DataStage Upgrade from v11.5 to v11.7 for Department Store Chain

Organization

XTIVIA’s client is a department store chain with nearly 300 locations in 16 states offering apparel, shoes, accessories, cosmetics, home furnishings, and wedding registries.

Challenge

With the End of Support (EOS) for DataStage v11.5, IBM ceased providing support, updates, and new developments for the platform unless extended support was purchased. DataStage v11.7 introduced significant enhancements over v11.5, including streamlined High Availability implementation. To mitigate risks associated with the EOS for v11.5 and take advantage of the improved features in v11.7, our client planned a migration from DataStage v11.5 on AIX to v11.7 on Red Hat Linux.

The migration scope included:

• 550+ DataStage master sequences involving over 3,000 DataStage jobs.
• 118+ AIX shell scripts to be migrated to Red Hat Linux.

Due to limited internal resources, the client partnered with XTIVIA to plan and execute this comprehensive migration successfully.

Technical Solution

XTIVIA partnered with the client to assess the scope of the migration, including dependencies, and developed a detailed plan to migrate DataStage jobs and AIX shell scripts in two-week sprints. Below is the structured approach adopted by XTIVIA for a successful migration:

1. DataStage Job Migration:

• Exported DataStage jobs from v11.5 PROD and imported them into the v11.7 Dev environment.
• Compiled the jobs in v11.7 Dev and conducted dry runs to ensure error-free execution.
• Successfully dry-run jobs in v11.7 Dev were uploaded to Bitbucket and migrated to the v11.7 QA environment with accompanying unit test documentation.
• Executed jobs in the v11.7 QA environment using production-like data through AutoSys. The same data inputs were used to run v11.5 jobs, and outputs were compared to validate consistency between v11.5 and v11.7.
• Jobs that passed QA testing were migrated to the v11.7 Stage environment, where they were executed with production-like data from AutoSys.
• Successfully tested jobs in the Stage environment were deployed to the v11.7 Production environment.

2. Shell Script Migration:

• Followed a similar process for migrating Shell Scripts from AIX to Red Hat Linux.

3. Environment Preparation:

• Installed Infosphere Information Server v11.7 on the Linux server and configured database connectivity.
• Collaborated with infrastructure teams to meet all prerequisites for running DataStage ETL jobs.
• Created directories and links on the v11.7 Linux server to match the structure of the v11.5 AIX server for seamless execution of ETL jobs and Shell scripts.

4. Testing and Validation:

• Created DataStage v11.7 AutoSys JILs and boxes to simulate v11.5 jobs and capture execution results.
• Logged and resolved issues related to data, connectivity, or infrastructure in coordination with the client’s SMEs, with failed jobs retested post-resolution.
• Delivered comprehensive test results documentation, including evidence of data validation and execution statuses, to the client.

This approach ensured a seamless migration while maintaining data integrity, operational consistency, and timely execution.

BUSINESS RESULT

The client gained the following key benefits from the migration effort:

• Mitigated Risks: Eliminated risks associated with DataStage v11.5 End of Support (EOS).
• Smooth Transition: Achieved a seamless migration from DataStage v11.5 to v11.7.
• Enhanced Capabilities: Leveraged new and improved features available in the upgraded version (v11.7).
• Resource Optimization: Enabled internal teams to focus on strategic development initiatives by reducing reliance on legacy system maintenance

KEYWORDS
DataStage Upgrade, DataStage Jobs Migration, AIX to Linux Migration

SOFTWARE
DataStage v11.7, v11.5, AutoSys, AIX, Red Hat Linux, Bitbucket, DB2, Oracle

HARDWARE/PLATFORM
Linux

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