Master's Thesis Proposal AI-Assisted Extraction and Validation of Business Logic from Legacy Systems

Master Thesis, 30 hp: Proposal AI-Assisted Extraction and Validation of Business Logic from Legacy Systems

Are you a student eager to apply your theoretical knowledge and fresh perspectives to real-world challenges? At Saab, we believe that innovation thrives on new ideas, and your master thesis project could be the spark that ignites our next technological breakthrough.

Your role

We recognize the immense value that students bring to our company. Your academic rigor, combined with your enthusiasm for cutting-edge technology, allows you to approach problems with a unique and insightful lens. At Saab, you'll have the opportunity to collaborate with experienced engineers and specialists, gaining invaluable practical experience while making a tangible contribution to our growth and development.

Background
Many organizations depend on legacy software systems that have evolved over decades. Critical business rules are often embedded directly in source code, with limited or outdated documentation. As these systems are modernized, one of the greatest challenges is ensuring that essential business behavior is preserved while migrating to new architectures and technologies. Research has shown that preserving business logic is often more important than simply translating code to a new programming language.

Recent advances in Large Language Models (LLMs) have demonstrated promising capabilities in code understanding and business rule extraction. However, a significant research gap remains: while AI can generate descriptions of what legacy code does, there is limited understanding of how accurately extracted business rules reflect the actual behavior of the running system and how such rules can be systematically validated.

Description of the Thesis Project

This thesis will investigate methods for automatically extracting business logic from legacy software systems and validating the extracted rules against observed system behavior. The goal is to develop techniques that can produce trustworthy, reviewable specifications that serve as input for system modernization and refactoring efforts.

Possible Research Questions

• How accurately can modern LLMs identify business rules in legacy code?
• Which types of business logic are most difficult for AI to extract?
• How can extracted rules be represented as decision tables, specifications, or knowledge graphs?
• How can generated rules be validated through automated test generation and behavioral analysis?
• To what extent can AI reduce the effort required during legacy modernization projects?

Expected Work

• Literature review on business rule extraction and software modernization.
• Development of an AI-assisted extraction pipeline.
• Extraction of business rules from a legacy or open-source system.
• Generation of executable specifications and test cases.
• Evaluation of correctness, completeness, and maintainability of extracted logic.

Your profile

The project is suitable for 1 student with an interest in the intersection of Software Engineering, Artificial Intelligence and Legacy System Modernization.

You are in the final stage of Software Engineering, Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning, Program analysis or equivalent and are about to begin a 30 hp thesis project.

We provide the support and guidance you need to translate your theoretical knowledge into practical solutions. Join us and become a driving force behind Saab's technological advancements!

This position requires that you pass a security vetting based on the current regulations around/of security protection. For positions requiring security clearance additional obligations on citizenship may apply.

Kindly observe that this is an ongoing recruitment process and that the position might be filled before the closing date of the advertisement.

Contact information

Bärbel Holm, Manager

barbel.holm@saabgroup.com

What you will be a part of

Explore a wealth of possibilities. Take on challenges, create smart inventions, and grow beyond. This is a place for curious minds, brave pioneers, and everyone in between. Together, we achieve the extraordinary, each bringing our unique perspectives. Your part matters.

Saab is a leading defense and security company with an enduring purpose, to help nations keep their people and society safe. Empowered by its 28,000 talented people, Saab constantly pushes the boundaries of technology to create a safer and more sustainable world.

Saab designs, manufactures and maintains advanced systems in aeronautics, weapons, command and control, sensors and underwater systems. Saab is headquartered in Sweden. It has major operations all over the world and is part of the domestic defense capability of several nations. Read more about us here.