Abstract
The Catholic University of America has recently completed converting 10- to 20-year-old legacy systems from a mainframe to a distributed/client-server environment using a common, integrated database. The solutions utilize a mix of institutionally developed software and purchased packages, including an ad hoc reporter/distributor. The paper describes what went right and what went wrong during the re-engineering process, including:* establishing that the re-engineering is an institutional issue and not a technical problem* building vs. buying issues* choosing the right tools* securing critical data resources* the necessity of user involvement* the need for standardization* issues of staff training and turnover* the applicability of Murphy's LawsThe objectives of the paper are to share CUA's re-engineering experience with other schools that are facing major system conversions to integrated systems, a common database and/or a distributed/client-server environment.