Question 1

When is Delphi modernization appropriate instead of a complete redevelopment?

Accepted Answer

When domain logic, processes and the data model are valuable, a controlled refactor is often more cost-effective than starting from scratch with loss of functionality and high rollout risk.

Question 2

Can the same domain logic run for Windows, macOS and Linux?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Especially in Delphi projects we design shared business logic and separate the presentation layer, services and data access so multiple platforms can be cleanly supported.

Question 3

Does Net-Base also build REST servers and background services?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Windows- and Linux-services, REST-APIs, integration layers and deployment are part of the architecture for us and are not bolted on afterwards.

Question 4

How does a typical project start?

Accepted Answer

Usually with a structured assessment: objectives, existing systems, database, platforms, interfaces and operational risks. From this a realistic, customizable starting point is derived.

Question 5

Do you also take over existing Delphi systems?

Accepted Answer

Yes. We regularly step into mature Delphi applications, analyze the existing codebase, data access, architecture and edge cases, and continue development on that basis in a controlled manner.

Question 6

Can REST-servers, portals and desktop clients be derived from a single project?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Especially for enterprise applications, we deliberately plan these components together so the same business logic does not end up fragmented across multiple custom solutions.

Question 7

Is a BDE replacement possible without a complete system swap?

Accepted Answer

In many cases, yes. We incrementally decouple data access, SQL and deployment from the legacy structure and build a native, maintainable interface.

Question 8

Do you also support operations and ongoing development?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Release processes, hosting, fault analysis, database maintenance and subsequent extensions are part of our scope of work.

Question 9

When is Delphi preferable to a completely new platform?

Accepted Answer

Whenever established domain logic, high-performance desktop processes and multi-platform objectives are to be economically sustained, rather than recklessly replacing core assets.

Question 10

When do you use C# in addition?

Accepted Answer

Primarily for portals, web backends, REST-Services, integrations and service-oriented architectural components that can be tightly integrated with existing desktop systems.

Question 11

How important is Layer-3 in practice?

Accepted Answer

Exactly. Only a clean separation of UI, business logic and data access makes modernization, testing, services and future platform migrations manageable.

Question 12

Do you consider new platforms such as Windows 11 ARM64 at an early stage?

Accepted Answer

Yes. New target hardware and deployment paths are evaluated early to prevent them from turning into costly one‑off projects later.

Question 13

Do you work primarily on one-off stand-alone tools or on longer-lived systems?

Accepted Answer

The focus is on operational systems with ongoing responsibility and continued development: enterprise applications, platforms, services, portals and product logic.

Question 14

Can existing products or internal systems be modernized in parallel?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Especially for long-standing systems we often plan a stepwise evolution so that operations and modernization align.

Question 15

Are hosting and technical operations part of your work?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Release, hosting, monitoring and operational responsibility are integrated into our project planning so that the completed solution is not only developed but is also viable in operation.

Question 16

Is custom enterprise software only practical for very large companies?

Accepted Answer

No. It is worthwhile whenever standard software represents processes only through workarounds, media breaks, or costly special rules, and the actual value lies in clean domain logic.

Question 17

Why do you emphasize Layer-3 so strongly in enterprise applications?

Accepted Answer

Only the separation of UI, business logic and data access ensures that reporting, new clients, services and future extensions remain economically controllable.

Question 18

Can you also integrate into existing, evolved operational processes?

Accepted Answer

Yes. It is precisely then that our work becomes strong, because we first make domain processes, existing data and legacy logic readable and develop a viable target architecture from them.

Question 19

Can Delphi be used, in addition to Windows, to also cover macOS, Linux, iOS and Android?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Depending on the project objective, we plan desktop targets, mobile interfaces and server-side components from a single, consistent functional line, rather than reimplementing the domain logic for each platform.

Question 20

How do you prevent functional divergence in multiplatform projects?

Accepted Answer

Through a shared code and architecture strategy: domain rules, the data model and processes remain central, while platform-specific differences are deliberately encapsulated.

Question 21

Can mobile expansion phases be implemented later?

Accepted Answer

Yes. If architecture, services and interfaces are properly prepared, iOS or Android targets can be connected later in a much more controlled way.

Question 22

Do you develop both REST servers and Windows and Linux services?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Background services, APIs, imports, exports, portals, and technical operational logic are part of our recurring scope of work.

Question 23

When does an enterprise application require an additional portal?

Accepted Answer

Whenever customers, partners, or internal roles should have controlled access to the same processes without duplicating business rules across separate interfaces.

Question 24

How are permissions, logging and processes kept consistent between client and server?

Accepted Answer

By not hiding domain rules in individual endpoints or UIs, but by creating a clear domain core that the Client, Portal and Service can use together.

Question 25

Can existing interfaces and data flows be modernized without a Big Bang?

Accepted Answer

Yes. In many projects we reorganize mapping, database paths, jobs and integrations incrementally so that production processes can continue to run.

Question 26

Do you also handle integrations with financial accounting and third-party systems?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Specifically Fibu, APIs, CRM, inventory, licensing logic, and industry-specific third‑party systems must be integrated with clear documentation, observability, and functional controllability.

Question 27

Do you include platform goals such as Windows 11 ARM64 in such integration projects from the outset?

Accepted Answer

Yes. New target platforms, native dependencies, and future deployment paths belong early in the same planning as interfaces and data flow logic.

Question 28

Why do you still deliberately rely on Delphi today?

Accepted Answer

Because Delphi offers, in many enterprise applications, a strong combination of mature business logic, high-performance desktop processes, tight database integration and controlled further development.

Question 29

Is Delphi only relevant for legacy modernization?

Accepted Answer

No. Delphi is also appropriate for new enterprise applications when productive desktop workflows, reports, local integration and a shared functional foundation across multiple platforms are important.

Question 30

What are the limitations of Delphi?

Accepted Answer

Especially where a project is primarily portal-, service- or cloud-centric. Then we deliberately combine Delphi with C#, REST servers or web components instead of forcing everything into a single tool.

Question 31

When is C# the better choice compared to Delphi?

Accepted Answer

Especially when a project primarily consists of REST-APIs, portals, backend services, integrations, or cloud-adjacent operating models.

Question 32

Do you use C# in conjunction with existing Delphi systems?

Accepted Answer

Yes. This exact combination is often appropriate: Delphi hosts productive domain logic in the client, while C# cleanly complements services, portals and API layers.

Question 33

What are the typical risks in C# projects?

Accepted Answer

Often projects adopt modern technology too quickly, without cleanly separating roles, domain logic, logging, deployment and real operational concerns early enough. That’s precisely the gap we address.

Question 34

Why is Layer-3 so important in enterprise applications?

Accepted Answer

Only a clean separation of UI, business logic and data access ensures that extensions, tests, services and new platforms are not blocked by the monolith.

Question 35

Is Layer-3 only suitable for large projects?

Accepted Answer

No. Especially mid-sized systems benefit significantly from this, because subsequent requirements can be integrated in a much more controlled way.

Question 36

What is the most common error with Layer-3?

Accepted Answer

That layers are only formally depicted, while the actual rules remain hidden in the UI code or directly in SQL special paths. Then the architecture exists only on slides, not in the system.

Question 37

When is an external Delphi developer appropriate?

Accepted Answer

Especially when institutional knowledge is lacking, modernization has stalled, or an application needs to be functionally further developed without losing its substance.

Question 38

Can you also take on established Delphi applications?

Accepted Answer

Yes. This is precisely a focus: we analyze legacy code, the database, deployment, edge cases and domain workflows, and build on them in a controlled manner.

Question 39

Is it limited to programming, or does it also cover technical direction?

Accepted Answer

It is explicitly also about direction. Good Delphi development for us includes architecture, data access, integrations, REST services and real‑world operations.

Question 40

What does good Delphi maintenance include?

Accepted Answer

Error analysis, ongoing development, database maintenance, release support, technical documentation, and an architecture that doesn't necessarily increase the cost of new requirements.

Question 41

Can support begin without a complete overhaul?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Often it starts with stabilization, surfacing risks, and a prioritized list of technical and functional improvements.

Question 42

How do you reduce reliance on individual knowledge?

Accepted Answer

By documenting data paths, components, build steps and critical domain logic in a structured way, and turning implicit knowledge back into traceable system logic.

Question 43

Does an old Delphi application need to be completely replaced?

Accepted Answer

No. Often a controlled restructuring makes more sense: replace the data access layer, decouple the logic, extend services, and selectively modernize the user interfaces.

Question 44

How do you avoid operational disruption during modernization?

Accepted Answer

Through clear intermediate stages, clean interfaces, and a migration path that allows old and new components to coexist in a controlled manner.

Question 45

Can existing domain logic later be migrated into services or portals?

Accepted Answer

Yes. That's precisely why we extract business logic from UI-adjacent legacy code and move it into a structure that Clients, Services and APIs can use together.

Question 46

Is switching to FireDAC or to native drivers possible without a complete overhaul?

Accepted Answer

Yes, often in stages. It is important to carefully validate SQL, data types, transactions and edge cases, rather than simply replacing components 1:1.

Question 47

Why does replacing the BDE almost always also affect the database schema?

Accepted Answer

Because this frequently reveals old tables, indexes, character sets and legacy SQL paths that should be cleaned up as part of maintaining stability and performance.

Question 48

What concrete benefits do you gain from native database connectivity?

Accepted Answer

Easier deployment, improved maintainability, controllable connections, and a substantially stronger foundation for services, APIs and future extensions.

Question 49

When is PostgreSQL a good choice for Delphi?

Accepted Answer

Whenever stability, multi-user operation, clear SQL paths, an open infrastructure, and clean extensibility for desktop, services, or portals are important.

Question 50

Is FireDAC always the right approach?

Accepted Answer

FireDAC is often a very good approach, but not as a blind replacement. Decisive factors are SQL behavior, data types, transactions, error paths, and the concrete dataset.

Question 51

Can BDE-, Paradox- or legacy SQL systems be migrated to PostgreSQL incrementally?

Accepted Answer

Yes. In many cases, a controlled stepwise approach is more cost-effective than a hard cut, provided the data model and domain logic are properly accounted for.

Question 52

Can you build production-grade REST APIs with Delphi?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Especially when the same domain logic already exists in the Delphi installed base, a cleanly separated REST server is often more cost-effective than an entirely new parallel environment.

Question 53

When does it make sense to use a REST server instead of direct database access?

Accepted Answer

As soon as multiple clients, portals, services or integrations need to use the same rules in a controlled manner and direct SQL access becomes too risky from a technical standpoint.

Question 54

How do you keep Delphi-Client and REST consistent?

Accepted Answer

Through an architecture in which business rules are not embedded in forms but are shared across the client, the API and background processes.

Question 55

When does an enterprise application require additional Windows or Linux services?

Accepted Answer

Whenever imports, exports, scheduling, synchronization, licensing logic or integrations should not be tied to a logged-in desktop.

Question 56

Can services and REST originate from the same architecture?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Exactly — this is often advisable, because it prevents business logic, the data model and logging from being split across multiple technical islands.

Question 57

What is particularly important for production services?

Accepted Answer

Clear error handling, observable states, RESTart safety, logging, deployment and domain-consistent processing instead of silent background magic.

Question 58

Can the same application really run on Windows, macOS and Linux?

Accepted Answer

Yes, if the user interface, business logic, platform specifics and release processes are not mixed but are cleanly structured.

Question 59

What is the most common mistake in multiplatform projects?

Accepted Answer

Too late to consider file system, printing, signing, target platforms, packaging and UI differences. Multiplatform then quickly becomes expensive and inconsistent.

Question 60

Can services and APIs use the same domain logic?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Good architecture prevents each platform from developing its own bespoke business logic.

Question 61

When does an enterprise application additionally require a REST server?

Accepted Answer

Whenever multiple clients, portals, mobile access, external integrations, or decoupled processes need to use the same domain logic in a controlled way.

Question 62

Do you also support Windows and Linux services?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Background processes, scheduling, synchronization, exports, licensing services and supporting technical processes are among our typical responsibilities.

Question 63

How is domain consistency maintained between the client, REST and the service?

Accepted Answer

Through an architecture in which business rules are not hidden in individual user interfaces, but remain shared and traceable.

Question 64

Why should Windows 11 ARM64 already be taken into account today?

Accepted Answer

Because new hardware classes and mobile workplaces increasingly rely on it, and because technical rework later is substantially more expensive than an early architectural decision.

FAQ

Project start, architecture & collaboration

Overview of services

Technology and architecture overview

Project examples and reference patterns

Custom enterprise software & Layer-3

Cross-platform with Delphi

Services, REST-servers & portals

Interfaces, data flows & platform objectives

Delphi for enterprise applications

C# for services & portals

Layer-3 architecture

Delphi developers from Freiburg

Delphi-Maintenance & Support

Delphi-Modernization

BDE-Replacement

Delphi, PostgreSQL & FireDAC

Delphi REST-API & REST-Server

Windows- & Linux-Services

Delphi Multiplatform

REST-Server & Services

Windows 11 ARM64