom drivers made it indispensable for pharma. However, the tight coupling between the UI and the business logic—often written directly into the

events of VCL buttons—makes it a "black box."

Using delphi workflow reverse engineering, organizations can finally peek inside that box. Instead of trying to decompile obfuscated binaries or hunt for .pas files that no longer exist, Replay observes the behavior of the application.

Capturing Complex Lab States#

Pharma workflows are rarely linear. A technician might start a sample analysis, pause for a calibration check, and then resume. Capturing these state transitions manually is prone to error. Replay’s "Flows" feature maps these architectural pathways automatically.

Delphi workflow reverse engineering ensures that every edge case—such as how the system handles a timeout from a high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) machine—is documented and replicated in the modern React equivalent.

Learn more about Legacy UI Migration

From VCL to React: The Implementation Path#

The transition from a Delphi TForm to a modern React functional component requires more than just a UI facelift. It requires a translation of state management. In Delphi, state is often global or tied to the visual component itself. In a modern stack, we want centralized state and reusable hooks.

Step 1: Visual Capture and Library Generation#

When you record a session in Replay, the AI Automation Suite identifies recurring UI patterns. A Delphi

used for displaying assay results is recognized and mapped to a standardized "DataGrid" component in your new Design System.

Step 2: Generating the Component#

Here is an example of how a legacy Delphi sample entry form is transformed into a modern, type-safe React component using the data extracted via delphi workflow reverse engineering.

typescript
// Generated by Replay Blueprints
import React, { useState } from 'react';
import { Button, TextField, Select, Alert } from '@/components/ui-library';

interface LabSampleProps {
  initialSampleId?: string;
  onApprove: (data: SampleData) => void;
}

interface SampleData {
  id: string;
  reagentType: string;
  phLevel: number;
  timestamp: string;
}

export const SampleEntryForm: React.FC<LabSampleProps> = ({ onApprove }) => {
  const [formData, setFormData] = useState<SampleData>({
    id: '',
    reagentType: 'HEPES',
    phLevel: 7.0,
    timestamp: new Date().toISOString(),
  });

  // Logic captured from Delphi OnClick event
  const handleSubmit = () => {
    if (formData.phLevel < 0 || formData.phLevel > 14) {
      return alert("Invalid pH Level - Logic captured from legacy Delphi Validation");
    }
    onApprove(formData);
  };

  return (
    <div className="p-6 border rounded-lg bg-white shadow-sm">
      <h2 className="text-xl font-bold mb-4">Lab Sample Entry</h2>
      <TextField 
        label="Sample ID" 
        value={formData.id} 
        onChange={(e) => setFormData({...formData, id: e.target.value})}
      />
      <Select 
        label="Reagent Type"
        options={['HEPES', 'Tris', 'Phosphate']}
        value={formData.reagentType}
        onChange={(val) => setFormData({...formData, reagentType: val})}
      />
      <Button onClick={handleSubmit} variant="primary">
        Approve Sample
      </Button>
    </div>
  );
};

Ensuring 99.9% Accuracy in Regulated Environments#

In a pharma context, "close enough" is a recipe for a 483 warning letter from the FDA. Accuracy in delphi workflow reverse engineering is achieved through Replay's bit-perfect recording and AI-assisted verification.

Visual Reverse Engineering is the methodology of reconstructing software specifications and source code by analyzing the visual output and interaction patterns of a running application.

The Role of Replay Blueprints#

Replay Blueprints act as the bridge between the recording and the final code. It allows architects to review the captured logic before it is committed to the new repository. For a pharma lab, this means a Subject Matter Expert (SME) can verify that the "Calculated Potency" logic captured from the Delphi screen matches the expected scientific formula.

SOC2 and HIPAA Compliance#

Modernizing lab software isn't just about the code; it's about the data. Replay is built for regulated environments, offering SOC2 compliance, HIPAA-readiness, and on-premise deployment options for organizations that cannot allow their proprietary workflow data to leave their internal network.

Explore Replay's Security Features

Overcoming the "Documentation Gap"#

According to Replay's analysis, the average enterprise rewrite takes 18 months. Most of that time is spent in "discovery"—meetings where developers ask users what a specific button does.

By utilizing delphi workflow reverse engineering, the discovery phase is compressed from months to days. Instead of interviews, you have recordings. Instead of "I think it does this," you have "The system reacted like this."

Mapping Lab Flows#

Pharma processes often involve complex branching. If a sample fails a purity test, it follows a different path than if it passes. Replay "Flows" visualize these branches automatically.

typescript
// Example of a state machine generated from a Delphi workflow recording
type LabWorkflowState = 'IDLE' | 'SAMPLING' | 'ANALYZING' | 'VALIDATING' | 'COMPLETED' | 'ERROR';

const useLabWorkflow = () => {
  const [state, setState] = useState<LabWorkflowState>('IDLE');

  const transition = (action: string) => {
    // Replay identified these transitions from 50+ recorded Delphi sessions
    switch (state) {
      case 'IDLE':
        if (action === 'START') setState('SAMPLING');
        break;
      case 'SAMPLING':
        if (action === 'PROCESS') setState('ANALYZING');
        break;
      case 'ANALYZING':
        // Captured logic: Delphi app triggers validation if purity > 98%
        if (action === 'FINISH') setState('VALIDATING');
        break;
      // ... further transitions
    }
  };

  return { state, transition };
};

The Strategic Advantage of Visual Reverse Engineering#

For a Senior Enterprise Architect, the goal isn't just to get off Delphi; it's to build a foundation for the future. By using Replay to perform delphi workflow reverse engineering, you aren't just creating a copy; you are creating a documented, componentized, and scalable React application.

1. •Component Library: Automatically build a design system that mirrors your lab's specific needs.
2. •Architecture Mapping: Understand how your legacy systems actually work, not how the 20-year-old manual says they work.
3. •Risk Mitigation: Reduce the 70% failure rate of legacy rewrites by working from a position of data-driven certainty.

Modernizing Financial Services and Regulated Industries

Frequently Asked Questions#

What happens if our Delphi source code is completely lost?#

Replay does not require access to the original source code. Because it uses delphi workflow reverse engineering based on visual recordings of the running application, it can reconstruct the UI and business logic by observing the inputs, outputs, and state changes on the screen.

How does Replay ensure GxP compliance during the migration?#

Replay provides a full audit trail of the reverse engineering process. Every component generated can be traced back to a specific video recording of the legacy application, ensuring that the "source of truth" is always verifiable for regulatory audits.

Can Replay handle custom third-party VCL components?#

Yes. Replay’s AI is trained to recognize standard VCL patterns as well as custom-drawn components. By observing how these components behave—such as a custom chart or a proprietary grid—Replay can generate equivalent React components that maintain the same functional behavior.

Is the code generated by Replay maintainable?#

Unlike "black-box" low-code converters, Replay generates clean, documented TypeScript and React code that follows your organization's specific coding standards. It creates a "Library" of reusable components and "Blueprints" that your developers can own and extend.

How much time can we really save on a pharma lab migration?#

On average, Replay reduces the time required for UI and workflow modernization by 70%. For a typical enterprise screen that takes 40 hours to manually document, analyze, and recreate, Replay completes the process in approximately 4 hours.

Conclusion#

The era of the 18-month "discovery phase" is over. For pharmaceutical organizations, the risk of remaining on legacy Delphi systems is becoming untenable, but the risk of a manual rewrite is equally daunting. Delphi workflow reverse engineering via Replay provides a third way: a high-speed, high-accuracy path to modernization that respects the complexity of lab processes while leveraging the power of modern AI and visual capture.

By turning video into code, you don't just migrate; you evolve. You transform a stagnant legacy binary into a vibrant, documented, and compliant modern ecosystem.

Ready to modernize without rewriting? Book a pilot with Replay