The GOAT legacy database?
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Recently, the English Premier League’s transfer window closed, marking the end of a period filled with high-stakes drama. Any clubs aiming to finalize a last-minute deal had to submit their transfer forms to the Premier League by 11 PM on August 31st. This strict deadline, combined with the strategic maneuvering and cat-and-mouse games played by rival clubs to secure the best possible deals, creates significant excitement and tension each year.
Up until very recently, the Premier League, the world’s richest football (soccer) league which collects nearly 7 billion euros in revenue each season relied on the humble fax machine to submit the all important last minute forms. Yes, the fax machine!
This isn’t the first time the fax machine has made headlines in the world of sports. The NBA legend Michael Jordan famously announced his return to the Chicago Bulls via fax. Reportedly dissatisfied with a series of drafted press releases, MJ took matters into his own hands, scribbling “I’m back!” on a piece of paper and sending it through a fax machine. But that was in 1995 — a time when email was just a blip on the horizon, people connected to the internet using dial-up modems and AOL, and floppy disks were still common. The world of sports, even for a billion-dollar league with global viewership, was operating in a very different technological landscape.
The fax machine is now a relic of the past. The final blow came in 2015, during a last-minute fiasco involving the paperwork for David de Gea’s high-profile transfer from Manchester United to Real Madrid.
This incident made me reflect on similar situations in the data world. Is there a technology that has endured within the largest organizations for decades, weathering challenges like the Y2K bug, the 2008 global financial crisis, and the rise of cloud computing? Indeed, there is. One of the most reliable and stable operating systems, the AS/400 (also known as the IBM iSeries), has powered mainframe computers in some of the largest organizations for what seems like an eternity. Just last week, I spoke with a major international insurer still using it.
Now, I have to clarify something. Although I’m not from the 1900s school of programming, I’ve often used the terms AS/400 and IBM iSeries interchangeably. Which is wrong on my part. However, after some research (yes, I do occasionally fact-check), I’ve learned that these are, in fact, distinct operating systems, with the IBM i succeeding the AS/400. But this article isn’t about the differences between mainframe operating systems; you can find that information elsewhere. Namely here and here.
Instead, this article explores how the AS/400 has managed to survive for so long.
The AS/400 has been a constant in my data career for over 20 years. In the early days, I frequently designed and built efficient data extraction patterns from the AS/400 to a data warehouse. Later, I helped customers develop business cases and migration paths to move away from it.
However, convincing others to transition wasn’t easy. The AS/400 excels at stability and reliability. These systems were designed as the operational backbone of many banks and insurance companies, built to stand the test of time — much like the over-engineered German cars of the late ’80s from Porsche, BMW, and Mercedes, constructed with precision before accountants began cutting costs and build quality.
Once installed, these mainframes quietly operated in data centers, causing no issues and, consequently, were forgotten for about 20 years. Then, the people who initially implemented and customized these systems began to retire. The challenge became less about the systems themselves and more about finding people who knew anything about them before Dave, the last remaining expert, decided to retire at 75.
Unfortunately, despite its impressive track record, the AS/400’s days are numbered. I’ve enjoyed working on projects involving these systems. Few technologies have been as consistent in my career as the AS/400. It’s like an old friend — perhaps not up-to-date with the latest tech, but always reliable and ready to put in a hard day’s work.
The world has moved on, valuing different things now — primarily anything cloud-related. Interestingly, I think there might even be a cloud version of the IBM i operating system now. Perhaps the AS/400 was ahead of its time, and it certainly overachieved.
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About Adam Morton
Adam Morton is an experienced data leader and author in the field of data and analytics with a passion for delivering tangible business value. Over the past two decades Adam has accumulated a wealth of valuable, real-world experiences designing and implementing enterprise-wide data strategies, advanced data and analytics solutions as well as building high-performing data teams across the UK, Europe, and Australia.
Adam’s continued commitment to the data and analytics community has seen him formally recognised as an international leader in his field when he was awarded a Global Talent Visa by the Australian Government in 2019.
Today, Adam is dedicated to helping his clients to overcome challenges with data while extracting the most value from their data and analytics implementations. You can find out more information by visiting his website here.
He has also developed a signature training program that includes an intensive online curriculum, weekly live consulting Q&A calls with Adam, and an exclusive mastermind of supportive data and analytics professionals helping you to become an expert in Snowflake. If you’re interested in finding out more, check out the latest Mastering Snowflake details.
