Informix for Public Utilities: Mapping Water Metering Workflow Logic to Modern React Architecture

A water utility's billing system is only as reliable as the legacy logic buried within its 30-year-old Informix database. When a technician enters a meter reading into a green-screen terminal, they aren't just inputting a number; they are triggering a cascade of stored procedures, tier-based pricing calculations, and regulatory compliance checks that few people left in the organization fully understand. With $3.6 trillion in global technical debt looming over the public sector, the risk isn't just a slow system—it's the total loss of institutional knowledge as the "grey tsunami" of retiring COBOL and Informix experts accelerates.

TL;DR: Public utilities face a critical documentation gap in their legacy Informix systems. Manual modernization takes 18-24 months and costs millions. Replay uses Visual Reverse Engineering to convert recorded legacy workflows into documented React code, reducing the per-screen modernization time from 40 hours to just 4 hours. This guide explores how to execute informix public utilities mapping to transition water metering logic into a modern, scalable architecture.

The Technical Debt Crisis in Public Infrastructure#

According to Replay's analysis, 67% of legacy systems in the public utility sector lack any form of up-to-date documentation. For a water utility, this means the logic governing "Leak Detection Alerts" or "Seasonal Rate Adjustments" exists only in the volatile memory of senior developers or within thousands of lines of undocumented Informix 4GL code.

The traditional approach to modernization—the "Big Bang" rewrite—is a proven failure. Statistics show that 70% of legacy rewrites fail or significantly exceed their timelines. In the context of informix public utilities mapping, the complexity of moving from a relational, procedure-heavy Informix environment to a functional, component-based React architecture often leads to "analysis paralysis."

Visual Reverse Engineering is the process of capturing the execution of a legacy application through video and metadata, then using AI to reconstruct the underlying business logic, UI components, and data flows into modern codebases.

Learn more about Legacy Modernization Strategies

Challenges of Informix Public Utilities Mapping#

Mapping a water metering workflow requires more than just moving data from Informix to PostgreSQL or Snowflake. It requires mapping the intent of the workflow. In Informix-based utility systems, business logic is often tightly coupled with the UI and the database via Stored Procedure Language (SPL).

When performing informix public utilities mapping, architects must account for:

1. •Implicit State Management: Legacy Informix terminals often hold state in global variables that aren't explicitly declared in the UI.
2. •Nested Stored Procedures: A single "Submit Reading" button might trigger ten different SPLs that calculate sewage tax, infrastructure levies, and tiered consumption rates.
3. •Validation Silos: Data validation often happens at the database level, leading to a poor user experience in modern web frontends if not correctly mapped to client-side logic.

Industry experts recommend moving toward a "Strangler Fig" pattern, where legacy workflows are replaced piece-by-piece. However, the manual effort of documenting these flows remains the primary bottleneck. This is where Replay changes the math. By recording a technician completing a meter calibration flow, Replay captures the visual state and the underlying data transitions, outputting a documented React component library.

Comparison: Manual Mapping vs. Replay Visual Reverse Engineering#

Mapping the Water Metering Workflow: From SPL to TypeScript#

To understand how informix public utilities mapping works in practice, let’s look at a common scenario: a meter replacement workflow. In the legacy system, this might involve an Informix 4GL form that updates the

and tables simultaneously.

The Legacy Logic (Informix SPL)#

In the old system, the logic for calculating the final bill upon meter removal might look like this:

sql
-- Legacy Informix SPL for Meter Finalization
CREATE PROCEDURE proc_finalize_meter(m_id CHAR(10), final_rdg DECIMAL(10,2))
    DEFINE v_prev_rdg DECIMAL(10,2);
    DEFINE v_usage DECIMAL(10,2);
    
    SELECT last_reading INTO v_prev_rdg 
    FROM meter_mstr WHERE meter_id = m_id;
    
    LET v_usage = final_rdg - v_prev_rdg;
    
    IF v_usage < 0 THEN
        -- Handle meter rollover logic
        LET v_usage = (99999.99 - v_prev_rdg) + final_rdg;
    END IF;
    
    UPDATE consumption_hist 
    SET current_usage = v_usage, status = 'FINAL'
    WHERE meter_id = m_id AND bill_period = CURRENT_MONTH;
END PROCEDURE;

The Modern Equivalent (React + TypeScript)#

When Replay processes a recording of this workflow, it identifies the state transitions and the "rollover logic." Instead of a black-box procedure, it generates a clean, testable TypeScript service and a React component for the technician's dashboard.

typescript
// Modernized Meter Logic generated via Replay Blueprints
interface MeterReadingProps {
  previousReading: number;
  currentReading: number;
  maxCapacity?: number;
}

/**
 * Calculates water usage handling potential meter rollovers.
 * Reconstructed from legacy 'proc_finalize_meter' logic.
 */
export const calculateUsage = ({
  previousReading,
  currentReading,
  maxCapacity = 99999.99
}: MeterReadingProps): number => {
  if (currentReading >= previousReading) {
    return currentReading - previousReading;
  }
  
  // Meter Rollover Logic detected from legacy workflow behavior
  return (maxCapacity - previousReading) + currentReading;
};

// React Component for the Utility Field App
import React, { useState } from 'react';

export const MeterFinalizationForm: React.FC<{ meterId: string }> = ({ meterId }) => {
  const [reading, setReading] = useState<number>(0);
  const [usage, setUsage] = useState<number | null>(null);

  const handleCalculate = () => {
    // In a real app, previousReading would be fetched from an API
    const result = calculateUsage({ previousReading: 8500.50, currentReading: reading });
    setUsage(result);
  };

  return (
    <div className="p-6 bg-slate-50 rounded-lg shadow-md">
      <h3 className="text-lg font-bold">Finalize Meter: {meterId}</h3>
      <input 
        type="number" 
        onChange={(e) => setReading(parseFloat(e.target.value))}
        className="border p-2 rounded w-full my-4"
        placeholder="Enter Final Reading"
      />
      <button 
        onClick={handleCalculate}
        className="bg-blue-600 text-white px-4 py-2 rounded"
      >
        Calculate Final Usage
      </button>
      {usage !== null && <p className="mt-4">Calculated Usage: {usage} Gallons</p>}
    </div>
  );
};

By using informix public utilities mapping through a visual-first approach, the utility ensures that the "Rollover Logic"—which is critical for accurate billing—is not lost during the transition to React.

Explore our Component Library Automation

The Replay Workflow: From Video to Production Code#

The Replay platform accelerates the informix public utilities mapping process through four key pillars:

1. •The Library (Design System): Replay extracts the visual DNA of your legacy utility forms. It identifies common patterns (input fields, data grids, navigation bars) and generates a unified Design System in React. This ensures that the new system feels familiar to users while benefiting from modern accessibility (WCAG) standards.
2. •Flows (Architecture): By recording real user sessions, Replay maps the "happy path" and edge cases of complex utility workflows. This is vital for public utilities where a "simple" address change might involve updating tax districts, service zones, and emergency contact lists.
3. •Blueprints (Editor): This is where the informix public utilities mapping is refined. Architects can view the legacy video side-by-side with the generated React code, ensuring every business rule is captured.
4. •AI Automation Suite: Replay’s AI analyzes the recorded network traffic and screen transitions to suggest the most efficient API structures for the new backend, effectively documenting the legacy Informix schema requirements for the modern era.

Why Public Utilities Can't Wait#

The average enterprise rewrite takes 18 months, but for public utilities, the stakes are higher. A failed migration can lead to billing errors that impact thousands of citizens or, worse, critical failures in infrastructure monitoring.

Industry experts recommend that utilities stop viewing modernization as a "code problem" and start viewing it as a "knowledge capture problem." The code is simply the artifact of that knowledge. When you perform informix public utilities mapping manually, you are essentially asking developers to play a game of "telephone" with 30-year-old logic.

Visual Reverse Engineering eliminates this translation layer. By starting with the user's reality—the UI they interact with every day—Replay ensures that the modernized application reflects the actual needs of the utility's workforce.

Security and Compliance in Utility Modernization#

Public utilities operate in highly regulated environments. Whether it's protecting citizen PII (Personally Identifiable Information) or ensuring the resiliency of the water supply, security cannot be an afterthought.

Replay is built for these high-stakes environments:

• •SOC2 & HIPAA-Ready: Your data and workflow recordings are handled with enterprise-grade security.
• •On-Premise Deployment: For utilities with strict data residency requirements, Replay can be deployed within your own private cloud or on-premise data center.
• •Audit Trails: Every component generated by Replay includes a link back to the original legacy recording, providing a clear audit trail for regulators.

Implementing the Informix Public Utilities Mapping Strategy#

To successfully map your Informix workflows, follow this three-phase approach:

Phase 1: Workflow Prioritization#

Identify the "High-Value, High-Risk" flows. In water utilities, this is typically:

• •Meter-to-Cash (Billing)
• •Service Provisioning (Turn-on/Turn-off)
• •Field Service Dispatch

Phase 2: Visual Capture with Replay#

Deploy Replay to record subject matter experts (SMEs) performing these tasks in the legacy Informix environment. Don't just record the "perfect" scenario; record the exceptions, such as handling a broken meter or a disputed bill.

Phase 3: Component Synthesis#

Use the Replay Library to generate your React components. Because Replay saves 70% of the time usually spent on manual coding, your team can focus on integrating these components with modern cloud services like AWS or Azure.

According to Replay's analysis, utilities that use visual reverse engineering see a 90% reduction in "bug regressions" during the UAT (User Acceptance Testing) phase because the logic was captured directly from the source of truth—the working legacy application.

Frequently Asked Questions#

What is informix public utilities mapping?#

It is the process of documenting and translating legacy business logic, data schemas, and user workflows from Informix-based systems into modern architectural frameworks like React and Node.js. It involves identifying how data flows from legacy green screens into Informix databases and recreating that logic in a cloud-native environment.

Why is manual modernization of Informix systems so slow?#

Manual modernization is slow because 67% of these systems lack documentation. Developers must spend 40+ hours per screen reverse-engineering SQL stored procedures and 4GL code. Replay reduces this to 4 hours by using Visual Reverse Engineering to automate the documentation and code generation process.

Can Replay handle complex billing logic in water utilities?#

Yes. Replay's AI Automation Suite is designed to capture complex state transitions. By recording the legacy billing workflow, Replay can map tier-based pricing and regulatory calculations into clean, documented TypeScript logic, ensuring no business rules are lost.

Is Replay secure for government and utility use?#

Absolutely. Replay is built for regulated industries and offers SOC2 compliance and on-premise deployment options. This allows public utilities to modernize their Informix systems without their sensitive data ever leaving their secure perimeter.

How does Replay save 70% of modernization time?#

Replay eliminates the "discovery" phase of modernization. Instead of manual code audits and interviews with retiring staff, Replay captures the application's behavior directly. It then automates the creation of the Design System, Component Library, and workflow logic, allowing developers to start at the 70% mark rather than from scratch.

Ready to modernize without rewriting? Book a pilot with Replay