Webinar: Replatforming to Automic
- AutomWorx
- Jul 2
- 5 min read
Are you considering a major upgrade or changing your Workload automation platform or tool? This free webinar helps you understand what you need to know about major Automic projects.
I. Introduction to AutomWorx Services
Demonstrates technical excellence and a Rising Star award in technical enablement and expert advantage consulting from Broadcom.
Services Offered:
Traditional consulting (implementations, upgrades)
Help checks and environment optimization
Training (basic to advanced) to ensure team skills and maximum application usage
Extended support for technical issues beyond in-house capability or when extra help is needed.
Disclaimer: Webinar discusses both CA Technologies and Broadcom Technologies; forward-looking statements are not a promise of future functionality.
II. Introduction of Dennis Strenkowski
Head of Development at AutomWorx and Workload Automation Subject Matter Expert.
AutomWorx Team Strength:
Everyone has 15 to 20+ years of experience with these products.
Started with AppWorks and continued through the Automic merger.
Maintain great relationships with customers.
Unique strength: Knowledge of products and the majority of major solutions and integrations (Oracle eBusiness, J.D. Edwards, Ellucian Banner, Informatica, Oracle Retail, Oracle Utilities Customer Care and Billing, and many others).
III. Replatforming Your Workload Automation with Automic
What Replatforming Means:
Upgrading to a newer version of current software.
Switching between vendors or solutions (e.g., from AppWorks to Automic).
Moving from on-premise to cloud or hybrid solutions.
Why Replatform?
End-of-life or unsupported versions.
Lack of scalability and performance.
High maintenance costs.
Need for newer, modern features (cloud, REST APIs, DevOps support).
Security vulnerabilities (upgrading/patching to latest versions, policy requirements for current versions).
IV. Why Migrate to Automic?
Automic offers great features and stays up-to-date with new implementations.
Key Features:
Supports multiple databases (Oracle, SQL Server, Postgres, DB2)
Experience helping customers migrate databases to reduce costs.
Supports the majority of OSes and hardware on the market.
Multi-Client Technology:
Single Automic environment can be broken into smaller, manageable clients (test, development, QA, training).
Clients can be quickly duplicated for testing and then deleted.
Advantage over products like AppWorks that typically need multiple masters for different environments.
Advanced Analytics and Reporting:
Allows creation of custom dashboards.
Supports Broadcom's AAI (Automation, Analytics, and Intelligence) for tracking/meeting SLAs and pre-SLA alerts.
Provides a single view into multiple automation solutions
Robust Active-Active and High Availability:
More scalable for high workload demands.
Capable of running hundreds of thousands to millions of jobs a day.
OS Agents are Backwards Compatible:
No need to upgrade all agents at once.
Latest versions include Centralized Agent Upgrade (CAU) for pushing agent upgrades from the automation engine.
Full Set of APIs:
Full Java API (everything available in the application).
REST API (quickly catching up to Java API).
Call API for running Automic scripting within other programs (Java, C++, COBOL) and integrating with scripting languages (Windows Batch, Unix shell).
Rapid Automation Agents:
Extensive integrations (REST and SOAP web services, Oracle eBusiness, Peoplesoft, Hyperion, J.D. Edwards, Ellucian Banner, FTP, Informatica, and more).
AutomWorx can build custom solutions for internal applications.
V. Key Considerations When Moving to Automic
Analysis of Current State:
Inventory of all jobs, dependencies, schedules.
Identify any customizations.
Check current integrations (Oracle eBusiness, J.D. Edwards shop).
Assess usage of current solution APIs (e.g., submitting jobs from scripts) for redesign.
Review current system performance limitations and pain points to identify redesign opportunities for improvement in Automic.
Building Your Team:
Dedicated Project Manager (to keep project moving and clear roadblocks).
Workload Automation Experts (SMEs for Automic).
Access to Infrastructure Admins (server, network, database).
Admins of integrated applications (Oracle eBusiness, J.D. Edwards, Informatica).
Business Stakeholders.
VI. V24 Considerations (Latest Version of Automic)
Required Personnel: Infrastructure team and application admins.
Big Change: UTF-8 support in the database.
Requires database conversion before upgrade.
Typically involves parallel upgrades, standing up a new V24 system while the current system remains intact.
Migration to V24 (from another product) will take longer than an upgrade from Automic 21.
Timing the Migration:
Avoid periods of heavy new project development in Automic.
Look for periods of minimal development activity.
Consider the possibility and duration of a code freeze.
Upgrade (V21 to V24): Weeks at most.
Conversion from another platform: Months (e.g., 3 to 6 months depending on size).
If no complete code freeze, track changes.
Testing:
More time involved for migration vs. upgrade.
Start with individual job types (batch scripts, FTP, Informatica).
Move to smaller workflows and processes, then more complex ones.
Work with customer to create a game plan, breaking out jobs/workflows into groups that can be migrated together.
Migrate frequent, low-complexity jobs first.
Group related processes and do them in batches.
Gauge Number of Agents and Clients:
Used to build statement of work.
Testing in lower environments helps gauge production timeline.
VII. Data Migrations
AutomWorx specializes in migrating to Automic.
Proven experience and existing solutions; can build custom solutions if needed.
Will share customer experiences and case studies.
Conversion Process:
Inventory of the Source System:
Identify current environments (prod, non-prod, QA, dev).
Discuss using production data to build non-prod environments to save time and synchronize environments.
Determine operating system (Windows, Linux, AIX).
Identify systems where jobs are scheduled.
List current integrations (Oracle eBusiness, J.D. Edwards, Informatica).
Assess DR setup (current or desired).
Review customizations and API usage in current environment for redesign in Automic.
Source System Cleanup:
Clean up old or unused objects (often 40% or more are inactive).
Reduces conversion time and effort.
Starts Automic environment cleaner without old baggage.
Environment Preparation:
Ensure hardware, OS, and databases meet system requirements.
Provide prerequisites for Java, Apache Tomcat, and other required software versions.
Conduct a compatibility checklist.
Source System Export File Creation:
Export data from current system for conversion programs.
Time export for periods of low development activity in current automation tool.
Instructions provided for export and upload.
Data checked for correctness and format upon receipt.
Migration Test:
Process data through conversion tool and evaluate results.
Identify successful conversions and issues.
Adjust conversion program or redesign in Automic.
Typically 80% or more converts automatically; remaining 20% or less requires redesign.
Issues often lead to improvements due to better features in Automic.
Generate Import File and Test:
Run exported data through conversion program to generate import file.
Load into test environment and begin testing.
Start with low-level testing of individual job types (shell scripts, FTPs, Informatica jobs).
Test processes, identifying workflows that represent others.
Repeat process for each environment; first one is the hardest, subsequent ones get easier.
VIII. General Questions & Answers
Question about Code Freeze: Average duration for code freeze?
Upgrade (V21 to V24): Maybe weeks at most.
Conversion from another platform: Months (3 to 6 months depending on size).
If no complete code freeze, track changes.
Does Automic support Banner SaaS (most importantly continuing to trigger Banner Jobs)?
Do you use proprietary conversion tool ?
Do we have support for table conversion jobs for JDE Agents now ?
Does conversion happen in bulk or do client teams have to do it job by job or workflow by workflow ?
