Solution Guide for Migrating Oracle on UNIX to SQL Server - Willy .Net

42Planning Phase●●Verify if the application uses daemon processes. This in<strong>for</strong>mation is requiredbecause UNIX applications can be started in the background and will continue torun even after a user logs off the system. Using application services in Windows2003 provides similar functionality.Check <strong>for</strong> any file system dependencies. This in<strong>for</strong>mation is required becauseUNIX and Windows use different file access methods.For more in<strong>for</strong>mation on assessing the application be<strong>for</strong>e migrating from UNIX toWindows, refer to the UNIX Application Migration <strong>Guide</strong>, available athttp://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=30832.DatabaseTo migrate an <strong>Oracle</strong> database to Microsoft SQL Server successfully, the project teammust assess the technical details of the current system.The following assessment activities should be per<strong>for</strong>med on the existing <strong>Oracle</strong>database:● Identify and record the database name and all configuration in<strong>for</strong>mation.● Determine the type of database being used. Common database types includeDecision Support System (DSS), Online Transaction Processing (OLTP), or acombination of the two.● Locate any existing design documents, such as data models, database creationscripts, or data definition language (DDL) specifications.● Record detailed in<strong>for</strong>mation on existing database structures, including tables,views, stored procedures, indexes, users, and roles.● Identify and record the current location of database files, such as Storage AreaNetwork (SAN), Network Attached Storage (NAS), or local attached storage.● Identify and record the disk space consumed by the existing database files. Also,obtain estimates of growth rate of the database files.● Evaluate the existing backup solution, including the frequency and type of backup(full, archive log, and so on).● Assess the database configuration in<strong>for</strong>mation, including the sort order andcharacter set.● Examine the frequency of data dumps and log dumps.● Determine the dependencies of the database on other databases or plat<strong>for</strong>ms.Common examples include distributed databases, replication, data marts, and datawarehouses.● Identify and analyze the server side scripts in use <strong>for</strong> activities such as data loads,batch processing, reporting, and administration.The Migration Analyzer tool, which is a part of the SQL Server Migration Assistant(SSMA), analyzes the source <strong>Oracle</strong> databases and produces vital statistics on the sizeand complexity of the migration. This tool can be downloaded fromhttp://www.microsoft.com/sql/migration. The beta version of this tool is available as of thedate of publishing this solution. Version 1.0 of the tool is slated to be available in June2005Application InfrastructureThe application infrastructure can be broadly classified as server-related and networkrelated.Server-related infrastructure relates directly to the hardware and software on theserver. Server-related items include operating systems, processors, memory, storage,