Natural to React: The Essential Strategy for Modernizing State Pension Calculation Systems

The $3.6 trillion global technical debt isn't just a number on a balance sheet; it is the primary reason your State Pension modernization project is likely eighteen months behind schedule and millions over budget. For government agencies and financial institutions running mission-critical calculation engines on Software AG’s Natural and Adabas, the "Big Bang" rewrite is a death trap.

Statistics show that 70% of legacy rewrites fail or significantly exceed their timelines. When dealing with state pension systems—where a single logic error in an accrual calculation can lead to multi-million dollar compliance penalties—the risk of manual "code archaeology" is simply too high. We need a new path forward that bypasses the traditional pitfalls of manual documentation and high-risk rewrites.

TL;DR: The natural react essential strategy leverages visual reverse engineering to extract complex pension logic from legacy Natural systems into modern React components, reducing modernization timelines from years to weeks with a 70% average time savings.

Why the Natural React Essential Strategy Outperforms Traditional Rewrites#

The fundamental problem with modernizing Natural-based pension systems is the documentation gap. Roughly 67% of legacy systems lack any form of current documentation. The original architects have retired, and the business logic—the "how" and "why" of pension eligibility—is buried in thousands of lines of procedural code.

Traditional modernization strategies usually fall into two categories: the "Big Bang" rewrite or the "Strangler Fig" pattern. Both are flawed when applied to Natural environments. The Big Bang approach assumes you can replicate 40 years of edge cases from scratch. The Strangler Fig assumes you have the luxury of 18-24 months to slowly migrate modules. In the context of a natural react essential strategy, neither is fast or safe enough.

Comparing Modernization Methodologies#

💰 ROI Insight: Manual modernization typically requires 40 hours of engineering time per screen for analysis and recreation. Using Replay, that time is reduced to 4 hours per screen—a 90% reduction in labor costs.

The Problem with "Code Archaeology" in Pension Systems#

State pension systems are not just databases; they are massive state machines. A single screen in a Natural application might handle complex calculations for Cost of Living Adjustments (COLA), multi-tier vesting schedules, and beneficiary distributions.

When architects attempt to move from Natural to React, they often start by trying to read the source code. This is "code archaeology," and it is the most expensive way to modernize. You are paying senior engineers to guess what the code does, rather than building what the user needs.

The natural react essential strategy shifts the focus from the source code to the user workflow. By recording a real user performing a pension calculation, Replay captures the "Source of Truth"—the actual behavior of the system, including all the hidden business logic that the source code obscures.

⚠️ Warning: Relying on legacy source code as your only documentation source is dangerous. Many Natural systems contain "dead code" or patches that are no longer active but appear functional to an outside auditor.

Implementing the Natural React Essential Framework with Replay#

To successfully transition from a green-screen Natural environment to a modern React-based architecture, we follow a structured, automated process. This removes the guesswork and ensures that the business logic remains intact.

Step 1: Visual Recording and Workflow Capture#

Instead of reading code, we record experts using the legacy system. Replay captures every state change, API call (or terminal interaction), and UI transition. This turns the "black box" into a documented sequence of events.

Step 2: Automated Component Extraction#

Replay's AI engine analyzes the recording to identify patterns. It recognizes form fields, data tables, and calculation triggers. It then generates a modern React component that mirrors the legacy functionality but utilizes modern state management.

Step 3: Logic Preservation and API Mapping#

The most critical part of the natural react essential strategy is ensuring the calculation engine remains accurate. Replay generates API contracts and E2E tests based on the recorded data, ensuring the new React front-end talks to the legacy or modernized back-end exactly as intended.

typescript
// Example: Generated React component from a Natural Pension Screen
// This component preserves the complex state transitions captured via Replay
import React, { useState, useEffect } from 'react';
import { CalculationEngine } from './pension-logic';

export const PensionAccrualCalculator: React.FC<{ memberId: string }> = ({ memberId }) => {
  const [yearsOfService, setYearsOfService] = useState<number>(0);
  const [finalAverageSalary, setFAS] = useState<number>(0);
  const [accrualRate, setAccrualRate] = useState<number>(0.02); // Extracted from legacy logic

  // Business logic preserved from legacy Natural "MAP"
  const calculateBenefit = () => {
    return yearsOfService * finalAverageSalary * accrualRate;
  };

  return (
    <div className="p-6 border rounded-lg shadow-sm">
      <h2 className="text-xl font-bold">Accrual Summary</h2>
      <div className="grid grid-cols-2 gap-4">
        <label>Years of Service:</label>
        <input 
          type="number" 
          value={yearsOfService} 
          onChange={(e) => setYearsOfService(Number(e.target.value))} 
        />
        {/* Modernized UI components generated from Replay Library */}
      </div>
      <div className="mt-4 font-semibold text-green-700">
        Projected Monthly Benefit: ${calculateBenefit().toFixed(2)}
      </div>
    </div>
  );
};

Bridging the Documentation Gap#

In regulated environments like government and insurance, "we think this is how it works" is not an acceptable answer for an audit. Replay provides an automated technical debt audit and generates documentation as a side effect of the modernization process.

The natural react essential approach ensures that your new React application isn't just a prettier version of the old system—it's a fully documented, maintainable asset.

• •Library (Design System): Automatically extract UI patterns into a reusable React component library.
• •Flows (Architecture): Visualize the complex branching logic of pension applications.
• •Blueprints (Editor): Fine-tune the generated code to match your enterprise coding standards.

💡 Pro Tip: Use Replay’s "Blueprints" to enforce consistent API patterns across all migrated screens, ensuring your React components follow a unified state management strategy (like Redux or React Query).

Handling Complex State in Pension Systems#

Natural systems often use complex "redefines" and nested data structures in Adabas. When moving to React, managing this state can be a nightmare if done manually. The natural react essential strategy utilizes Replay’s AI Automation Suite to map these legacy data structures to clean, typed TypeScript interfaces.

typescript
// Legacy Data Structure Mapping
// Extracted from Natural DDM (Data Definition Module) via Replay

interface LegacyPensionRecord {
  MEMBER_ID: string;
  CONTRIBUTION_DATA: {
    FISCAL_YEAR: number;
    AMOUNT: number;
    EMPLOYER_MATCH: boolean;
  }[];
  VESTING_STATUS: 'V' | 'N' | 'P'; // Vested, Non-Vested, Partial
}

// Replay transforms this into a modern React-ready state object
export function usePensionData(memberId: string) {
  // Logic to fetch and normalize legacy Adabas data
  // Generated by Replay's API Contract Suite
}

Security and Compliance in Regulated Industries#

For CTOs in Healthcare, Financial Services, and Government, "cloud-only" is often a deal-breaker. Modernizing a state pension system requires strict adherence to SOC2 and HIPAA-ready standards.

Replay is built for these environments. It offers an On-Premise deployment model, ensuring that sensitive pension data never leaves your secure perimeter during the reverse engineering process. This is a core pillar of the natural react essential strategy: modernization must not compromise security.

📝 Note: Unlike generic AI coding tools, Replay’s extraction is deterministic. It is based on recorded execution paths, not probabilistic guesses, which is essential for maintaining the integrity of financial calculations.

The Future of Legacy Modernization#

The era of the multi-year, multi-million dollar rewrite is ending. The natural react essential strategy proves that we can move faster by understanding what we already have. By using video as the source of truth, we eliminate the 18-month "discovery phase" that kills most projects.

Replay allows enterprise architects to:

1. •Visualize the legacy system's actual behavior.
2. •Standardize UI components into a modern React library.
3. •Automate the generation of test suites and documentation.
4. •Deliver modernized screens in days, not months.

The $3.6 trillion technical debt is a massive weight, but it is also an opportunity. Those who leverage visual reverse engineering will modernize their systems while their competitors are still stuck in the "archaeology" phase.

Frequently Asked Questions#

How long does the "Natural to React" extraction take?#

While a manual rewrite of a complex pension screen can take 40+ hours, Replay reduces this to approximately 4 hours. A complete module containing 20-30 screens can typically be extracted and documented within 2 weeks.

Does the "Natural React Essential" strategy require access to legacy source code?#

No. One of the unique advantages of Replay is that it performs visual reverse engineering. While source code can be used for additional context, the primary "source of truth" is the recording of the system in use. This bypasses the problem of missing or outdated documentation.

How does Replay ensure calculation accuracy?#

Replay captures the exact inputs and outputs of the legacy system during the recording phase. It then generates E2E (End-to-End) tests that compare the output of the new React component against the legacy system's results, ensuring 100% parity in business logic.

Is Replay compliant with government security standards?#

Yes. Replay is built for regulated industries including Government, Healthcare, and Financial Services. We offer SOC2 compliance, HIPAA-ready workflows, and a full On-Premise installation to ensure data privacy and security.

Can we use our own Design System with the generated React components?#

Absolutely. Replay’s Blueprints and Library features allow you to map extracted legacy components to your existing enterprise design system (e.g., MUI, Tailwind, or a custom internal library), ensuring the modernized UI matches your corporate standards.

---

Ready to modernize without rewriting? Book a pilot with Replay - see your legacy screen extracted live during the call.