The Warsaw Stock Exchange (GPW)

OVERVIEW

The Warsaw Stock Exchange (GPW) faced the challenge of modernizing a critical system built in Oracle Forms without disrupting existing processes. We proposed an automated migration to Java, addressing the complexity of achieving a true 1-to-1 mapping between two fundamentally different technologies. 

To validate the approach, we delivered a proof of concept by migrating the first processes within a few days, demonstrating that the transition could be both accurate and operationally safe. This laid the foundation for further modernization of the system.

The main project was executed in phases over 12 months, including 9 months for technical migration. Performance, security, and system stability were treated as baseline requirements throughout the migration. 

The transition from the legacy system to the migrated solution was executed as an instantaneous cutover, with a full fallback ensured throughout the process and without any downtime to the operations. Over the next years, the solution proved to be highly stable and error-free in production. This enabled further evolution by both the original developers and the new, Java-oriented team.

At the beginning of its operations, The Warsaw Stock Exchange (GPW) created some of its key systems using Oracle Forms technology. As GPW evolved, its technology landscape was gradually modernized, with Oracle Forms solutions being systematically replaced over time. Support was requested when the final two systems reached the end of their lifecycle and could no longer be maintained within GPW’s operational standards.

Several constraints converged at this stage. The original technical team was approaching retirement, limiting long-term maintainability. At the same time, newly introduced systems across the organization required modern integration patterns no longer supported by Oracle Forms. 

Users also expected a contemporary UI aligned with newer internal tools. A critical challenge was preserving the responsiveness of the existing desktop-based, keyboard-driven UI. Many users had years of experience operating the system through shortcut-intensive workflows, making parity in interaction speed and behavior essential in the Java-based implementation. Given the system’s business criticality, the transition had to be executed without failure and with strict risk minimization.