14 March 2017 Bill Ramos
A financial service software provider needed to upgrade their customer facing applications to SQL Server while keeping their Sybase ASE database. Our Sybase SQL Server Application Unif...
Our approach to database unification
Many Independent Software Vendors (ISVs) have come to realize that customers prefer the convenience of Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) solutions. These solutions would allow the customer’s DBAs to spend more time adding value to their business rather than supporting ISV applications. Simply fork-lifting Oracle Database to run on virtual machines in the cloud requires extensive provisioning to meet scalability, high availability, and secure solutions. To help ISVs make the jump to managed database platforms like Amazon Aurora for PostgreSQL, Azure SQL Database, and Google Cloud SQL for PostgreSQL, we have developed a proven process called Database Unification.
The key benefits of Database Unification include:
- Lowering operating costs by moving to SaaS model in the cloud using a less expensive database platform at its core.
- Stay relevant as your competitors run on open-source MySQL or PostgreSQL don’t have to pay on-premises licenses for Oracle and other traditional databases.
- Meet stringent governance and security regulations using the cloud along with the latest innovations for databases like row-level security, data encryption, and high-availability.
- Build using a platform designed for the future which can leverage the latest technologies for deep learning, big data analytics, and more.
Database Unification extends our 12-step migration process by re-architecting your application in the following ways:
We modify our approach to modify the application code to work against either database. Here are the high-level tasks we use for code unification.
- Creating database agnostic application code by moving away from database platform specific code and using ANSI SQL.
- Developing an abstraction layer at the database which interfaces with SQL syntax compatible with the top of database vendors and open-source databases.
- Delivering a single source code branch of the application and database objects compatible with Continuous Integration (CI) and Continuous Deployment (CD) solutions.
There is also an alternative approach that requires fewer changes in the application code:
- Refactor the source database code to make it more compatible with migration automation tools, like SSMA or AWS SCT
- Use tools, like SSMA or AWS SCT for automated migration to achieve 100% conversion rate
- Integrate this migration automation step into your CI/CD solutions to achieve a simultaneous build for two database platforms.
Here are the key technologies that we use for database unification projects.
SQL Server Migration Assistant (SSMA)
See how you can get the most out of SSMA from the company who originally created the tool for Microsoft.
AWS Database Migration Service
We are the only AWS partner who can say we've migrated more databases to AWS RDS, Amazon Aurora, and Amazon Redshift than any other partner in the world using AWS Database Migration Service (DMS) and Schema Conversion Tool (SCT).
DB Best Database Compare Suite
Comparing two production databases for migration or an upgrade? Now you can do this with one powerful and simple tool that every DBA and database developer needs.
Using PostgreSQL in cloud alongside with Oracle to enhance the database system performance
One of the leading independent software vendors in the education vertical needed to expand their original Oracle database system. They wanted to add a new PostgreSQL database running on AWS RDS to their original system and upgrade the connected Java application to support both database platforms. We came up with a proof of concept and converted one of the largest customer’s database schemas to PostgreSQL, demonstrating how the upgraded system might work. To do so, we updated the application by adding the unified SQL code and changing its architecture to support 2 database platforms. As a result, the newly created system could meet the customer’s performance requirements.
Customer’s problem
Our customer needed to support both Oracle and PostgreSQL databases in parallel, keeping the upgrade path for both components of this complex system in future. The customer wanted to unify the Java application so that it could interact with both databases. Unification of complex systems including two or more database environments is a rational decision for product evolution.
Modern market demands force customers to upgrade from old database environments, but very often they need to keep the original system running as well.
Benefits
To solve this problem, we built an application compatible with both Oracle and PostgreSQL platforms. We also kept the databases on these two platforms synchronized. In the end, the customer received the following benefits:
- Meeting the latest industry security standards with the new cloud database platform;
- Ability to opt for compatibility either with Oracle or PostgreSQL while building an application;
- Received documentation including best practices for developing unified source code of the Java application to ensure compatibility with both database platforms.
Watch the following video to learn more about the technical approach that we’ve used for code unification.
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Our technology partners
As a Gold Partner with Microsoft, an Advanced Consulting Partner with Amazon, and a partner with the Google Cloud Platform, you can be confident that we have the expertise, processes, and tools needed to help move your application to the cloud as a modern SaaS solution.
Key service offers related to Database Unification
Check out the different migration scenarios that we offer to help you move to the cloud.
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Blog posts
We’ve worked with our customers on database unification for migrating their missing critical applications and databases to a new platform. Please check out our blog posts on how we were able to ensure a smooth upgrade process.
Using Sybase SQL Server application unification to reduce migration risks
Using PostgreSQL in cloud alongside with Oracle to enhance the database system performance
15 June 2017 Andrey Ivanov
One of the leading independent software vendors in educational domain needed to expand their original Oracle database system. They wanted to add a new PostgreSQL database running on AW...
Reference white paper
eBook: Database Migration
9 August 2018 Bill Ramos
DB Best goes well beyond other migration service providers. We take a vested interest in your migration strategy, combining innovation with an accelerated ROI that meets your business ...
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