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Upgrade to Informatica PowerCenter 8.

5 (U2PC85X) Methodology

Apr 2008

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Table of Contents
1 INTRODUCTION.......................................................................................................................................3 1.1 Purpose..............................................................................................................................................3 1.2 Scope of this document.......................................................................................................................3 1.3 Acronyms............................................................................................................................................3 1. UPGRADE APPROACH..........................................................................................................................4 1.1. Big Bang Approach............................................................................................................................4 1.2. Phased Approach..............................................................................................................................4 1.3. Combination Approach.......................................................................................................................5 2. UPGRADE METHODOLOGY...................................................................................................................6 2.1. Testing Approach...............................................................................................................................7 2.2. Acceptance Criteria............................................................................................................................7 2.3. Upgrade Path.....................................................................................................................................7 2.4. Phases, Activities and Deliverables....................................................................................................8 3. PROJECT GOVERNANCE....................................................................................................................15 3.1. Project Organization.........................................................................................................................15 3.2. Roles and Responsibilities...............................................................................................................15 4. UPGRADE ESTIMATION MODEL.........................................................................................................17 4.1. Estimation considerations for Conceptualization...............................................................................17 4.2. Estimation considerations for Upgrade.............................................................................................17 APPENDIX A - POWERCENTER 8.5 KNOWN ISSUES...........................................................................18 APPENDIX B UPGRADE CHECKLISTS................................................................................................19

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1 Introduction
1.1 Purpose
Sonofon plan to upgrade PowerCenter from version 6.2.1 to version 8.5. The purpose of this document is to detail approach, planning and methodology for upgrading Informatica ETL environment to latest Informatica version (8.5.x). This document will facilitate Upgrade process and quicker stabilization of systems post-upgrade. Estimation guidelines and other documents included with the Process Handbook can be leveraged for scoping and pricing of Upgrade initiatives as an account level.

1.2 Scope of this document


From PowerCenter version 6.1.x and up, Informatica components are packaged in standard and advance edition. Standard edition includes PowerCenter ETL product and Metadata reports. Advance edition consists of PowerCenter, Metadata Manager (Superglue) and Data Analyzer, the dataready reporting product packaged together. The scope of this document is limited only to upgrading PowerCenter 6.x ETL components to PowerCenter 8.5. Since this is a upgrade from 6.x to 8.5 it would be done in steps. Step1: Upgrade from 6.2.1 to 8.1 Step 2: Upgrade from 8.1 to 8.5

1.3 Acronyms
Acronym ETL ETVX SIT UAT SOA Expansion Extract, Transform and Load Entry, Task, Validation, EXit System Integration Testing User Acceptance Testing Service Oriented Architecture

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1. Upgrade Approach
The three approaches that can be used for upgrade are 1. Big Bang Approach 2. Phased Approach 3. Combination Approach

1.1. Big Bang Approach


Using this approach, all the repositories/subject areas will be upgraded simultaneously to PowerCenter 8.5 environment. This approach is best suited for environment in which there is less inter-dependency between the repositories/subject areas. Advantages: It provides fastest upgrade path

Disadvantages: Rigorous testing is required to ensure the success of Upgrade As all repositories are upgraded in one go, any failure would require a rollback of the upgrade to earlier environment A separate Upgrade path needs to be defined to move objects changed in earlier environment during Upgrade Lifecycle

Dependencies: In case of failures and till system stabilization, old environment should be available to rollback to Availability of dedicated team during Upgrade life cycle

1.2. Phased Approach


Using this approach, repositories are migrated one by one depending on their inter-relationships and project priorities. Advantages: Adaptable to any schedule or Subject-Area to be upgraded Verification and validation takes place on a smaller unit More suitable where multiple stake-holders are involved Lessons learnt will be leveraged

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Disadvantages: Takes longer time for complete Upgrade Requires maintaining two separate development paths until the upgrade is complete

Dependencies: Availability of dedicated Upgrade team

1.3. Combination Approach


proposes a combination approach to leverage advantages of both the approaches. As per this approach, all repositories will be upgraded using Big Bang approach to 8.x development environment and phased approach for migrating tested components to Production. proposes three environments on 8.x for testing and remediation - Development -> SIT and UAT -> Production. Prior to Upgrade, Informatica components will be frozen on Production environment, repositories will be backed up and these will be used for Upgrade process. After Upgrade to 8.x Development environment, existing server can be made available for regular activities, thus reducing down-time. Advantages: Minimum down-time Verification and validation on smaller units Lessons learnt will be leveraged

Disadvantages: Requires maintaining two separate development paths until the upgrade is complete

Dependencies: Availability of dedicated Upgrade Team

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2. Upgrade Methodology
Upgrade to PowerCenter 8.5 methodology is a six phased approach that minimizes risk and operational disruption while providing the most feasible solution. These phases are: 1. Assessment 2. Justification and Approval 3. Planning 4. Implementation 5. Deployment 6. Monitoring As per the RFQ phase 1 and 2 are not relevant for Sonofon. But these are included in the TCS approach in full for the sake of completeness. An ETVX (Entry-Tasks-Validation-eXit) model is defined for each phase. This conveys the entry and exit criteria for each phase, the Tasks and Validations performed at each phase, and how the phases are interrelated. Figure below depicts the Upgrade Methodology Pyramid

Upgrade Methodology will focus on the following four major areas: Identifying the business drivers (like cost savings and added functionality), business case justification and impact assessment to determine the readiness of the system and pinpoint the custom objects that will need to be addressed Change Management and Training to increase end-user/operational-user acceptance and utilization of best practices Risk-Mitigated execution approach without disruption of the day-to-day operations

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Stabilization and Optimization of the post-upgrade environment for continuous business improvements and scalability through a planned roadmap approach

Sub-section below details the ETVX for the phases stated above and procedures for Change Management, Risk Mitigation, etc.

2.1.

Testing Approach
PowerCenter 8.x architecture and communication between internal services is different from other PowerCenter versions. Hence for ensuring optimal utilization of PowerCenter environment post upgrade, the following aspects are to be considered during testing: Hardware environment setup PowerCenter options Upgraded Components

Three test cycles will be executed for upgraded environment. 1. Unit Testing: As part of this, each session/mapping will be executed. The purpose of this is to ensure the components are correctly upgraded to the 8.x Development environment. Data validation may or may not be in scope 2. System-Integration Testing: Integration of PowerCenter with external scheduling tools will be verified as part of this testing cycle. Also, tests of new features like High Availability, Security (LDAP, Active directories) will be verified. Any tests on implementation of GRID will be done as part of SIT 3. User Acceptance Testing: One end-to-end cycle will be executed on both 6.x and 8.x environment with same data set. Correctness of target data will be verified for each. Also, end-to-end ETL cycle (load window) will be timed to capture load timings and gauge performance improvements because of Upgrade

2.2.

Acceptance Criteria
1. Data loads should complete in the same time window as with 6.x version. E.g. If data loads were completing in 4 hours on PowerCenter 6.x version, they should take 4 or less number of hours for same data volume 2. Data, as loaded by 6.x routines should match exactly with 8.x routines

2.3.

Upgrade Path
Base Version PowerCenter 6.x Upgrade to Version PowerCenter 8.1.x U2PC8X Handbook Reference

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2.4.

Phases, Activities and Deliverables


Phase 1: Assessment This phase includes various steps to assess existing PowerCenter environment to leverage the same for 8.x environment. The ETVX model for this phase is as follows: Entry The primary contact from clients side is identified Project team of consultants is in place Technical information like supported OS, databases and versions for Informatica PowerCenter 8.x along with Service Packs, if any.

Tasks Future State PowerCenter Architecture Roadmap o o o Create list of Project owners and stakeholders Review and understand current PowerCenter environment in sufficient detail as a first step towards preparation for stakeholder interviews Setup customized questionnaire templates Architecture Current BI System Fact Sheet (HW and SW Architecture) Current Information Architecture (Data, Metadata, Documentation, Data Requirements, Security Requirements) ETL Data SourcesSubject Area Matrix ETL System Fact Sheet (Number of Jobs, schedule, formats, load window, etc.) Level of Automation Survey Project Management Current BI Vision, Roadmap, Alignment with Corporate Objectives and Goals Adopt and execute follow-up and escalation procedures and ensure required information is collected Specify gaps between existing hardware/software environment and hardware/software environment required for PowerCenter 8.x Capacity Planning for new PowerCenter environment Define roadmap for setting the Future State PowerCenter architecture Identify and describe additional PowerCenter 8.x options that can be implemented at client location Prepare Installation and Configuration manual for Informatica PowerCenter 8.x (base as well as the service pack installation) Deciding the domain and node names OS environment variables, db connectivity Grid setup Services setup

o o o o o o

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Review and analyze the impact of upgrade on the existing objects (mappings, sessions, scripts, etc) due to changes in new release. If applying PowerCenter Service Packs check the documentation for the changes if any. Develop project plan for the Upgrade that includes resources and timelines. Project plan should also include estimations for applying the Service Packs. Prepare Upgrade Checklist Define Acceptance criteria for Upgraded environment Benchmark performance of ETL routines on 6.x environment

Validations Exit Project Plan for executing the Upgrade is finalized Reviewed Future State Architecture is available Reviewed Installation and Configuration Manual Reviewed Upgrade Checklist Reviewed Impact Analysis document is available Reviewed Gap Analysis document is available Review of Future State Architecture Review of Installation and Configuration Manual Review of Gap Analysis document Review of Impact Analysis document Review of Upgrade Checklist Review of Project Plan

Deliverables Document Future State Architecture Installation and Configuration Manual Upgrade Checklist Impact Analysis document Project Plan Gap Analysis document Responsibility Technical Consultant Technical Consultant Technical Consultant Technical Consultant Project Leader Technical Consultant

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Phase 2: Justification and approval As part of this phase all administrative and monetary approvals will be sought for. ETVX model for this phase is as follows: Entry Tasks Presentation of Assessment report (if required) Documentation of License and costing details Assessment phase is complete

Validation Exit Sign-off for all deliverables of Assessment Phase Review of Impact Analysis and Gap Analysis documents

Deliverables Document Signed documents Licenses Responsibility Project Owner Project Leader from client-side,

Project Owner from client-side

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Phase 3: Plan In this phase, all activities and checks prior to upgrade will be performed. ETVX model for this phase is as follows: Entry Tasks Certification of hardware/software environment Freeze all folders, subject areas and repositories in existing Informatica environment which are to be upgraded Backup existing Informatica PowerCenter/PowerMart repositories which are to be upgraded Create database user account for domain config Create domain by installing on a gateway node Check remote connectivity by logging on to web-based Administration Console Install and configure subsequent nodes (valid only where multiple physical machines are available for Informatica PowerCenter) and application services Install and configure Informatica 8.5 client components. Document any issues with resolutions encountered by the team during Informatica PowerCenter 8.x installation and configuration Create test plans and test cases for UAT Review of Installation and configuration manual (issues with resolutions included in the same) Review of UAT test plans and test cases Informatica 8.x Domain and nodes are up and running Reviewed Installation and Configuration manual Reviewed UAT test plans and test cases Management has approved the project All required hardware/software and licenses are available Future State Architecture details Installation and Configuration Manual

Validations Exit

Deliverables Document Installation and Configuration manual UAT Test Plans Responsibility Technical Consultant Technical Consultant

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Phase 4: Implement At the end of this phase validated and tested Informatica components will be available in Test environment. The ETVX model for this phase is as follows: Entry Tasks Prepare Unit Test, System Integration Test plans For version 6.x Restore repository backup/s into new schema using 6.x Repository Server Admin Console client tool Copy the configuration files to the node on which services will run post upgrade Validate Repository Server and Informatica server configuration files using 8.x Administration Console web-based tool Plan phase is complete and all deliverables of the phase are available

For version 8.x The repositories automatically reflect under the Upgrade tab of the Administration Console.

Upgrade contents of global Informatica repository using Administration Console and then upgrade other local repositories Check Logs for any upgrade errors Make necessary changes to invalid Informatica components and perform unit testing Create empty repository in SIT and UAT environment Move unit tested Informatica components from development to SIT environment Perform SIT as per plan For any errors found in SIT, make necessary fix in development repository and move the components to Test environment Modify Upgrade checklist for any error encountered during Upgrade but not available in the checklist Install and configure Metadata Reporter (optional) Review Unit & System Test plans Review and test Informatica components in Development and Test environments Review of Upgrade Checklist System tested application is ready for deployment Reviewed Test Plans and test results for UT and SIT

Validations Exit

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Deliverables Document Reviewed Unit, System Integration Test Plans and test cases Reviewed Upgrade Checklist System tested application Site Rollout plan User Documentation Phase 5: Deploy This phase includes the various steps for deploying Upgraded application. The ETVX for this phase is as follows: Entry Tasks Setup the UAT environment Perform UAT for the upgraded application Conduct End User Training program Log user feedback, complaints and fix the issues Setup Production environment Deploy application Validate UAT results against UAT plan Validate performance in production environment (benchmark for this is earlier Informatica Performance statistics) Review and validate upgraded application in Production environment Validate ETL routines performance against benchmark UAT is complete Upgraded application is rolled out in Production environment Implement phase is complete and the deliverables are available Responsibility Technical Consultant Technical Consultant Project Leader Project Leader Project Leader

Validation Exit

Deliverables Document Implemented Application Responsibility Project Leader

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Phase 6: Monitor This phase includes a stabilization period. Also, any handover-takeover required from team to Support team would happen as part of this phase. Trainings, installation and configuration of Metadata Reporter can also be included in this phase. The ETVX model for this phase is as follows: Entry Tasks Documentation of Standards, Lessons Learnt and overall upgrade process Installation and configuration of Informatica Metadata Reporter Operational Training to Admin team Support deployed Informatica solution Deploy phase is complete

Validation Exit Stable Informatica solution in upgraded environment Deliverables accepted by Client Production support handed over to client team Review Handover-Takeover and Upgrade process documents Sign-off for all deliverables

Deliverables Document Reviewed Upgrade Process document including Standards and Lessons Learnt Signed off documents Handover-takeover Responsibility Technical Consultant Project Leader, Support team Leader Client

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3. Project Governance
3.1. Project Organization
The project can be set up in Onsite-Offshore using one of the following. These approaches are defined to bring cost savings, effective quality control and business continuity. 1. Complete Onsite Complete project team works at client location for the project life cycle. This approach is preferred when the size of the application to be upgraded is small or team performing upgrade doesnt have much insight into Client application. 2. Complete Offshore Complete project team works from the development centers. This approach is practical if has got an established relationship with the client so that the existing infrastructure can be leveraged. 3. Onsite-Offshore The project team is divided between onsite and offsite. On average 20% of the team works at client location and the remaining 80% of the team works from the TCS development centers. This approach being the hybrid of the earlier two approaches, works for all types of projects. Phases 1 and 2 would be carried out entirely at Onsite. Phases 3, 4 would be carried out completely by Offshore team. Phases 5 and 6 would be carried out by both onsite and offshore teams.

3.2.

Roles and Responsibilities


The Upgrade project team roles are Client Project Manager, Project Leader, Technical Consultant and TCS Developers. The responsibilities of these roles are highlighted in the table below: Roles Client Project Manager Responsibilities Reports to the project sponsor and provides direct inputs to the project leader Addressing out of scope issues not resolved with the immediate project management Managing external risks to the project Monitoring project progress Managing escalated issues from project teams Measuring project success against budget, original scope, business objectives Planning activities for a specific process area or application product set Monitoring and reporting the progress of project teams to the client management Interacts with the client Project Manager and Project Coordinator Developing high level project plan and detailed work plan & schedules Planning activities for a specific process area or application product set

Project Leader

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Technical Consultant Developers Assigning tasks to project personnel Monitoring staff and project progress Addressing out of scope issues and resolve with the client Project Manager Managing risks (internal and external) and escalated issues from project teams and the client Project Manager Measuring project success against budget, original scope, business objectives Reports to the Project Leader Analyze the current technical environment and identify the components requiring upgrade Prepare the Impact Analysis Report Prepare the HLD for the impacted components Supporting the (onsite/offshore) development team on the design of impacted components Facilitate technical correspondence between offshore development team and client development team Completing tasks and deliverables assigned by the PL Keeping the PL informed of progress and issues in a timely manner Understand the upgrade impact on the components vis--vis the business requirements Work with technical consultant to understand the changes to be made in Upgraded components Modify the upgraded component code Unit test of the modified components Application test of the modified components Completing tasks and deliverables assigned by the project leader Keeping the project leader informed of progress and issues in a timely manner Time session performance

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4. Upgrade Estimation Model


From estimations perspective, the Upgrade initiative can be taken as two different projects: 1. Conceptualization or Assessment/Justification phases 2. Actual Upgrade process from Build to Monitor phases

4.1.

Estimation considerations for Conceptualization


If conceptualization of future state architecture and certification of hardware/software environment is in scope, Assessment and Justification together would span for 3-4 weeks depending on complexity of the ETL environment. If licenses are already available for PowerCenter 8.x and deployment architecture defined, 2 weeks should be sufficient for other activities to be performed. This is dependent on complexity of ETL environment and judiciously time should be estimated for the same. As such, Assessment/Justification can be a fixed bid engagement.

4.2.

Estimation considerations for Upgrade


Following are the considerations for estimating duration for actual upgrade and stabilization

Setup of software environment Physical Upgrade of PowerCenter components - Configuration files, repositories, etc Remediation and correction Testing - Unit, System/Integration, User Acceptance Post Upgrade Support - Cooling phase End user and operational User training - This is optional Transition of upgraded environment Project Governance effort - This includes Project monitoring and planning effort

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Appendix A - PowerCenter 8.5 Known Issues


Source: Informatica Inc https://my-prod.informatica.com Release notes for latest PowerCenter version can be found under Documentation Center

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Appendix B Upgrade Checklists


Sr. No. 1 Name Informatica Upgrade to v8.5.x (Source: Informatica Inc) 2 Informatica Upgrade Checklist Description Upgrade manual detailing hardware/software components, required patches, etc Pre-Upgrade, Upgrade and PostUpgrade checklist to ensure all activities are tracked

Informatica Upgrade changes

Details all the transformation and functions changes which will happen during Upgrade process Provides sample estimations for a medium sized project

Sample Estimation Sheet

Upgrade Utility in PowerCenter 8.5

Comparison tool is used for comparing 6.x with the upgraded 8.x version. Lessons learnt while upgrading to PowerCenter 8.5

Upgrade to 8.5 Lessons learnt

PowerCenter 8.5 Upgrade FAQs

List of frequently asked questions Source: Informatica Inc

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