Database Modernization

Information is a source of learning. But unless it is organized, processed, and available to the right people in a format for decision making, it is a burden, not a benefit.”
……….….Wiliam Pollard.

Over the past 50 years Database Management Systems (DBMS) have become an important and necessary component of computer applications. In the 70's Edgar F. Codd, a pioneer of the relational model for databases, published his paper on Relational Database Systems. With the publication of Codd's paper and its widespread acceptance, database management system technology became widely utilized with major improvements in capabilities, characteristics and performance.

The data stored in production databases is the heart of most corporate applications. Database systems together with their applications must ensure the timeliness and security of information that is crucial to the functioning of the organization. For this reason databases are a critical part of any IT organization.

Today, the Relational Database Management System (RDBMS) has become the de-facto standard. Oracle, IBM DB2 and Microsoft SQL Server are all implementations of this technology. However applications using legacy databases that predate Codd's paper, such as Adabas, IMS, as well as file systems such as VSAM, still exist and continue to provide important functionality to the organizations they serve.

Relational databases have been an essential element in transforming data into information that supports effective decision making – the mainstay of any successful organization.

Applications using legacy databases require ongoing maintenance and knowledge. Keeping these databases up-to-date with technology developments is a very challenging and costly exercise. An organization’s ability to leverage corporate data and improve data availability is significantly improved when using the relational database paradigm. Therefore, many companies are modernizing their applications by migrating to Relational Databases.

MOST uses automatic tools to migrate from legacy databases and file systems such as Adabas, IMS and VSAM to an RDBMS environment.

Typically, a database migration project includes the following stages:

• Analysis of the existing DBMS
• Target database design
• Mapping the legacy database to the new database
• Creating programs to migrate the data
• Auditing the data migration process
• Building test cases to verify successful data transfer

MOST's automatic tools and methodologies handle all phases of a database migration project.