Portima, a key IT service provider in the Belgian insurance sector, historically relied on an Edifact-based SQL gateway to exchange structured data between brokers and insurance companies.
While reliable, the legacy system was:
- Hard to scale, with tight coupling to on-prem SQL procedures
- Difficult to integrate, especially with modern web or mobile applications
- Opaque, limiting monitoring, testing, and maintenance
- Outdated, as the industry moves toward API-first, JSON-native ecosystems
🛠Our Mission
Hacktak was brought in to lead a refactoring initiative that would:
- Decouple the Edifact processing logic from SQL routines
- Build a modern, stateless JSON API layer
- Enable event-driven processing and cloud-readiness
- Improve observability, performance, and interoperability
Our Approach
1. Reverse Engineering & Functional Mapping
We started by analyzing existing SQL stored procedures and message patterns to identify business logic hidden in the database layer.
2. Modular API Design
We created a clean, documented RESTful API spec using OpenAPI/Swagger, aligned with JSON Schema and insurance sector standards.
3. Microservice Refactor
Legacy logic was refactored into modular microservices, built with Node.js and exposed via a secure API gateway (with OAuth2 & throttling).
4. Edifact-JSON Translation Layer
We built a robust translator to convert existing Edifact messages to JSON and vice versa, ensuring backward compatibility during the migration phase.
5. Test Automation & Monitoring
Each service was tested via CI pipelines with contract tests, and integrated with centralized logging/monitoring (Elastic Stack) for live visibility.
Results
✔ API-first architecture enabled third-party integration in days, not weeks
✔ 70% reduction in SQL code complexity and improved maintainability
✔ Improved scalability via containerization (Docker + Kubernetes)
✔ Future-ready for cloud migration, event-driven flows, and new digital services
✔ Smooth co-existence with legacy systems ensured zero disruption for partners
Lessons Learned
- Legacy systems often contain valuable business rules — we preserved them while isolating technical debt
- API modernization is not just a tech upgrade, it's an enabler of ecosystem agility
- With the right transition architecture, modern and legacy can cohabitate
Let’s Build the Future of Insurance Infrastructure
If your organization still relies on hardwired SQL logic, fixed formats, or manual broker workflows, Hacktak can help you evolve — safely and scalably.
Expertise in Finance · Data · Security · APIs