Migration Utility Overview

Requirements

The source database for the external application must use SQL Server 2008 or later. This database must be able to communicate with the target database.

The target CloudSuite Industrial database must be a new, initialized database. This database must have the CloudSuite Industrial Migration Utility pack installed.

You must have appropriate licenses and authorizations for the CloudSuite Industrial forms that you will access during the migration. See the Form-License and Form-Group-Authorizations spreadsheets in the DataMap.

Source and Target Tables

The Import Source Tables form defines the tables and columns in the external database that can be imported. Many tables and columns are already predefined for the migration process. However, you can select additional tables or columns from the external database, which are then included in the Source Table and Column drop-down fields on the Import Steps form.

The Import Target Tables form defines the tables and columns in the target database that can be used to hold the imported data. Only tables whose data can be modified are included in the drop-down lists. Many tables and columns are already predefined for the migration process. However, you can select additional tables or columns from the target database, which are then included in the Target Table and Column drop-down fields on the Import Steps form.

Import Steps

The Import Steps form maps the source table and column to the target table and column, and specifies the sequence in which this mapping should be performed. Many sequences, or steps, of source to target mappings are predefined for the migration process. You can specify additional mappings and sequences here.

For more information, see Viewing Existing Mappings and Sequences.

The import uses sequence numbers to specify the order in which you import tables and columns. The order in which data is imported is important because of data dependencies: certain data must exist in the database before other data can be loaded. Otherwise, errors occur during the data transfer. For example, Unit of Measure Codes must be defined before you can add Unit of Measure Conversion data. We recommend that you perform the preliminary data transfers using the sequences that are predefined in the Import Steps form. You must perform the final data transfers in the specified sequence. If you add sequences to transfer additional data, ensure that they take into account the data dependencies.

Some target tables are included in more than one sequence, because some columns in the table are prerequisites for other tables, while other columns must wait for prerequisite data from other tables.

Sometimes you want to import only some records from the source table. For example, you only want to import source operation records where the WORKORDER_TYPE value is M into the target job table. To handle this, you can specify a filter for the sequence (WORKORDER_TYPE = "M") in the Import Steps form.

Manual Data Entry

Some data in CloudSuite Industrial does not have equivalent data in the external application, so that data cannot be mapped. It must be manually entered in the CloudSuite Industrial forms. We recommend that you perform most of the manual data entry before you start the import process. However, some manual entry forms require data that will be imported in one of the defined sequences. In that case, you will perform the final data transfer for that sequence, then perform the manual data entry, then continue with the next import sequence.  

See Example Migration: VISUAL for an illustration of this.

Rules

In many cases, just mapping the data is not sufficient, because the data properties are different. For example, both systems have a customer order number, but the field length is different. Or both systems have a flag that indicates whether to include tax in prices, but the source system uses Y and N values, while the target system  uses a check box (1 or 0 values in the database). You can specify general types of rules in the Import Rule Definition form, and then specific instances of the rules in the Import Table Column Rule Definition form.

For more information, see Defining Import Rules.

Stored Procedures

Stored procedures are predefined in this utility to map tables. The stored procedure name format is SourceDL_SourceTableNameImportSp or TargetDL_TargetTableNameImportSp. If necessary, you can work with Infor Consulting Services to create a custom stored procedure to move other data that the utility cannot move with the existing stored procedures.

Preliminary and Final Data Transfer

In the Import Data Transfer form, you perform a preliminary data transfer to test whether a sequence can be imported. That is, can the data from the source tables and columns defined in the sequence transfer to the target tables and columns defined in that sequence without any errors? If the data transfers successfully, you can proceed directly to the final data transfer.

If there are errors, the migration utility automatically attempts to create a rule that fixes the problem and displays the error in the Log tab of the Import Data Transfer form. You can supply appropriate values for the new rule in the Import Table Column Rule Definition form.

Rerun the preliminary data transfer, continuing to find and fix problems, until no errors are found. Then you can run the final data transfer to commit the data to the target table.

For more information, see Data Transfer Overview.

Use the Data Assessment Report to validate the data to be imported before it is committed into the target table. This report is a .CSV file that can be shared with the appropriate departments for verification.

For more information, see Generating the Import Data Assessment Report.

The Data Transfer Log is generated during the data transfer and is displayed on the Log tab of the Import Data Transfer form. The log contains the details of transfers from the source table into data load tables and finally into the target table, and it also records errors during the transfer. Use this log to verify the data transfer status and transfer detail, and also to determine whether you can proceed with the transfer.  

For more information, see Analyzing the Data Transfer Log.

Notes

The migration utilities support these types of mapping:

• One table maps to one table. One record from the source table/column is mapped to one record in the target table/column.
• One table maps to multiple tables. To support this type of mapping, a source table filter string is used to build the source table's data set. The migration utility can then move different data sets from the same source table into different target tables, by using different filter strings and sequences.