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As knowledgeable staff begins to retire, how can I continue to hire and retain the
talent I need to support IMS?
How can I unlock the value of IMS data to help power new business applications
that drive growth, like web-based services?
How can I free up necessary resources, both talent and budget, to deliver the
infrastructure to support new initiatives the business is demanding?
CIOs are struggling to find solid answers to their questions in order to support business
transformation. Many look to the traditional range of available approaches to modernize
IMS legacy systems, but most are prohibitive due to the risk, time and costs involved.
However there is a way to modernize IMS that addresses these challenges and
alleviates your CIOs concerns.
Typical approaches to modernization in the past included four alternatives, each with
its own limitations.
This guide will provide a three-step approach to Transparent Data Migration that
will help you to address your CIOs concerns and unleash the power of IMS data to
catalyze the business.
With your business objectives clearly defined, youre now ready to take the next
step and realize the benefits of Transparent Data Migration, including:
A combination of both
A phased approach that begins with the
simple method first, measured method
later
SOLUTION: The company deployed a two-tier Transparent Data Migration strategy. For the
four core databases they used a more sophisticated DB2 design model to support more
detailed mapping of IMS database fields and enable sophisticated reuse and analysis
by DB2 applications. To accelerate cost savings associated with the 82 databases they
decided to use a simple DB2 design model with columns that correspond just to fields
defined in the IMS DBDs.
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DL/2 STUB
DATA
IN DB2?
NO
YES
IMS
DB2
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original IMS record and is passed back to the application with the appropriate IMS
return code. For IMS calls that update data, the reverse transformation is performed.
There are several advantages to this approach. Because applications remain unchanged
(just relinked to point to a new IMS stub program), application conversion work and
its associated risk are eliminated and application testing is greatly reduced. If the longterm objective is to modify the applications, this can be undertaken on a gradual basis
after the data is migrated. Organizations have the ability to divide both data migration
and application modification activities into smaller, more manageable pieces. And if, for
whatever reason, problems occur during cutover, fallback using a transparency solution
is simply a matter of setting a switch to point to the original databases.
SOLUTION: They migrated the finance application databases first and conducted application
testing to ensure all application functions performed as required with the data now
transferred to DB2. Achieving successful test results, they migrated their production
finance databases to DB2 and deleted the equivalent IMS databases.
The second database group was by far the most complex and significant. The IMS
application had 19 different formats of date and time fields and extensive reengineering
was performed to enable these to be stored in standard DB2 DATE and TIME formats.
The reverse transformation assured that the existing IMS programs continued to process
these fields in their original format. In all, over 1000 numeric fields were transformed.
The final step migrated the third and final group of ancillary databases. A simplified
DB2 design model was deployed for the final database group.
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In situations where IMS/DC is the transaction manager, retiring IMS in total isnt an
appropriate end goal. IMS/DC continues to play a key role in supporting critical online
processing and the performance, transaction volumes and high availability, make it the
best choice to continue to run core components of their operations.
However, if you have converted all of your IMS databases, why would you want to
continue to pay for an IMS/DB and associated IMS/DB tools licenses? Yes, the prospect
of retiring IMS/DB can seem overwhelming and even impossible to many CIOs and IT
staff. Careers have been forged by creating, maintaining and extending these systems.
But today the cost of IMS can be seen as a drain on the business and can hold the answer
for how the CIO can help fund IT initiatives needed to propel the business forward.
IMS/DB license costs are expensive and while they can be justified across a large
number of databases, they become difficult to defend as more data is placed under the
control of DB2. In addition, many IMS shops run third-party IMS management tools
that represent a recurring expense above and beyond the IMS licenses themselves. Add
to this the fact that IMS DBA skills are expensive and in short supply. Permanent IMSto-DB2 migration is the only way to eliminate these costs.
12
APPLICATION
PROGRAM
DL/2 STUB
DB2
HAPPY RETIREMENT
A large, global financial institution was spending a significant portion of its IT budget
every year on IMS/DB related costs to support their trading platform. They believed the
only viable approach to long-term cost reduction was to rewrite their IMS applications
but the investment of time and resources, not to mention the risk, was significant.
SOLUTION: The complex set of nearly 40 databases and an extremely complex operational
environment required extensive rationalization, mapping and testing. The migration
occurred in two phases to minimize risk with a smaller, yet identical, production
environment in one region used as the test bed for the larger global deployment. The
complete cutover to DB2 eliminated IMS and saved the bank millions of dollars.
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For some organizations IMS will continue to play an important role in the IT
infrastructure.
objective is to make IMS data available to support new applications and enable evolving
business models, save costs or mitigate risk, will help you identify the best way to move
forward with a transparent data migration approach that will meet your goals.
STEP TWO: Gradually Migrate Data. With your business objectives in mind, the next step
is to put a formal plan in place to gradually migrate your data. This isnt an all or nothing
proposition. Some organizations need only migrate select databases to satisfy business
needs while others will eventually migrate all. Whatever the finish line may be, a gradual
approach minimizes risks and costs.
STEP THREE: Retire IMS/DB. Not all organizations will move to this step but for those
charged with cost reduction or risk mitigation due to retiring IMS talent this is the final
step. By progressing through the process of Transparent Data Migration, CIOs soon
realize that retiring IMS is a realistic goal.
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Syncsort is helping organizations around the world unlock the value of IMS data
by migrating to DB2 through Transparent Data Migration. Syncsort DL/2 is a data
migration and application transparency solution specifically designed to address the
challenges of IMS data migration to DB2. With DL/2, application programs remain
unchanged, and that means full protection of your application investments. Powerful
mapping and migration tools get you to DB2 quickly, one or more IMS databases at a
time. Applications continue to issue IMS/DB requests, but where requested data has
been migrated to DB2, DL/2 retrieves it and delivers it back to the application as if it
came from IMS/DB.
Whatever your objective may be to leverage IMS data for new and often web-based
applications, reduce costs or minimize risk DL/2 meets them equally.
Syncsort DL/2 has been proving itself around the world in a wide variety of vertical
industries since the early 1990s. Every day, hundreds of applications accessing thousands
of DL/2-migrated IMS databases issue billions of IMS calls in DB2. And every day, CIOs
are turning to DL/2 to alleviate their concerns with a risk-free approach to achieve their
objectives.
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Experience Syncsort at www.syncsort.com
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