Mapping Visual Logic in Proprietary ERPs: The Guide to Low-Risk Migrations

The most expensive code in your enterprise is the code you can no longer see. For most Tier-1 organizations, proprietary ERPs (Enterprise Resource Planning systems) have become "black boxes"—monolithic environments where the original developers are long gone, documentation is a myth, and the business logic is inextricably trapped within the user interface. When the time comes to migrate, architects face a terrifying reality: the source code is often less reliable than the visual behavior of the system itself.

Traditional migration strategies fail because they prioritize backend data migration while treating the frontend as an afterthought. However, in complex ERPs used in Financial Services, Healthcare, and Manufacturing, the "visual logic"—how a user navigates a multi-step claims process or how a factory floor manager reconciles inventory—is where the true value resides. Mapping visual logic proprietary workflows is the only way to ensure that a modernized system actually meets the operational needs of the business.

TL;DR:

• •70% of legacy rewrites fail because they ignore the visual logic buried in proprietary UIs.
• •Manual mapping takes 40 hours per screen; Replay reduces this to 4 hours using Visual Reverse Engineering.
• •By treating video recordings as the "source of truth," enterprises can generate documented React components and design systems without starting from scratch.
• •This guide explores how to use mapping visual logic proprietary techniques to modernize ERPs in weeks rather than years.

The High Cost of the "Documentation Gap"#

According to Replay's analysis, 67% of legacy systems lack any form of up-to-date documentation. In the context of a proprietary ERP, this isn't just a minor inconvenience; it is a structural risk. When you attempt to migrate a legacy system—whether it’s a Delphi-based insurance platform or a COBOL-driven banking terminal—you aren't just moving data. You are moving decades of institutional knowledge that has been "baked into" the UI.

Industry experts recommend that before a single line of new code is written, a comprehensive audit of the existing visual workflows must be conducted. Without this, the $3.6 trillion global technical debt will only continue to grow as new systems fail to replicate the nuanced logic of the old ones.

Manual vs. Automated Mapping: The Data#

Mapping visual logic proprietary systems manually involves dozens of "discovery sessions" where business analysts watch users perform tasks and take notes. This is inherently flawed. It misses the edge cases—the specific sequence of clicks that triggers a hidden validation rule or the custom layout that appears only for specific user roles.

Understanding Visual Reverse Engineering#

To solve this, we must shift from "Code-First" to "Visual-First" modernization.

Visual Reverse Engineering is the methodology of reconstructing software architecture and logic by analyzing the presentation layer and user behavior rather than relying solely on outdated or non-existent source code documentation.

By using Replay, architects can record real user workflows within the legacy ERP. These recordings serve as the "Blueprints" for the new system. Instead of guessing how a complex table reconciles data, the platform analyzes the video, identifies the components, maps the state changes, and generates the equivalent React code.

Video-to-code is the process of capturing user interface interactions via video recording and automatically translating those visual elements and workflows into functional, documented source code.

Mapping Visual Logic Proprietary Workflows: A Step-by-Step Framework#

The transition from a proprietary ERP to a modern React-based architecture requires a structured approach to mapping visual logic proprietary elements. Here is the framework used by Senior Enterprise Architects.

1. Workflow Recording and Ingestion#

The process begins by recording "Golden Paths"—the most critical business workflows. In a healthcare setting, this might be the patient intake process. In finance, it’s the high-frequency trading reconciliation screen. Replay captures not just the pixels, but the timing, transitions, and conditional logic displayed on the screen.

2. Component Extraction and Normalization#

Once the video is ingested, the AI Automation Suite identifies recurring UI patterns. A proprietary "Grid" in an old ERP might have custom sorting and filtering logic that isn't documented. Replay extracts these patterns and maps them to a centralized Library (Design System).

3. Logic Mapping (The "Flows" Phase)#

This is where the mapping visual logic proprietary keyword becomes operational. We aren't just looking at buttons; we are looking at the consequences of those buttons.

• •If Field A > 100, then Field B becomes Mandatory.
• •If User Role = 'Manager', show the 'Override' button.

These rules are often hardcoded in the legacy UI layer. By analyzing the recordings, Replay builds "Flows"—architectural diagrams that represent the state machine of the legacy application.

Learn more about documenting legacy flows

4. Code Generation (TypeScript/React)#

Finally, the platform generates clean, modular TypeScript code. This isn't "spaghetti code" generated by a basic LLM; it is structured code that follows modern best practices, integrated with your specific Design System.

Implementation: From Legacy UI to React Component#

Let’s look at a practical example. Imagine a proprietary ERP screen used for "Order Management" in a manufacturing plant. It has a complex data entry form with nested validation.

The Legacy "Visual Logic"#

• •A "Part Number" field that triggers a lookup.
• •A "Quantity" field that changes color if it exceeds current stock.
• •A "Submit" button that is disabled until all fields are valid.

Using Replay, this visual behavior is captured and converted into a documented React component.

typescript
// Generated React Component from Visual Mapping
import React, { useState, useEffect } from 'react';
import { Input, Button, Alert, Card } from '@/components/ui';
import { validatePartNumber, getStockLevels } from '@/api/inventory';

interface OrderFormProps {
  onSuccess: (data: any) => void;
  initialData?: any;
}

/**
 * Modernized Order Management Component
 * Logic mapped from Legacy ERP 'OM-9000' Screen
 * Visual Logic: Conditional validation on 'Quantity' based on Stock API
 */
export const OrderManagementForm: React.FC<OrderFormProps> = ({ onSuccess }) => {
  const [partNumber, setPartNumber] = useState('');
  const [quantity, setQuantity] = useState(0);
  const [stockStatus, setStockStatus] = useState<'valid' | 'warning' | 'error'>('valid');
  const [isSubmitting, setIsSubmitting] = useState(false);

  // Mapping Visual Logic: Quantity Warning Pattern
  useEffect(() => {
    if (partNumber && quantity > 0) {
      const checkStock = async () => {
        const stock = await getStockLevels(partNumber);
        if (quantity > stock) {
          setStockStatus('warning');
        } else {
          setStockStatus('valid');
        }
      };
      checkStock();
    }
  }, [partNumber, quantity]);

  const isValid = partNumber.length > 0 && quantity > 0 && stockStatus !== 'error';

  return (
    <Card className="p-6">
      <div className="space-y-4">
        <Input 
          label="Part Number" 
          value={partNumber} 
          onChange={(e) => setPartNumber(e.target.value)} 
          placeholder="e.g., PX-100"
        />
        
        <Input 
          label="Quantity" 
          type="number" 
          value={quantity} 
          onChange={(e) => setQuantity(Number(e.target.value))}
          status={stockStatus === 'warning' ? 'warning' : 'default'}
        />

        {stockStatus === 'warning' && (
          <Alert variant="warning">
            Warning: Quantity exceeds current on-hand stock.
          </Alert>
        )}

        <Button 
          disabled={!isValid || isSubmitting} 
          onClick={() => { /* Submission Logic */ }}
        >
          Submit Order
        </Button>
      </div>
    </Card>
  );
};

This code snippet demonstrates how mapping visual logic proprietary behaviors (like the stock warning) transitions from an undocumented legacy feature to a clean, maintainable React component.

Why Regulated Industries Prefer Visual Mapping#

For Financial Services and Healthcare, the risks of a "blind rewrite" are astronomical. A single missed validation rule in a proprietary insurance claims ERP can result in millions of dollars in compliance fines.

According to Replay's analysis, manual rewrites in these sectors take an average of 18 months. By using Replay, these timelines are compressed into weeks because the "source of truth" is the actual, proven behavior of the existing system.

Case Study: Telecom Giant Modernization#

A major Telecom provider had a 20-year-old proprietary customer service portal. They attempted a manual rewrite that stalled after 14 months and $4M in spend because the developers couldn't replicate the complex "Plan Modification" logic.

By implementing Replay, they recorded their top 50 customer service workflows. The platform performed mapping visual logic proprietary analysis on these recordings and generated a complete React component library in 6 weeks. The project was completed in 4 months—a 70% time saving.

Modernizing UIs in Financial Services

Architecting the Design System#

One of the most powerful features of Replay is the "Blueprints" editor. When you are mapping visual logic proprietary systems, you often find that the "Design System" is inconsistent. Different modules of the ERP might use different button styles or spacing.

Replay's AI Automation Suite identifies these discrepancies and allows architects to "normalize" them into a unified Design System during the extraction process.

typescript
// Example of a Normalized Design Token generated from Visual Analysis
export const ERP_Design_System = {
  colors: {
    primary: "#0052CC", // Extracted from the most frequent 'Action' buttons
    success: "#36B37E",
    warning: "#FFAB00",
    error: "#FF5630",
    surface: "#F4F5F7",
  },
  spacing: {
    xs: "4px",
    sm: "8px",
    md: "16px",
    lg: "24px",
  },
  typography: {
    fontFamily: "Inter, sans-serif",
    baseSize: "14px", // Legacy ERPs often use smaller base sizes
  }
};

By defining these tokens early, the transition from mapping visual logic proprietary layouts to a modern React UI becomes a matter of configuration rather than constant manual coding.

Reducing Risk with "Parallel Validation"#

The biggest fear in legacy migration is "Functional Regress"—the new system doing less than the old one. Visual Reverse Engineering mitigates this through parallel validation. Because you have the original video recordings of the legacy system, you can perform side-by-side testing.

1. •Record: Capture the legacy workflow.
2. •Generate: Create the React component using Replay.
3. •Compare: Run the same data through both components and ensure the visual output (state changes, error messages, data formatting) matches.

This "Visual QA" ensures that mapping visual logic proprietary workflows is 100% accurate before the legacy system is decommissioned.

Frequently Asked Questions#

What happens if our proprietary ERP has no source code available?#

This is exactly where Replay excels. Because Replay uses Visual Reverse Engineering, it does not require access to the underlying source code (COBOL, Delphi, PowerBuilder, etc.). By recording the UI in action, the platform can map the logic based on how the system behaves visually, allowing for a complete "black box" migration.

How does Replay handle complex data tables and grids in legacy systems?#

Legacy ERPs are often just "spreadsheets with buttons." Replay’s AI Automation Suite specifically identifies grid patterns, including column headers, sorting behaviors, and pagination logic. It then maps these to modern React table libraries (like TanStack Table), ensuring that the mapping visual logic proprietary data structures are preserved in the modern stack.

Is Replay SOC2 and HIPAA compliant for sensitive data?#

Yes. Replay is built for regulated environments including Financial Services and Healthcare. We offer On-Premise deployment options so that sensitive recordings never leave your infrastructure, and our platform is SOC2 and HIPAA-ready to ensure that the process of mapping visual logic proprietary workflows meets all compliance standards.

Can we export the generated code to our own Git repository?#

Absolutely. Replay generates standard, clean TypeScript and React code. There is no vendor lock-in. Once the components and flows are generated, they are yours to own, modify, and deploy within your existing CI/CD pipeline.

The Future of Enterprise Modernization#

The era of 24-month "Big Bang" rewrites is over. The risk is too high, and the technical debt is too deep. By focusing on mapping visual logic proprietary systems through Visual Reverse Engineering, enterprises can finally unlock the logic trapped in their legacy ERPs.

Replay provides the bridge between the "as-is" legacy state and the "to-be" modern architecture. With 70% average time savings and a methodology that prioritizes the actual user experience, it is the only way to modernize without the traditional risks of failure.

Ready to modernize without rewriting? Book a pilot with Replay