Seamless Migration of SAP BusinessObjects platform for a Global Metals Trading Enterprise
Summary
IXM needed a reliable partner to perform SAP BusinessObjects platform upgrade and content migration
Since partnering with IXM in 2013, ELEKS has provided standalone, stable IT support and application maintenance services. One of the apps we have been engaged in supporting is SAP Business Objects – a platform that works as a BI and reporting tool to enhance the client’s internal Commodity Trade and Risk Management system. Following an in-depth three-month knowledge transfer phase, we provided L2/L3 support services that included the development of new reports, fixing inconsistencies within existing reporting and support of the platform infrastructure.
In April 2019, IXM decided to upgrade their SAP BO platform to a newer version while migrating to a new data centre. Following our previous partnership success – and the deep knowledge our team already had about the system – IXM chose ELEKS to carry out the migration.
The client seamlessly adopted the new tool with zero downtime during business hours
We helped IXM perform an on-premise migration from SAP Business Objects version 3.0, to the newer 4.2. The migration lasted from May to August 2019 and included changing the platform database from Oracle to MSSQL, as well as transferring all user and public data.
We helped IXM define requirements and set up all infrastructure for the new platform – introducing a three-fold back-up system that increased the platform’s stability and offered excellent failure protection.
One of the key project requirements was to perform the switchover during the weekend, thus avoiding any downtime during trading hours. We managed the migration process flawlessly, gradually switching the report schedulers from the old BO version to the new one between executions, to ensure zero disruption.
Come Monday morning when users checked their inbox, they found that the reports which were scheduled in the old system had been sent from the new one. After the migration, ELEKS continued to provide L2/L3 support services, helping IXM with the creation of new reports.
Improved performance and infrastructure stability for IXM’s BI tool
The SAP BO update provided IXM with convenient access to their BI data, and report refresh time improved by a significant 20%.
Infrastructure-wise, IXM could now benefit from enhanced server monitoring capabilities, which increased overall system stability and drastically reduced the need for issue support.
