2018-06 Code Review

Overview

Date

2018-07

Status

FIXED

Release

v1.2.0

TestType

manual

TestTopic

Code Review

Context

Modular Migration

Tester

Developers Committee

Standard

https://sonarcloud.io/organizations/openimis/projects

Background

openIMIS needed to evolve from MS IMIS to a generic standard product that can be fully customized and scaled to the needs of a growing number of implementing organisations. We had to realize a quick analysis of the source code considering its performance and persistence in terms of developments foreseen in the technical roadmap. The idea is to maintain the MS Visual Basic core while at the same time starting changes towards modularity and to explore options for a successively adding new / replacing old modules on the basis of open source technologies.

Result Summary

The results of the code review allowed to plan the following migration of the software package into the new modular architecture and to identify the most pressing vulnerabilities and pain points for quick fixes.

Methodology

The analysis was done by the members of the Developers Committee during the months of June and July in 2018 at a very high level with short examples from real code on the basis of the current master version in the github repository.

The review covers all aspects from the suggestions for a way forward from the technical roadmap, and is divided between evaluation of cross-cutting aspects and an evaluation per functional area.

The following elements were identified as out of scope for the current review

  • Link individual code files to functional areas

  • Interdependencies between modules

  • C# API 

Detailed Results

The links in the lists below point to a document that is in a protected space and will only work for members of the review committee. You will not be able to access it. Kindly use the pdf copy of the report instead, which is attached to this page:

Cross Cutting Aspects

Scoring:

  1. Implemented

  2. Partially implemented

  3. Not implemented

Functional Areas / Modules

Scoring:

  1. Nothing to be done

  2. Impact only on one application (e.g. user registration of web app)

  3. Impact on multiple application(s) of the system (e.g. claim management on web app and web service)

  4. Complete module needs to be redesigned

Functional Area

Bus. Proc.

Data Elem.

Loc.

Mod.

Master Data 

4

4

3

3

Insurance Product

3

4

3

3

Insurees 

4

4

3

3

Registration 

4

4

3

3

Claiming

4

4

3

3

Feedback

4

4

3

2

Analytics 

4

4

3

2

Pain points

The following pain points have been collected during the code review.

Pain point

Possible mitigation

Versioned code does not reflect all local changes

Ensure that every country runs on a checked in version, even if those are different branches

Different country implementations maintained in branches means that code is diverging

Ensure that a basic customization mechanism is pushed to the master version (via configuration) and that country implementations are submitting pull-requests to master

Implementation is bound to Microsoft SQL (See 2.4 Platform Independence)

Non-core modules: Ensure that most accesses to data layer are done via API calls rather than database.

Core modules: Evaluate cost of porting data access layer to a database-independent

Stored procedures: Redevelop stored procedures as a service with an API.

Code is developed using outdated technology

Incrementally replace non-core modules with new technologies, while development teams are gaining experience with those technologies

Deployment of a new OpenIMIS server instance is complex

Develop a windows-based Docker containerized version of OpenIMIS

Key workflows are not customizable

The application should provide clear extension points so that workflows (for ex. Claimes or registration) can be customized. This customization could happen in Code or via an interface (more complexity)

Security relevant issues (see issues in 2.1.1 Authentication, 2.1.2 Authorisation and 2.1.3 Data Transfer Encryption)

Fixes needed

Audit logs are couple with business logic (see 2.1.4 Audit Logs)

Decouple audit logs from business logic.

Data registered on mobile devices is not encrypted

Ensure that personal data in database on device is encrypted.

Data privacy issues - see 2.1.5 Data Protection (according to GDPR)

Extensive data audit needed to suggest feasible solutions for encryption of personal data.

Special calendar systems are not customizable

Support custom calendars throughout the application (Nepal support is only in front-end)

Right-to-left not supported in the applications (web app and mobile apps)

Add support for right-to-left interface in both web app and mobile app.

Code repository issues (partially resolved), see 2.5.1 Code Availability

Develop code repository guidelines (no build artefacts in repo, ensure separate modules are in separate repositories)

No automated tests or continuous integration can impact software quality and development speed.

Develop tests for new modules, set up continuous integration service.

Documentation is incomplete

Add documentation for mobile application

Manual packaging process

Packaging process should be automatic (connected to continuous integration above) and should not require manual intervention

Product names can only be in one language

Allow for product name and description in multiple languages

Remediation

The most pressing security issues were further analysed in a follow up code review: 2018-11 Code Review .

The identified issues were the basis for the Modular Transformation of openIMIS the following year.

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